Arc: A night making waves

How did you guys start out?

Joe and I [Stuart] were at school together and we met Adam in freshers. We started out doing small college events, such as the Movember party in Mildert and then were asked to play Hild Bede and Collingwood Winter Ball. Since then things have evolved pretty quickly. We were recently asked to play at Digital, and to do that in our first year was unbelievable.

Your first night saw the Prince Bishop come alive with fire, décor, and some cracking music. How do you feel about the amazing reception you received after being sold out in less than one day?

We were amazed at how fast the tickets sold out, but even more pleased with the feedback. We basically wanted to throw a massive party for our mates that was different from other things that had gone down in Durham before. A lot of the people that came off the boat said it was one of the best nights they’ve had in Durham. That has motivated us to do another.

We’re also really excited to be headlining Jam by the Lake, a music festival put on by Mildert. We’re the first DJs to be asked to do it so we’re really chuffed and can’t wait. Expect some juicy tunes.

Do you have any other surprises in store for us?

Without spoiling anything for the next boat party, we’ve kept a lot back for future events, and the next one should be bigger and better. It’s is beach themed, which brings us loads of opportunities for new ideas. We want to make sure that our first year ends with a bang…

It’s early days now, but do you see yourself competing with NOVA and Fever?

In our eyes were not competing with them at all, we love the nights they put on and can’t wait for Fever in Newcastle and NOVA’s last party. The aim of Arc was to put on the occasional really fun event that keeps people looking forward to the next one.

Some people are scared away from NOVA due to their music, but you guys seem to be all inclusive. How would you describe your music?

We have built Arc on the principle that it’s not defined by genre, but the quality of the music and the night as a whole. We were aware that Durham is not a hotspot for underground music, but so far playing our favourite songs has gone down really well. Some people are put off by nights that are associated with just one genre, but as there are three of us and we all like different music we have managed to avoid this. This was the principle behind HotBox.

What can you tell us about HotBox?

HotBox is our next event, on the 2nd of June. It’s a new concept we’ve come up with that is essentially an open decks night in Fabio’s. The vision behind HotBox was to showcase student talent that would have otherwise gone under the radar. There is no better feeling than playing in front of people, which sadly is rare unless you run a club night. Students have got in contact with us, and now we have lined up a variety of DJs from different universities playing different genres throughout the night. As well as some unknown talent, we’ve got some familiar faces from Durham’s nightlife, so expect some of the NOVA and Fever residents to play as well.

Don your bikinis and Hawaiian shirts for the next boat party and make sure you don’t miss the ticket sales, because if the last one was anything to go by they will sell like wildfire.

Here’s what went down last time: