The Tab Tries…Itchy Feet

Amidst the bow ties, braces and brightly coloured shirts, the Tab tried Itchy Feet for the first time last night, venturing to Arena with little idea of what to expect from one of the most popular student nights in Exeter.

Before hand I’d heard nothing but good words about the event.  Hearing that it had made it onto an Exeter ‘ bucket-list’ of things to do before you left Uni was really the true reason behind my attendance.

After buying a ticket days in advance due to the popularity of the event , I felt it was rude not to take a look on their website to see what I was letting myself into.

Itchy Feet describes the night as:

On their site there is a section designated entirely to their music. This really is the most radical thing about Itchy Feet. Gone are the latest songs from the Top 40…replaced by the songs you should waltz to rather than slut drop to.

The first thing to notice is that it’s so refreshing to encounter new people aside from the regular ‘Arena Thursday’ lot, of which half of the people you recognize. The buttoned up Fred Perry shirts are replaced by bow ties, and it really is like you’ve been transported back to the 1930s.

The music is chilled and energetic, the place Is just as busy if not more than it is on any of the other peak nights, and the atmosphere seems a lot more relaxed.

Being a fan of the standard Arena Thursday nights it was certainly rather strange at first.I’d say the majority of people at Itchy Feet tend to listen to this genre of music, but with me not being one of them, I was given the advice  ‘get off your face and you’ll love it.’ I enjoyed it without copious amounts of Jager bombs however, simply because it really is so different to any other night. The weirder you dance the cooler you look, the more you embrace the old music the more you will enjoy yourself, and the less you care about what others might think of you the more you fit in.

Within two minutes of being in Arena I’d already heard two different perspectives that truly sum up the experience of Itchy Feet. In the toilets one student exclaimed “this is the best fu**ing night of my life’”whereas one girl stormed outside saying “I can’t stand this place.” I guess that’s the thing with Itchy Feet, if its not your thing you could end up hating it.

However to the skeptics out there who have yet to try Itchy Feet, I definitely encourage you to head down to the next event, details of which can be found on their website.

Whether it’s at Arena or the Pheonix, be prepared for an unusual, light-hearted and energetic night.

And you never know, you might just enjoy yourself.