My flat recreated Quack in lockdown and it was the best decision ever

Quack withdrawals are a real thing okay!

3 years ago

Ah, Quack. The themed nights, the cheesy music, and the good vibes of the Engine Shed, there is a lot to miss, especially picking up the cups from the floor and taking them to reception to pay for your weekly shop. For those of us that actually got to experience the wild nights of Quack (sorry, freshers) our Wednesday nights have been empty as of late.

I don’t know about you, but since it has been closed, and never getting the chance to properly say goodbye, I have been sitting on the window sill, crying whilst staring at the un-lit Engine Shed, quietly singing Come On Eileen. Something needed to be done, and mainly because my flatmates are sick of me humming along to every cheesy hit known to mankind. And so, we prepped our own cheesy playlist, bought a disco light from Amazon, and got our Quack on.

Step one: Pre drinks

Step one for a successful Quack night – still do pre drinks. Since we can only party in our kitchen these days, take your pre-drinks to your room to spice things up. There’s nothing more exciting than having a gin in your room and a vodka in the kitchen. Sure, before Covid you could go to Spoons, but we don’t need her…right? Right? Who am I kidding?

Anyway, you can drink alone whilst getting ready, play some games with your flatmates, or not drink at all, just make sure you get in the mood for a Quazy night (see what I did there?)

Step two: Make an epic playlist

The best pres playlist you could have really

Your playlist is an absolute essential. This is the make or break, the cherry on top, the pièce de résistance. Try to cast your mind back to nights at Quack, I know, it might be hard to remember depending on how much you drank. You’re there, you can feel the bass thumping in your chest and can smell the BO of the guy next to you – now tell me, what music is playing?

That’s right, Quack is a perfect combination of the ‘olden but golden’, the cheesy hits, the naughty noughties, and even the odd musical number (I don’t care how much you say you don’t, everyone can’t help but dance to Mamma Mia.) Sure, you might not be able to have Dick and Dom accompanied by Paul Chuckle in your kitchen, but just stick Dick & Dom in da Bungalow on in the background and you can barely notice the difference.

Step three: Dress code

The good thing about having Quack in the comfort of your own flat is that you can choose the dress code. If you want to go for a theme, go for it! Club/going out attire? Very nice. Did I wear my R2-D2 pyjamas to our Quack night? Absolutely. The same goes with make-up – whether you are bare-faced or painted for the Gods, it’s totally up to you.

Step four: Takeout

We kept our Quack night true to tradition. When you leave the Engine Shed, a bit wobbly on your feet, and let’s be honest, in the head, where does your body lead you? To McDonald’s or King Kebab of course. No, your body doesn’t need it, but after a night of drinking and dancing, your soul needs that Big Mac or banging kebab.

Due to the pleasures of the modern day, we have UberEats, Deliveroo, Just Eat, and an array of other services that bring our cravings straight to our door. Nothing much changes here from normal – you still tell your friends how much you love them in a slur with half a chip hanging out your mouth and a splash of sweet curry sauce down your top.

via @thetablincoln_

Step five: A terrible hangover

At the end of it all, you still wake up in the morning feeling groggy and wondering “what happened last night and where is my left sock?” That is until you look at your Snapchat story and cringe all over again. At least if you have a 9 am the following day, you can do it from the comfort of your own bed. If they ask you to turn your camera on? Just say it’s broken or put some vaseline over the camera to hide the worst hangover going.

We miss you, Quack!