A guide to Mully’s Karaoke: 10 things that will make your night sensational (or just less embarrassing)

Mully's Karaoke on Saturdays is one of UCL's most classic student nights. It's the place to go to have fun with your friends without reaching the level of craziness that is LOOP. Nonetheless, there are still some useful tricks that can significantly improve your night out and help you shine on the stage (or at the very least avoid embarrassment).

The key to being the life of the party at Mully's is to know how to choose your songs. That said, it's also important to know when to keep yourself from singing. Here are the 10 things you need to know to have the best night of your life, whether it’s singing onstage or out on the dancefloor.

1. True stars arrive on time

If you want to have the chance to truly experience Mully’s, then make sure you turn up early so you can to sign yourself up to sing before the list fills up. The door shuts at 12, so last-minute karaoke trips might not be successful if you don’t keep an eye on the time.

But maybe not this early…

2. Don't choose songs people don't know

Songs to avoid: weird indie songs that no-one knows, songs in another language, songs that are too high pitched or too fast.

Let’s face it, there’s no point to going to karaoke if people are not able to sing along. Most of us prefer to do our singing from the dancefloor, so be considerate and choose something that I have a chance of following. If I don't know the lyrics, I’ll just be looking at you and judging.

3. Choose carefully when to go to the toilet

This is very real.

The sound that reaches the toilets in Mully’s basement (or at least the girls’ loos) is very different from what you hear in the pub. For one reason; is only taken from the microphone. So, choose a person that is actually able to sing, or you'll be undertaking a journey of suffering while hearing your favourite song get destroyed with no background music to hide it.

4. Don't sing when the night is hosted by one of the music-related societies

It's unfair that they are placed at the same level, we all know it, but do yourself a favour and don't even try to compete with people who actually take singing seriously.

Looking at you MT

5. Pick a song you know ALL the words to – or sing with someone who does

It might seem like an obvious tip, but in the heat of the moment it is very easy to go for the first song on the list that sounds familiar without stopping to think about it. But just because you've heard a song too many times in a club, doesn’t mean you know what comes after the chorus…

6. Classic songs are always a good choice

Wannabe, Africa, Grease is the Word, Take on Me… The more obvious the better. With these ones, it doesn’t matter whether you can actually sing the notes or not, the crowd will go mad and you've heard it so many times that you won’t even have to awkwardly look at the screen to follow the lyrics.

7. The cheesier the better

This is your true chance to indulge in your guilty pleasures.

8. Don't rap, unless you're secretly Jay-Z

They're hard to follow and even harder to sing. It's better to avoid the risk unless you're absolutely sure that you can rock it.

9. Enjoy yourself

Don’t worry about how you sound, just enjoy the night. After all Karaoke was created for this. It is your moment to have some amazing time with your friends and pretend to be a rockstar.

10. And if you're out of ideas… High School Musical never fails

The first movie, obviously.

You can never go wrong with a classic from your truly unforgettable tweenage years. People are likely to scream so loudly that you won't be able to hear yourself. So, if you want to succeed at Karaoke while not being able to hit a single note, this is what you should go for.

Good luck and you can thank me for the great advice later!