Fresher's Line-Up: Disappointing so far

A-Level results have come and gone, and there are more freshers than ever buzzing to get to uni in September. 

Southampton’s grand strategy for freshers fortnight over the past couple of years has focused on the creation of the “Masterpass”- the all-encompasing (except for some events) ticket to drink, partying and the Cube.

The poster for this years Masterpass

It’ll set you back £80, though, before you’ve even had a chance to meet your flatmates or experience the clubs of Southampton and gets you into only nine confirmed SUSU events. However, at least it’s a tenner cheaper than last year but the important question is what will you get for your money.

SUSU has a history of picking some pretty atrocious acts to perform at its big parties, and so far it’s been a mixed bag. The good news is that Danny Howard, a favourite of BBC Radio 1 at the moment, has been confirmed for the Freshers’ Ball. This may come as a surprise to many current students at Southampton as he is actually rather big right now, a trait notoriously lacking for most previous performers at SUSU.

However.

Dick and Dom have been announced to perform in the week. Hodor from Game of Thrones will be at Freshers’ Ball, along with one of the Britain’s Got Talent finalists (supposedly the runner-up). They’re a bit novel and they’re not S Club, which is a step-up from last year, but when Solent have booked Stormzy, Lethal Bizzle and Blonde for their Freshers’ Ball (they also got Danny Howard), it’s not great. Considering that Danny Howard is playing both Solent and SUSU’s Fresher’s Ball, maybe the other acts will do the same.

Not exactly shaking with excitement over here

There were major complaints last year, especially over the Graduation Ball,  that SUSU were spending money on washed-up acts rather than using the money to subsidise ticket costs. SUSU will need to provide some big acts to really make the ticket worth it’s price, especially considering the launching of the AAA Pass for £20 less and includes a ticket to Southampton Soundclash- one of the highlights of the music scene in the city last year.

If the money is going towards acts that are making music that people will want to go and see, then the general apathy shown towards the costs of attending some of Southampton’s biggest nights may begin to wane. And yes, during Fresher’s, it’s likely that nobody will give a shit, everyone will be mashed off their face and won’t realise that the man DJ’ing is famous for shouting “bogies” really loudly in a library.

But should SUSU be spending thousands on Dick and Dom? Maybe they should, but I’d rather have a masterpass that is even slightly further subsidised.

Of course, SUSU could be saving up for a major announcement in the near future. But at the moment, freshers will have to really stretch to make the £80 price tag worth it.

What are your thoughts on the Freshers announcements? Who would be a good act for SUSU to book? Let us know in the comments!