A night of sole-ful swing

Walking into Squeeze 500 last Monday night was like walking into my ideal dance party: girls jiving in ’50s style dresses, boys boogie-ing in their brogues, and everyone drinking lemonade mixed with their spirit of choice. To be fair, there wasn’t a strict dress code and it wasn’t exactly a scene out of Pleasantville, but whether people went all-out on their outfits or just wore what they wear to the library, I was struck by how many of them were smiling.

No one was putting on their ‘I’m-out-tonight-and-I’m-being-seen-and-I’m-looking-hot’ pout. Everyone seemed to be having a genuinely good time.

The party started at 9:00pm, and to be completely honest, I’m not really sure what happened in the first hour (like any respectable St Andrean I was busy pre-drinking). But I can tell you that the second the band started playing at 10:00pm, it promised to be a great night. Their set was soulful, danceable, and they held the stage well, providing something for people to watch when they needed to catch their breath. After the band’s last number (around 12:00am), Jasper Hamlet and Matt Gavris played an amazing set of ‘electro swing’ which lasted until the end of the night.

Both acts provided music that was fun and inviting: even when I was so out of breath I thought I might pass out (I really need to start going to the gym); even when I was so drenched with sweat it looked like I had just jumped off the Pier; even when the soles of my shoes literally fell off (I’m serious), I simply could not stop dancing.

The event was held in Venue 1 – a fact I was quite apprehensive about before attending. But to my surprise (and pleasure) they had performed the almost impossible: they had turned Venue 1 into an intimate space. How? They cut off the back half of the massive room, and had chairs and tables which bordered the dance floor, making it feel just crowded enough.

 The night had only a couple of glitches: the supply of lemonade dried up at about 11:30 pm, leading me to do shots of straight whisky, and because it was a Monday (Union hours), the night finished too soon at a measly 1:00 in the morning.

Regardless of these little hiccups, Squeeze 500 was a blast. I’ve heard the event might become a regular thing, and if the rumours are true, I strongly encourage anyone who loves to dance-as-if-it’s-the-end-of-the-world to get hold of a ticket.  

And at £5 a ticket, you really have no reason not to.