Why does everyone like Salvation so much?

The drinks are impractically big


The ringing endorsement that we all heard when we started at York was: “Salvo’s is shit. That’s why it’s brilliant.”

Few of us remember much about Salvation in those first few magical weeks.  A blurry few pictures tells me something about buckets and excessive cigarette use.

As time passed, and my liver began to cope with the straight up unhealthy amount of vodka pumped into it, I began to see why the quote was so accurate.

Pre salvo squad

At about half eleven you and fifty other people thrust your student ID at the bouncers, careful not to make too much noise and not to act too drunk as you throw a fiver at the entrance (roughly 500 times more than Society) and wallow into the bar queue.

There’s the group in front of you that just ordered and your mate has already got his hands on the bar.

Obviously the bar staff spend the next ten minutes serving other people, most of which you’re fairly sure hauled themselves in at least ten minutes after you.

After jostling for position between a pair of drunken walruses, you catch an eye. With a horrifically large  beverage container, you know it’s time to head out onto the dance floor.

You’ve got one hand with on an impractically large beverage, another thrown up in the air in some mockery of dance.

The crackle of feet breaking from the floor (presumably from drinks) seems to be in time to the beat of whatever the latest banger JB has dropped.

Buckets. Buckets everywhere.

Halfway through you figure it might be best to head upstairs to the “Best smoking area in York”.

Now, what exactly qualifies this as that coveted title?

Is it the hordes of your fellow sweaty students barging against each other? The endless people trying for  cigarette? Those couples across the corners reminding you that you’re going to die as you lived, drunk and alone?

Yet, somehow, despite the price, crowded bar and sticky floors, we all end up at Salvos end up there with half the student population of York two to four times a week.

Maybe its brilliance really is that its shit.