Freshers Fest, held in the U on Thursday, and headlined by “Obskür”, had tickets sell out the day they were released. The wristband wait proved worth it with a massive turnout, and a phenomenal lineup making it a night to remember; although for most they probably won’t.
My night started by heading to the interfaith centre to grab my wristband. The line earlier that day was at least a half hour wait, and trailed from the help desk in The U to behind the Clubs and Socs desk and back around again. Many people were attempting to buy last minute tickets, but were met with disappointment, as all last minute tickets were well gone.
The DJ Society started the night off strong with a great set in Nubar and The Venue at 8, although many people (myself included) were caught in the perpetual line for the cloakroom for the better half of the set. By 10, the Sing Along Socials had started in The Venue, along with the silent disco DJed by the FM man himself, Conor Smith. The Hive was packed and without headphones, all you could hear was unharmonious screaming of incoherent lyrics. It was best to keep the headphones on and dance around, occasionally floating over to one of the pop up bars they’d set up in The Hive.
At 11 o’clock the crowd down in The Hive seemed to have doubled and were screaming Mr Brightside as the DJ Society once again had the crowd going wild. At this point Nubar had everyone out in the smoking area, with the odd few people popping back in to dance or grab a few drinks, although there were pop-up bars outside so many didn’t feel the need.
Obskür’s set at the end of the night was worth the wait. The Venue was packed shoulder to shoulder and the whole room was screaming and jumping to the music. The duo had incredible stage presence, keeping the crowd going until the night drew to a close at around 1.30am. They drew the night to a brilliant close, and you could still feel the crowd buzzing as they walked out of The Venue.
Freshers fest had a great atmosphere all through the night. There was a place for everyone, whether you wanted to be dancing in a sea of bodies, or just dance with some headphones on with your friends. It was a great introduction to the social life at DCU and was a brilliantly organised event.
Mychaela Shevlin