With an opening by four of Scotland’s finest a capella groups and sets by two killer bands, 601 Live proved that the new Club 601 can be everything: dancefloor, bar, and concert venue.
With a healthy mix of performances and an impressively versatile venue, 601 Live was certainly a Freshers’ Week highlight.
The Alleycats, The Accidentals, the Hummingbirds, and the Other Guys are no strangers to stages. All performers at last year’s Scottish A Capella Championships (the grand prize for which was taken by the all-female Accidentals), they each took the stage for medleys that maintained the attention of the primarily first year crowd, all of whom could be potential recruits as auditions approach. Afterwards, members of the groups could be seen in Club 601 and the Main Bar, socialising with fans and encouraging anyone who so much as sings in the shower to give a capella a go.
Next the stage was occupied by the Carnabys, familiar to returning students as the main act of the Lumsden Club’s Secret Garden Party last year. During the press briefing backstage, band members expressed enthusiasm at having returned to the Bubble. Golf, nights out at the Lizard, and burgers at the Vic provided entertainment to the five band members, all of whom participated in the St Andrews tradition of adopting a first year after discovering that one of our student photographers had yet to find an academic father.
The main act of the night, Fickle Friends, took the stage around 1am on the heels of the Carnabys’ 50 minute set. Having spent the night dancing and drinking, the crowd welcomed them with a surprising burst of energy, a testament to the band’s name recognition: recent performers at the Fieldview Festival, upcoming performers at Bestival, and the second most blogged about band of 2015 (an impressive feat for an indie group), Fickle Friends transfixed the crowd and kept people on their feet until the night’s end.
With a healthy mix of performances and an impressively versatile venue, 601 Live was certainly a Freshers’ Week highlight. Congratulations to the Students’ Association for putting together such an excellent event.
