NERVE Magazine vol.2 | Summer Ball Special

The BU Summer Ball is the biggest in the country, and the best party of the year.

After weeks of massive build up, it’s all over way too quickly, but the memories it creates carry on. Facebook gets taken over with pictures of people in costumes, and Twitter timelines are packed with tweets about ‘Post-Summer Ball Blues’. This special edition of Nerve Magazine brings you the lowdown on the whole event,

offering reviews and photos from our media team. And for those that most likely missed the Summer Ball, or perhaps were there but just don’t remember, it also has the famous Survivors Photo!

There will soon videos and even more amazing photos online, just check out ‘BU Summer Ball 2014’ on Facebook. So keep your eyes peeled, you may have had to hang your costume back in the closet, but it’s not completely over yet!

Having stopped off at Hollywood Party Centre early on Saturday morning (the day of the Ball) to pick up the finishing touches to my costume, I was pleased to find that others had left their costumes to last minute too. Getting ready suddenly turned from a leisurely affair to an hour-long scramble, to make sure I was at pre’s with ample time to drink, eat, and enjoy the sun, which we weren’t sure we’d get.

As we cracked open beers and fired up the barbeque, those who were gathering at the house were ecstatic that the weather forecast that had predicted rain was wrong.

The sun was glorious, hot and allowed for a nigh-on perfect day for Summer Ball.

One of the best bits, for me, is arriving at Lansdowne and seeing a sea of students wearing fancy dress, converging outside of the Fire Station to get the bus to the Ball. It really brings a community feel to the day.

The bus ride there in previous years has been lively and ambitious in its rendition of songs, but this year the riders stuck to ‘safe’ (and repetitive) football chants, with “I’m Bournemouth til I die” being the favourite on our bus. These chants are a product of excitement and anticipation; it is drunken fun

of the best kind, and the whole bus unites to roar their fidelity to Bournemouth University.

Off the bus, getting into the actual Ball was more difficult than it should have been.

However, after maybe half an hour of waiting, we were in and it was soon forgotten.

Walking in at around 6pm, we found drummers and mingled in with the growing circle of dancers, which got us nicely back into the Summer Ball spirit.

Naturally, our group of 15 people dispersed and we spent a fair amount of the night looking for each other, but it’s all part of the fun. Some ran straight for WAYF, others to the loo after queuing for the bus, some to the bar, and a few just disappeared into the crowds of people. A great thing about the Summer Ball is that you run into them again - or at least someone you know.

After negotiating the bars - and paying the high price for water as well as other drinks we sat on the grass, drinks in hand, laughing and dancing as music blared from the Indie Tent, which was nearest at the time.

Time ebbed by, as it does with good company, weather and music, until we shifted into the main tent for a dance, catching some of Chloe Howl’s set. Florence Welch-esque, she

commanded the stage and the main tent as it steadily packed out.

While the sun was still up we thought we’d make the most of it, so after an hour or so in there we left for the rides.

Pure Adrenaline, the Spinning Cage, and the Dodgems are half the reason for coming to Summer Ball, according to many of the whispers in the queues. While the truth of this might be questionable, the rides are definitely a perk. We had to literally hold onto our pirate hats as we were whirled around, but no one - as far as I know - lost anything on the rides at least!

After having our fill of adrenaline, we headed back to find a bit of grass to sit and eat as the last of the sun disappeared. We meandered through the tents for a bit, catching glimpses of Huw Stevens, Deaf Havana and Bronzy, but we ended up in the Indie tent vicinity. This was the second busiest tent, after the Main tent, which is always packed out. The crowd spilled onto the surrounding grass and there were clusters of people

dancing in the darkness, or chilling out with a drink in hand.

All too abruptly the music stopped at 2am, and Summer Ball 2014 was over. As all of the tents shut, a steady stream of students headed for the bus and taxi queues, with debates being heard about whether people were going to attempt the Survivors Photo.

The bus on the way back was more subdued than before, with some chattering quietly in their individual groups rather than the bus being united in song. Others had their heads lolling against the window, failing to not fall asleep.

Summer Ball 2014 was an absolute blast, improved immeasurably with the surprise change of weather. If you know and love the artists it’s a nice perk, but if not - as with the relative anonymity of this year’s line up – it is not pivotal for a good day. For many, me included, the line up is a secondary consideration. Summer ball was an amazing day, night, and morning-after with friends to celebrate the end of the year.

The main stage this year was a packed line up, with something for everyone and the acts this year did not disappoint, with a packed tent from start to finish.

CHIP As a last minute act for BU’s Summer Ball, Chip (formerly Chipmunk) didn’t disappoint! As one of the earlier acts on the Main Stage, Chip didn’t need to try to get the crowd going. The tent was pretty much full of students waiting to find out what Chip had to offer since his second album, Transition, back in 2011. Since that he’s been relatively off the radar.

Chip didn’t perform any of his new material, although most of the crowd didn’t seem phased by this as they had a live act in front of them ready to excite them further. Instead, he chose to sing

covers in his short but sweet set and it’s safe to say he had everybody singing along with him.

Chip didn’t sing one of his most memorable tunes, ‘Chip Diddy Chip’, nor ‘Diamond Rings’ which featured vocals from Emeli Sandé. It would have been nice to have some nostalgia in the set, but perhaps Chip wants to move away from his old music, shown with the fact that he has changed his name, and create anticipation for what he has in store.

Overall, as a last minute performer, filling in for the absent Neon Jungle, Chip was upbeat, confident and appeared to be generally grateful for a chance to perform.

Chip even tweeted afterwards, saying that BU students were a ‘sick crowd’, so it seems as if we were just as impressive as he was. The Tottenham-born rapper promises lots of new material, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for what he has coming up.

CHLOE HOWL Chlöe Howl wasn’t the most well known act performing on the Main Stage, but she was one of the biggest hits.

As an artist she is particularly noticeable with her short, red her and striking fashion sense. She sported a lacy black crop top and sequined dogtooth style leggings: one of the most memorable and fashionable outfits out of the line-up.

Chlöe adapted her latest single ‘Rumour’ to suit the mood of the crowd in the tent packed full of tipsy students. The song was performed with bigger and louder beats and when she sang the chorus it wasn’t long until the crowd began to sing with her. She also sang: ‘No Strings’, ‘Paper Heart’ and ‘I Wish I could Tell You’ which all went down amazingly.

As a performer, Chlöe was one of the most energetic to grace the stage, dancing from one side to another throughout the whole set. She appeared to be enjoying herself just as much as the students, if not more.

The whole set was given a house vibe which sounded perfect as the sun was setting over Chapel Gate, preparing the crowd for the remaining acts.

As an up-coming artist it was a pleasure to see Chlöe Howl live while she’s still relatively new to us. But judging by her performance she’s on her way to the top!

DEAF HAVANA Deaf Havana have a huge fan base and on Saturday it was clear to see why they have had so many successful tours across Europe. They are also becoming more successful in America, having recently released Old Souls as their debut album there. It was nice to see them performing in a setting like the BU Summer Ball before they hit the real big time!

They played songs from across their three studio albums, particularly from their most recent album, Old Souls. This included ‘Little White Lies’, which had a much slower rhythm, in order to suit the festival setting. Overall, their set had a more stadium sound, as they are starting to convert their music from ‘classic rock’ to much more ‘pop

rock’. A personal favourite that they performed was their cover of ‘Let Me Entertain You’ at the end of the set. It’s always interesting when a well-known band does a cover to close the set, as it shows their appreciation for other successful artists and music.

Deaf Havana did not let up and their entire performance was scintillating throughout with the crowd cheering them on, singing along to every song and calling for an encore when they finished. The love seemed mutual as the band interacted with the crowd at every opportunity, showing their appreciation for their fans. The band seemed very merry themselves, and the Rhythm Guitarist, Matthew Veck-Gilodi, kept wearing parts of people’s costumes that had been thrown onto the stage. At one point he played through a song wearing a Viking’s hat!

If the fact that they called in sick to Radio One’s Live Lounge the next day is anything to go by, I would say that they also had fun having a few drinks along with the students!

HUW STEPHENS BBC Radio 1’s music maestro Huw Steohens had a busy Saturday, with his Radio 1 show and a performance at London’s Field Day festival before his set on the Summer Ball Main Stage.

There were no signs of tiredness though as he worked the crowd like the seasoned pro he is, playing hit after hit, and keeping everybody partying with a mix of songs perfect for fans of every act to play the stage before him and more.

With a growing reputation as Radio 1’s number one source for music expertise, the main stage crowd could fairly expect an amazing show, and Huw Stephens delivered in Style!

URBAN ARENA The Urban Stage has always persisted to be a popular choice with the students; as it attracts some of the biggest artists, dropping the finest drum and bass hits. I’m happy to admit that my Spotify playlists aren’t exactly littered with drum and bass beats, in fact, there is more from Jamiroquai than anyone else! But I was amazed at the lineup that SUBU managed to organise.

With the likes of Camo and Krooked, Dr. Meaker, Meridian Dan and Bournemouth’s own resident DJ: Jay Fresh, this was arguably the greatest list of acts to grace the Urban Stage.

Jay Fresh appeared to be a popular choice, as he played his own mix of more generic songs which pumped up the crowd and got everyone singing along. For me, the greatest surprise of the night was the hidden gem that is: Dr. Meaker.

With funk and soul meeting some light drum and bass, crossed with great vocals, the Bristol-based group were a joy to watch live. Most notably, their cover of Adele’s ‘Skyfall’ was a massive triumph. Then came Meridian Dan, who is most well known for his song, ‘German Whip’. He gave such an amazing live performance that even the other artists were dancing alongside the stage.

The final act to perform was the Austrian DJ-duo: Camo and Krooked; who were insanely brilliant.

The tent was absolutely rammed full of people dancing to hits such as ‘All Night’.

So all in all, it was another hugely successful night in the Urban Stage at the BU Summer Ball.

I genuinely believe that SUBU will struggle to top the acts we had this year. I hope they can!

The Indie Stage at the Summerball was a different experience for many people. A lot of students came by to have a sing and dance to the catchy tunes that were being played by the likes of Lisbon and Ted Zed. Ted Zed graced the indie tent with an array of unforgettable tunes, such as “Alien Monday” and “Makes Me Wanna Believe”. The intense bass to all of the songs they played was amazing. “I Don’t Mind” was probably a favourite, as you could easily grasp onto the words if you didn’t know them and have a sing-along. Saying that, it was hard not to.

Ted Zed is comprised of three very talented musicians. Edward Griggs, who is the front man of it all, gave us his wide range of vocals as well as playing the guitar. George Cook did some intense work on the drums (his facial expressions were topnotch) and Mike Hawkins effortlessly accompanied with the bass guitar. Griggs also gave the BU students some crowd action, at one

point jumping off the stage and rocking with some of the people in the front row.

Coming to the stage shortly after Ted Zed there was huge sense of anticipation for Lisbon, a band whose reputation is growing by the day.

With some support from very esteemed places it’s not surprising the crowd were waiting quite so eagerly for the alternative 4-piece, whose debut tune BLUELOVE went down a storm as part of an excellent set, that left the crowd wanting more.

Some of the females in the crowd were happy when they also had the chance to have a hug of appreciation from the members of both Ted Zed and Lisbon, at the end of both of their sets.

The vibes and atmosphere in the tent were upbeat and positive all round. Whether the crowd knew the bands’ music or not didn’t matter, they seemed to have a good time regardless. A lot of students were there to just appreciate some good, fresh music whilst enjoying themselves immensely in the process.

Scottish DJ, Jackmaster, was one of the most highly anticipated acts to take to the main stage at BU Summer Ball this year and his intelligent mix of retro classics and house favourites did not disappoint.

Renowned for enjoying himself behind his decks just as much as any raving crowd; Jackmaster calculatedly brought the element of surprise to his performance. With such a broad range of beats in every set, the audiences are kept on their toes throughout, eagerly awaiting the next techno or disco track.

As an act scheduled for the primetime of the evening, the reception from the crowd was great.

Lovers of house music filled the tent and excitedly awaited one of the biggest up and coming acts for 2014.

Now that the BU Summer Ball is over, Jackmaster continues with his busy summer schedule. It has recently been revealed that he will be returning to one of the world’s most current electronic festivals this year: Hideout. Luckily we got to see him at the Summer Ball before he jets off to Croatia for the gig.

Despite the unpredictable amount of tech house in his mix, rather than his usual deep house mash up, his track choice and drop length suited the requirement of the crowd and provided an amazing Summer Ball soundtrack.

As his set came to an end the whole audience were left wanting more. However, so he did not overstay his welcome, Jackmaster left on a high, having filled many students’ nights with one of the most calculated set lists at the Summer Ball.

Though he is a relatively new artist to us, we are convinced big things are to come for Jackmaster in the future.

The Nerve Media team were manning our special photo booth on the day, and here are some of our highlights...

WE LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF SUMMER BALL 2014, and we thought we’d share some of our highlightS, and some of your FAB FEEBACK

MEDIA TEAM: PHOTOGRAPHERS James Bridle Sam Baggette Scott Morgan Poppy Jeffrey Aliyah Allen VIDEO TEAM Ben Bennett Calum Ferrier Gemma Kingshott Kelly Griffiths RADIO TEAM Harrisom Twinn Jeremy Clarke INTERVIEW TEAM Faith Olajide Laura Geall Jason Huxford

VIDEO/INTERVIEW TEAM LEADER Ryan Thrussell REVIEWERS Joanne Ball Rebecca Byng Shannon Hards Jason Huxford Aliyah Allen REVIEW TEM LEADER Laura Geall NERVE DJs Josh Worsfold Jeremy Clarke Aidan O’Flanagan Ryan Thrussell DJ TEAM LEADER Rupert Clarke

A HUGE THANK YOU TO THE WHOLE SUMMER BALL 2014 MEDIA TEAM