SUSU’s new Friday club night Pulse has gone to pot after just FIVE WEEKS.
Pulse looked promising at its premiere on the 20th September, having seen a re-vamp of the Cube, the introduction of a new fish bowl cocktail, and high entry numbers which were to stay for the first couple of weeks. After Freshers’ activity died down, however, these numbers became significantly lower, leading to Pulse’s demise.
SUSU President David Gilani said:
Our students have voted with their feet and said quite clearly that they do not want a regular Friday night at the Union. Ultimately we are here to respond to and serve student demand and so we must be versatile and react. The decision to stop the regular club nights opens so many opportunities in terms of using the space (for student groups and their activities) and our time and effort.
He believes that SUSU has become a victim to a national slump in Student Union club nights, saying:
A number of Student Unions across the country have reported a significant reduction in demand for their night life activities over recent years, and it seems that the events seen by SUSU may be part of a national change in student behaviour. As a member lead organisation, our job is to listen, act and respond to what students say. Sometimes that means making changes to our big events, but this will always be with the end goal of enriching the lives of our students.
SUSU will however take note of Pulse’s early success and are likely to resuscitate it for next year’s Freshers.
Is this good or bad news? Will you miss Pulse? Let us know in comments.
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I’m glad they cottoned onto it quickly this time. Less events with bigger acts is where it’s at!
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And no I don’t think this is the right way. Although I agree that there should be less events, I don’t think they should be “bigger”. Last ear we had jameela jamil (sorry if that’s not spelt right), and it was terrible. Not nearly enough people turned up for her (supposedly) large fee to be worth it, Plus if you ask around to the few who went, they would say she was terrible. She didn’t really dj, she just played pretty boring songs and once in a while turning the turntable. Awful act. I’d argue towards less events, but with cheaper perhaps indie djs who don’t cost a bomb. And who after having been researched are good! Sorry for the rant, it’s a topic I’m passionate about.
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I’m not sure how a single complaint on a single dj we had is in anyway relevant to whether we should be running Friday nights
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I’d argue against the whole “indie”/relatively-unknown DJ thing. Back in the day, R-Type ended the Rubix night (if you’re enough of a dinosaur to remember that – though Rubix had no roots anyway, unfortunately.) I’d love some lesser-known and maybe even local acts like Artful Dodger, K1R3Y and South Royston to play here… but again, Dodger are only relatively known, and only a handful of people turned up for their SUSU gig (where they headlined)
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As someone relatively close to the “action”, I would also argue that pulse unnecessarily lost the susu money. Case in point, despite historically accurate declining attendees by the third week, a full complement of bar staff and bouncers was hired EVERY week. At least 7 or 8 bouncers and 8 or 9 bar staff collectively doing jack for the first hour and a half and then serving barely double digit customers by the fourth and fifth weeks was an absolute waste of money. The fact this decline happens every year would surely be the lesson learnt – to reduce staff numbers accordingly….
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By ‘EVERY week’ you’re presumably referring to two weeks? The other nights its been open it’s been either fairly busy (Pulse Launch) or filled to capacity (Welcome Party 1, Welcome Party 2, Welcome Party 3, Friday Pulse, Saturday Pulse, Pre-Party, Freshers Ball).
Not sure why you’re crying about it not closing soon enough when they’ve responded pretty damn fast in closing it after just two events of declined numbers. Dry your eyes and quit being an ass.
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I don’t see how complaining about your Susu losing money unnecessarily is “being an ass”.. I agree that they closed it pretty quickly, but his point still stands that after the (admittedly left out) “special” events, attendance figures dropped from the 2nd “proper” Friday pulse night. So for 3 weeks a full complement of staff was not needed. And even though this sounds small, surely it’s easy as piss to send people home or perhaps get some to start later? I was a bartender during the pulse night and I can attest that people were doing nothing for at least the first hour and a bit. Voicing a concern and then being made fun of isn’t the best strategy homie.
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Keyboard warrior….
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For someone who is “close to the action” you sound surprisingly like you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Just because your friend is in a JCR does not make you a big deal.
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Probably because the night was designed by SUSU media, intended to be a playground for them to have fun rather than a night that students might want to go to.
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You have been sorely miss informed
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Well the night has been cancelled – clearly the last part of that comment is correct at least. Go back to your media room…
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If SUSU Media had been in on this they’d have probably done a better job.
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Bassoon.
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I think, John Titford, you should tell me how to get rid of my ghost family!
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Remember Tarquin, colour is the vibrancy of life.
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The trouble, as I see it, is this: if you were on campus all week in lectures and seminars (or just working come to that) the last thing you would want to do is then spend your leisure time there as well. People want to get away for their night’s out. The two unique selling points a student union event might have to counteract this are cheap drinks and a guaranteed student-only clientele but, thanks to Jesters and Sobar, even that can be got elsewhere. There is really no reason to go to the cube. That is the trouble and it is not really the union’s fault. It’s just the way it is.
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This happens every year. Unfortunately for Southampton there are so many cheap clubs in the city, so a SU isn’t as necessary as in other places. Why not try once a month Big Night Out style events?
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Why not just move the event to saturday? There is no decently priced saturday night in soton while there are so many better alternatives on a friday. Voodoo, sobar, jesters and now propaganda at myth are cheaper and better alternatives than the union. Other unions in big similar unis and cities have some of their best nights on a saturday e.g. Pop Tarts at the university of Sheffield which is weekly thing and very successful.
But no I guess another name change will do the job while SUSU
dont seem to realise that other nights exist other than friday
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Back in the good old days SUSU used to hold some very popular Saturday nights – Fat Poppadaddys ran quite successfully on Saturday nights (in addition to the Friday nights) for a number of years…
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The main problem is the nights are shit.
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Long live Kinki!
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I’ve never swapped clothes with another human being so fast.
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SUSU should just give up doing club nights. I’m not trying to be a dick about it but there clearly isn’t the demand for a Union night in Southampton. SUSU can effectively provide better services in other areas with the time, space and money wasted on trying to force through a club night.
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A new night can never get momentum with the reputation of the place, particularly with articles like this for the past few years. Nights have been successful there even with J’s/Sobar, it’s just that students think it’s cool to hate on the space and any new attempt of a kinki/fat pops. Despite that, SUSU need to listen to what students want
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Why not have a student led night instead of union led? Nights like future garden have sold out every time- good dj’s who don’t need big pay checks, and bring their friends and followers with them- low cost and risk for susu.
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What a lovely idea, but the Union will charge for that. Can’t be having societies and students running events for free in their own union….
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yeah but then you have to deal with the kind of people who go to future garden
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Yea, you just stay at jesters where you’re a ‘top lash’
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WHAT?! The quality of rat in pulse was so good over the last four weeks!! Such a shame!
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Friday night Kinki night, it was always awesome.
Try Pulse once per month.
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here’s a secret for you – it’s just a name….
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Bring back Kinki!
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SUSU has no pulse shocker
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When I were a lad the most popular nights were fun, not with big name acts. Also we used to like the big blowout events with lots of things around the whole union — an indie DJ in one room, Dance DJs in what is now the extended bit of the coffee bar, lots of bars, rocksoc doing there thing in a smaller room (that’s now office space.), and something in the refectory etc.
And cheapish entry, as they made the money on drinks.
(I think the first event like this was as a result of a cancelled ball and needing to claw back some of the cash!)
The mix of entertainment meant that people could mix and match through the evening. I recall the image of two pissed and slightly confused girls in short skirts and heels ending up in the rocksoc room and dancing around their handbag to early nine inch nails.
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Every I’ve been here year the club nights at susu have failed. I don’t care, I don’t like club nights.
Quiz and curry was brilliant a couple of years ago (went a bit downhill after that) and the comedy was great too. Susu had Reel Big Fish play last year and that was great too (aside from almost doubling the drinks prices, even for students.)
The point I’m trying to make: susu seem unable to compete with other club nights but for students who don’t want the stereotypical student party-life, they seem to be able to get it right when they put effort in. Why not concentrate on students who want non-clubbing events instead of trying to compete with clubs they won’t beat?
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