A Fresher's Perspective: Wildest Dreams of Dundee

Looking to expand your events exposure?

Christy Forshaw describes events outside St Andrews that are worth the drive out of town.

One hallowed Saturday in February, if you happened to walk past The Church in Dundee (which is, by the way, an actual church), you might be confused by the long queue of girls dressed in red singing, “you call me up again just to break me like a promise” at the top of their lungs. I know that the people going into the gentleman’s club next door certainly were. The reason for this gathering was that Swiftogeddon, the UK’s Taylor Swift themed club night, had finally graced a venue within arm’s reach of St Andrews.

As all Swifties know, it becomes a rather cult-like affair when gathered together. The energy outside the club was as if Swift herself would be inside. The atmosphere was convivial and light-hearted all night as we all gathered for one common goal – to shout at the top of our lungs until we lost our voices. The Church itself is a beautiful venue with carnival-style lights adorning the ceiling and an efficient bar where the most commonly ordered drink that night was a vodka cranberry (a nod to Taylor’s Version, of course). A favourite moment was when ‘Dear John’ was playing, and people began holding up their phones with the words, ‘f*ck John Mayor.’

The DJ, a self-certified fan with arguably the best job in the world, played a good mix from across the albums and primarily her upbeat songs. He also sprinkled the classics throughout the evening (although some may argue they are all classics.) The notable exceptions were ‘All Too Well’ – the FULL ten minutes – and ‘exile’, which I am certain I will never hear in a club again. That said, even her tearjerkers were met with much energy from the crowd. Needless to say, by the end of the night, my feet hurt from jumping up and down for hours.

All in all, what made it so enjoyable was that everyone was there just to have a good time and dance to the music they loved. Because of this, it was worlds away from the typical club experience. Particularly as a woman, I felt safe and secure and like I could really let go and sing ‘I can make the bad guys good for the weekend’ without any judgement. Therefore, I humbly argue that Swiftogeddon is the best club night in Dundee. Importantly, if you didn’t make it this time, it will be back in Dundee.