LatinFlow Ignites St Andrews

On 11 October, LatinFlow brought life to one cold night in St Andrews, filling the air with music and energy. The music rattled through the floor, pulsing through everyone as they moved their bodies in accordance with the deep and bellowing bass. Behind the DJ booth, around twenty people danced and mingled with one another. While the bar was crowded with friends reconnecting and chatting under the red lights, the dance floor was a sea of hands stretched into the air. 

Queues are always tricky for event organisers to manage. It’s even harder when the anticipation is high and the weather is cold. When I arrived, I went to speak to the attendees at the front of the queue, who appeared restless and a tad frustrated. Another group of bored and disillusioned friends informed me that they had been waiting for forty minutes. One of them offered a sarcastic “good luck,” and, combined with a bouncer's rude attitude, I was left feeling concerned as I returned to my place in the queue. Thankfully, just ten minutes later, we were inside, much to my relief. 

Once inside, the atmosphere immediately shifted. The events team were handing out free shots as people rushed to the front to get dancing. There was the perfect amount of space to dance whilst there were enough people to uphold a full and lively feel. The sight of the Shawarma House owner dancing next to the DJ was a fun surprise which seemed to elevate the crowd's energy even more. 

Converting a bar to a club is often a challenge, and The Rule is no exception. The dance floor often ends up feeling more like a busy corridor, with people constantly squeezing past, disrupting the flow of the night. The lack of space to move freely is frustrating, as dancing becomes more about dodging passers-by than enjoying the moment. The dance floor feels more chaotic than enjoyable. That said, the energy in the room was undeniable. Despite the spatial challenges, the crowd was electric. Everyone was driven by a communal love for music and the feeling LatinFlow managed to spark. In those moments when the bass dropped or a familiar melody played, you could feel a surge of excitement ripple through the crowd despite the awkwardness of the makeshift dance floor. 

The DJ knew how to read the crowd and keep the energy high. However, at times, as with many St Andrews events, I felt that the music was repetitive and reliant on crowd favourites like Bad Bunny. A broader range of sounds could, perhaps, have further heightened the excitement.  

Overall, LatinFlow delivered an evening of high energy, community, and music that resonated with the crowd. While there were a few logistical challenges, the event’s lively atmosphere ultimately made up for these issues. I have a lot of respect for event teams who prioritise making the night enjoyable for everyone, and LatinFlow’s team did just that, even offering free shots to kick things off. Through their crowd-pleasing tracklist, the DJ kept the crowd dancing late into the night, and LatinFlow definitely upheld its reputation as a must-attend fixture of St Andrews nightlife. 

Photo: Kaitlin Shaw