This week has seen me experience the realisation that I will be bidding a premature farewell to Southampton's BEST and LONGEST RUNNING Student Nightclub, KAOS.
Nearly 4 years ago I took on Monday nights. These nights were absolutely amazing. If you didnt get down by 10PM then you were not getting in! 90p Vodka Cokes, £1.50 beers and of course... Cryptonites!
Every night we smashed it with rock, indie, cheese, party and then some.
But as the years passed signs were visible that Students in numbers were dwindling. Not Just at KAOS but all over Southampton. Since the credit crunch, night life itself has taken a toll with nowhere near as many people going out any more and students have felt the affects of Student Loan cuts.
Along with that there are now one too many big promo outfits out there all promoting this venue and that venue, this big night out and wear this t-shirt etc etc etc. Dont get me wrong, i think Variety and choice is an amazing and much needed ingredient in Night life. But there is a line drawn on how much advertisement people can take before they have ended up with 10 different options of a night out to be squeezed into 2 nights lol.
Students end up going out, spending all their money between September & January and ending up broke or burned out.
To be fair, Promo is the backbone of all night life and all things. How do you get people to know about something? Answer = Tell them about it! then they tell their friends and then their friends, friends etc.
Southampton as a town has almost turned its back on the public I feel and 100% are selling to Students which is forcing once great venues like Ocean & Collins / Bliss Clubrooms to go all out student nights 3 nights a week! I am sorry but this is what happens in this situation - Public come on Monday, "Sorry Students Only". Public come on Thursday, "Sorry Students Only". Public come on Friday, "Sorry Students Only". Saturday night comes around..... "Where has all the public gone then?" they ask themselves... They are sitting at home because they do not want to go to a venue that will potentially turn them away.
But! From another angle, The Public are not coming out every week any more so students are the ideal outfit to turn to in this time of dread. With so many venues attracting students now with their glamorous Promo girls and free shot wristbands, are there clubs losing out? Yes. The Students wont go everywhere and anywhere and if they do, there are too many bars for them to visit, putting the ones they do not visit, out on their arse.
Its the age old battle of the bars, like it always has been but instead of 2 or 3 venues a night to fight over it has turned into 20 lol.
KAOS will always have a place in my heart for being the Best, most uplifting, atmospheric, friendliest and fun filled venue that I have ever had the pleasure of Playing music in. I feel sorry for students who have not yet discovered it at the expense of these other RIP OFF venues that charge expensive entry and Drinks prices and cram their venues so full that you will probably not end up getting a drink all night anyway. Plus - there is always trouble in these bigger venues due to the over filling. the more space you have to over fill, the worse it gets!
