Not So Mint Fest
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Issue1 www.thegryphon.co.uk 30/09/16 p.13 Views The Big Debate: Is Labour doomed? p.16 Science The logic behind the laughter The Lumineers interview: UniLeedsapp: We chatted to Neya Pekarek about how Auseful additionorunecessary p.20 Sport to make the crowd listen surveillance? BigSam, Big Trouble? In the Middle page 7 page 10 Image: Ticket Arena NotsoMintFest They couldn’t even organise apiss-up in theTetleyBrewery Polly Hatcher Nevertheless, thesereviews seemed Some attendees have allegedthatthe News Editor overshadowedbymorenegativeones. eventoversold itstickets,however Mint People’s complaints includedalackof Festival have denied thisallegation, Live electronic musicevent Mint security to monitorcrowds,lengthy and citing problems with fraudulent tickets Festival took placeatThe Tetley on badlyorganisedqueuesand reduced andpeople entering theevent without Saturday,but manywereleftappalled soundquality duetothe residential tickets. by long queuesofuptothree hoursand area that theevent wassituatedin. Tilly, asecondyearhistory student overcrowding. AliceYates,aJournalismstudent whoattendedthe event, said “We Thefestival hasbeenrunning forfive at LeedsBeckett,described her endedupleaving earlybecausewe yearsand this year’s line-upwas made experience: “I left at about7pm due knew therewas no pointtryingtoget up of well knownelectronicartists such to beingcrushed,panickedand stone into theElrow tent –itwas ashame the as KerriChandler, Skreamand Patrick cold sober. Iwasn’tprepared to spend eventwas ruined simply by thecrazy Topping. anymoremoney on what wasapoorly amountsofpeople With ticket prices of up to £60, festival organisedpiss-up in,ironicallyenough, Oneofmyfriends queuedfor three goersfeltangered by theamountof abrewery.” hours” time they hadtoqueue andthe copious Festival goer AmberLowndes also Even thoseonthe guestlisthave amountsofpeople there. stated:“I’membarrassed forthe stated they were subjecttoqueuesthat However, theevent didsplit opinion, organisers really, it wasashambles. exceeded threehours and, were told with some people postingonMint We left earlybecause we couldn’t even that they hadtopay a compulsory ten Festival’s Facebookpagesayingthat gettothe tents, andthe queuesfor the pounds to acharity that, at the time, was they enjoyedthe eventand didn’t find toiletswereridiculous-webasically unspecified. theovercrowding anymoreseverethan paid to queue up,get pushed around typicalclubnights. andtrodon.” Read more on page 3 2 | News thegryphon.co.uk Editor’s Letter: Thestate of UK nightlifehas so well because they providecustomers with an experience; they becomeahot topicofdebateoverthe create awhole newworld with extravagantsettings, production, pastyear, as thenumberofclubs in anddancers. Immersiveexperiences in otherareas of life areon thecountry have halved across the therisetoo -SneakyExperiencemovie events involvescreenings last decade.The closureofLondon of movies in dramatic settingswithactorsand props. FriendsFest Contents superclubFabric, when it’s license recently stopped off at Harewood Houseonits tour of thecountry, wasrevoked followingtwo drug allowingviewers to immersethemselvesinthe settingofthe iconic 3-6 News relateddeaths, ledtooutcryacross TV show with recreationsofthe sets andevenaFriends themed thecountry,withmanylamenting the silent disco(See In TheMiddle,p.19). 8-11 Features ‘death’ofthe industry. With all thestressand pressuresofmodernday life,our impending People have beenquick to pointthe struggle foremployment, theincreasinglikelihoodwe’ll neverown 12 Society fingeratanumberofdifferentcauses forthisdecline in nightlife. ahouse or payoffall ourdebt, Generation Yare shunning materiality Increases in regulation andbureaucracy have beenchieflyheldto andinstead arecraving sensoryexperiences andanimmersive 13-15 Views blame; acrack down on safety andsecuritymeasuresmeanthat escapism from dailylife. Andthe club nights whichare tapping clubsnow have to jump throughhoops that aresimplyunachievable. into this trendmosteffectivelyare theonesthatare prospering. 16-17 Science In termsofthe deaths whichpromptedthe shutdown of Fabric, Traditional,generic club nights like Propaganda at theAttic seem to theclubcould realistically have done little to preventthese tragic be fading into insignificanceasthese bigger,one off events flourish. 19-23 Sport instances.Gentrification hasalso beenheldaccountable,ascouncils This possiblyexplainswhy theoutcrysurroundingthe overcrowded wipe outurban areas, replacing nightclubs with swanky cocktails Mint Festival wassogreatthisweekend(Seefront cover).Mint bars.People have also accusedthe massive rise in thepopularity of Festival appeared to be puttingtheir commercial interestsahead festivals, whichhavedragged people outofdarkunderground club of thecustomerexperience, andthisiswhymanywereleftso andintothe bright daylight of sprawlingfields andmuddypuddles. disappointed andangered. Quoteofthe Week However, Ican’t help butfeelthere is also an elementofsurvival Ultimately,Idonot believe we should be panickingabout the of thefittestgoing on here.People arelamenting thelossofthe ‘death’ofUKnightlife justyet.Whilethe threatofauthorities and undergroundravescene from theninetiesand earlynoughties,but excessive regulation lingers,there is stillplentyofhopefor nightlife I getrid of what they fail to take in to accountisthatyouth cultureischanging whichbreaks away from traditional conceptionsofclubbingasa “ “ “ “ “ “ andevolving, andnight clubsmustadapt to reflect this. Leedswas rowdy,alcohol bingeworthypastime.Clubnightsare becomingmore my phoneso voted Best Clubbing City in Britainin1991, (See In TheMiddle,p.8), immersive, theatrical andcreative.Ratherthanbeing houndedby “Ican have air butour currentnightlife haschanged drastically sincethen. authorities, they should be celebrated as oneofour most thriving People arenolongerinterestedinjustanother nightinjust andprogressive industries. to create anotherclub. In Leedsthe clubsthatare currentlymostsuccessful areCanalMills andBeaverworks,who hold themoreimmersiveand JessicaMurray, Editor-in-Chief -Kanye West visceralclubnightssuchasGoodLifeand Cirque du Soul.These do Louise Aroncaptures that 9am lecture feeling in this Photoofthe week: picture of her friend’s cat Credits Editor-In-Chief ~ JessicaMurray Associate Editor ~ DominicJohnson DigitalAssociate - FloraTiley News ~Polly Hatcher, Sarah Berry,Euan Hammond Society -Elsa Amri,Bea Warleta Features ~Jessie Florence Jones, Hannah Macaulay,EllaHealing Views -RoryClaydon, Liam Kerrigan,Jess Readett Science ~Sam McMaster,Dougie Phillips Sport ~LukeEtheridge, JamesFelton, Zoe Thresher,JohnGibby Design -Becky Nolan, Frazer Sparham thegryphon.co.uk News | 3 Continuedfrom thefront page Those on the guest list who had forgotten to bring cash Swastikagraffiti and could not paythe £10 donation were then alledgedly refused entry. James Bate, whowas reviewing the event, said that there wereonlytwo people in charge of dealing with the lengthy removed in HydePark guestlistand also mentioned that even once inside the festival, attendees were subject to lengthy queues for food, drinks and wristbandtokens. Ian White Unfortunatelythis trend continued at the Mint Fest after parties, with people complaining that they spent £10 on an ANazi Swastikaspray painted onto apavement near after party ticket, queued up for over an hour in therain Hyde Park has been removed after students reported and then when they reachedthe frontofthe queuewere ittothe police. Theoffensive graffiti was widely turned away as it wasover capacity. condemned as ahate crime. There were also anumber of claims that the event ran out Local police officer PC Matt Guycommended of bottled water towards the end of the night. students efforts by stating “It was great that as soon Miss Yates claims that many bars ran out of water and as students in Leeds saw the graffiti they immediately Carlsberg by the end of the night, so all that “was available reported it. wereliquor/spirits and £20 bottles of wine”. “Displayingthe Swastika symbol is notillegal Issues with drinks were exacerbated by the wristband in theUK, however graffiti is acriminal act. After system usedonthe day which, although attendees were being approached by concerned members of the able to top up in advance, meant many had to top up with public and giventhe acceptedracialnature inherent moneyonthe day in order to buy drinks. inthe symbolism,Iamlooking to identify the person Peoplecomplained that this actuallyled to more queues responsible for the criminal damage and will look to andsomewere unable to get the money on their wristbands see if charges under aracially aggravated public order back at the end of the day. offence may apply to thisincident.” Scott Forrest, an EventManagement student at His sentiments wereechoed by Jamie Ali, the Manchester Metropolitan,saidthat: “Tokens for drinks communities officer at LUU, who condemned the were pointless -theydidn’t reduce the queues but made graffiti, stating “We do not tolerate any form of two instead.” hateand will continue to work with our community This is not the first year that there havebeenissues with partnerstostamp outany formoffascism. We need crowdsatMintFestival, as in 2013 the event called alast to be vigilant against hate crimes. LUU Advice is ahate minute site change due to ahuge demand for tickets. crime reportingcentresostudents can confidentially At atimeofrising hate against vulnerable The site moved to Lincolnshire Show Ground, leaving get in touch by emailing [email protected] or students it’s