Halifax College were left disappointed over the summer as YUSU beat them to the punch in booking DJ Fresh and Rizzle Kicks for Freshers Week.
The University’s largest college were attempting to hire both artists, rumoured to charge £6,000 and £2,000 respectively, for their own events. Mid-talks, however, it was discovered that YUSU were at a much more advanced stage in negotiating the two acts to headline YUSU’s main event, Live and Loud.
It is understood that the college’s committee were still interested in hiring the acts, but were discouraged by YUSU, who argued that booking the same artists would impact ticket sales for Live and Loud.
Halifax has since booked Radio 1 DJ Kissy Sell Out and R&B singer Loick Essien for their Freshers events, the only college to book two major acts. College President Davedass Mootanah told Vision that this was partly achievable due to external funding: “The HCSA alone has managed to raise over £6,000 so far through sponsorship over this year, including sponsorship from Ernst & Young and Gibson’s Rock Café. This is where money generated is being invested back into the college’s finances.”
The Union have won praise this year for the quality of acts that have been booked for Freshers Week. Both DJ Fresh and Rizzle Kicks have reached number one over the summer with the singles ‘Louder’ and ‘Heart Skips a Beat’. In recent years YUSU has been criticised for booking questionable artists such as X Factor reject Eoghan Quigg and the Cheeky Girls.
YUSU was criticised for its organisation of ‘Big Bang’, last year’s equivalent to Live and Loud. Marina and the Diamonds was the only major act booked to perform, but most ticket holders could not see her as Central Hall reached full capacity before she began.
This year Live and Loud, which is also being headlined by The Pigeon Detectives, will make use of Central Hall, Vanbrugh Dining Hall and the Roger Kirk Centre in James College to host all three headline acts.