The build up to this year’s first Lancaster Loves festival has already kicked in around the university campus. Scheduled for Thursday Week Three at the Sugarhouse, students and those involved with the event express a shared optimism that Lancaster Loves’ Chase and Status DJ set will be a success.
The line up includes the likes of Chase and Status with MC Rage playing the headline, Ash Howell, Stylus DJs and Hear No Evil DJs. Dan O’Donnell, also known as D.O.D. (Dirty Dan) who founded and organised Lancaster Loves, promises that such a line-up will deliver a mixture of Deep House and Techno situated in the club’s front room, with Dubstep, Drum & Bass, House, Techno and Breaks in the main room of the club.In addition to the line up, the likes of T.C. – the original artist of the track ‘Where’s My Money’ – will be performing, as well as Dan who has been signed to Gash Digital, giving the ticket holders something extra to look forward to.
Much of the optimism has arisen from the amount to tickets already sold for Thursday night. O’Donnell said: “Ticket sales have already been a definite success… last term most tickets were bought within the week of the night, but we’ve already sold around seven hundred tickets.”Simba, who supported last term’s Lancaster Loves and will perform again this coming Thursday echoed this, speaking last week: “When you consider the amount of tickets already bought, next week will be a massive success.”
Lancaster Loves, being the first festival dedicated to electronic music in Lancaster is helping transform the town’s music scene. It proved to be “an amazing and memorable night,” according to Pendle College first year, Adam Poole.
However, there was the feeling that it could have been more commercial. The choice to headline with the music of Chase and Status, an electro production duo from London, will allow this year’s Lancaster Loves appeal to a broader range of audience.
Chase and Status are considered borderline underground and mainstream artists. Furthermore, with their music on the BBC Radio One playlist, it is plausible to see how people, including Jack Davidson, the admin of this term’s Lancaster Loves Facebook group, agree that “2010 is all about Chase and Status.”
Unfortunately the after-party which was scheduled to take place from 4am-7am following the main event will no longer take place. Despite the town Bars’ 24 hour licensing, no agreement was made to where the after-party would take place, and as campus bars are not as malleable in terms of opening hours, it will not be held on campus.
Andy Johnston, LUSU VP (FEDS), explained the reasoning behind the decision to not hold the after-party on campus. “We are part of a community at Lancaster University, we have to respect the welfare of the few thousand people whose residences are on the campus, and there are some things we just can’t do,” he said.
However, the Sugarhouse will still be open from 9pm until 4am for the event, and Johnston is certain that the event will be a “great night.
