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Main Introduction Photograph Index Steve Kidd's Page Steve Kidd's email
The Leeds University Summer Ball Ball. Lotherton Hall 7th June 2003
Sorry there are not many pictures, but hey, why don't I tell you my thoughts?
The Summer Ball was a total rip-off, organised by the incompetent and greedy on behalf of the trusting. To put some flesh on this statement, the tickets were £37 and Carling Black Label was £2 for a 500ml tin. The first site one arrives at when typing "Carling Black Label" "500 ml" and "price" into Google quotes 18.99 for 24. You don't need to graduate to work out that 250% is a pretty good mark up. Still when the bar is ten deep the market would dictate that the price of this commodity should go up. But this was not the free market, this was the Leeds University summer ball, organised on behalf of the students for, supposedly, their enjoyment and benefit.
Enjoyment. The enjoyment was meeting up with loads of people. That's free. As for the headline acts, - Mystique!?! - Three young Karaoke wannabes, all perfectly very nice I suppose but I am not that old surely? This is not the cutting edge of anarchy, a vibrant and dynamic statement of committed individuals acting as the mouthpiece of a generation. The punters in their tent seemed happy enough, but I am sure that everybody was in such a good mood that you would have needed to machine gun the audience to draw a consensus of disapproval. As far East 17 (Three old Karaoke has-beens)are concerned, they stank. I listened to much of the show and tried to imbibe in the atmosphere, but I could not help thinking how easily pleased some of our wonderful students are. On my way out I said to a complete stranger "I've just had £37 nicked" He looked with puzzlement, concern and realisation in that order, and quickly replied that he had been mugged of the same amount.
A measure of how boring the headline acts were is that the other four tents seemed to have an equal density of people, indicating that patronage was a function of space rather than quality of entertainment (The garage tent was best).
If density of people was the measure of atractivity it seems that the queue for the ladies bogs stretching from here to the asteroid belt was the main pull.
You must think I'm a right miserable bastard. You are correct. If you thought the Summer Ball was good value for money please tell me why (SK email), I'd gladly pin a sensible and well argued reply right here. We have, in fact, been screwed by our CRAP Student's Union, who should be thoroughly ashamed of the despicable exploitation of a whole bunch of nice people who they are meant to represent.
Why not enter the thread on the message board at http://www.leedssummerball.com .
STOP PRESS: Hold the front page; Put your mobile 'phones on rumble. Those bastions of freedom of speech at the LUU are busy training to be labour politicians. I posted my complaints on the message board, and they were taken down. Take a look at the quality of postings which are up there now and you will see the competition. So here is another couple of complaints which I forgot to mention.
It said on the tickets "No ... food ... can be brought into the ball" Why? Health reasons? Could it be that your elected representatives wanted to screw more money out of you by making you pay £x for a grotty hot dog with luke warm and limpid chips from some two bit car booter who'd greased their filthy palms?
Why on earth did East 17 think it was necessary to superimpose crowd sounds on their backing tapes? A half decent band should be able to generate their own atmosphere.
If 5000 people paid in you might have thought there would have been more chairs.
I always fear that it might be the Victor Meldrew in me which prevents me from being positive about things. I am now convinced, however, that in addition to the ball being poorly organised and over priced, that the LUU know this and are afraid to accept and defend negative criticism. I.E. they are either incompetent or corrupt (or both).
RESPONSES: Got some very interesting postings about this issue (all of them bar one posted anonymously). Nevertheless it is courteous to reply to the arguments, so here goes. (I have left the messages un edited, and tried to reply in the adjacent cell)
| Post by danielle - Posted : 2003-06-10 12:32:37
I don't know what your problem is Steve Kidd. I had a great time at the ball, and if you look at your website (I was very very bored) you'll see loads of pictures of people having a great time. And if anyone else complains about the price, yes it's more than a normal night out, but did you really expect to get a fairground, all those tents with music and big name acts for much less? You are clearly a whinging individual with nothing better to do than create websites to whinge on some more. Get a life. | I have tried to illustrate my problem (see above). I'm sorry if it was not clear enough for your understanding I'm glad you had a great time at the ball You could leave my web site at any time, it was free, and you can bring your own food while you read it. I'm am disappointed you were bored with my site. I like it. The Geog Soc. ball was £35, the band were great, Leeds Town Hall was comfortable, we had a meal and a bottle of wine. You might have a point here (about whinging), nevertheless I feel very strongly. "Get a life" smacks of insult. I have a lovely life yet am striving to make it better |
| Post by Lucy Macnab - Posted : 2003-06-10 13:06:03
To respond to Steve Kidd's message about the summer ball, I am sorry that you were disappointed. The feedback we have had about the ball was that people had a great night. The Leeds University Summer Ball is one of the biggest balls in the country, and I can say that months of work went into organising it, and it cannot be said that it was in any way poorly planned. As regards your opinion that the ticket price was too high, I can only say that it is not possible to get the line up that we did for any less. The event is a service we provide for students and breaks even, it does not make money. Having been there myself, I can confirm that the bars were not '10 deep' as you put it, and I didn't queue for the women's toilets once. In response to your complaints about the music, I am sorry that the headline bands were not to your personal taste, but you cannot say they are not popular - their last single went to number 2 in the charts. And if it was 'cutting edge' you were afer, acts like grooverider, uncut and even the brighton beach tent provided a wide variety of music. I am glad you enjoyed the urban arena. I am sorry you felt that a response was slow in coming, I hope you can appreciate that we all have busy working lives, and it may take us a day or two to respond to any complaint on the messageboard. I would ask you in the future to refrain from posting your message on every strand on the board, it is unnecessary and inconsiderate of other users of the service. If you have any further issues, please do not hesistate to contact me. | Thankyou. For you concern and leaving your email The feedback I have had about the ball also indicates that people had a great night (myself included). So the tickets were priced at break even? If they were somebody paid too much for the acts. What about the beer at £2 per can? What about no own food? I was in a scrum in the beer tent at about 10 o'clock, nearer 10 deep than 1 I didn't queue for the women's toilets either, nevertheless the queue I saw at 9:55 was at least 60 yards long (OK, the asteroid belt was an exaggeration). I spoke to girls who said they used the gents. I am not the only person who thinks the headline acts were poor. Three singers and a backing tape is not erm... impressive, no matter what the genre. I would not have posted the ten or so messages I did if a moderator hadn't took my original thread down. For them to do so was "unnecessary and inconsiderate of other users of the service". |
| Post by Ben - Posted : 2003-06-10 13:19:03
Still bitter after loosing University Challenge Steve..? Whilst browsing at your rather SAD website I noticed what a good time you seemed to be having!how ironic. It can't be easy organising a ball for 5000 people and pleasing everyone. I had a wicked night!! | Are we starting a new thread here?
I have not once suggested that the majority of people did not have a wonderful time. I'm sure if you post your URL we could all learn how to make our websites less "SAD". I agree about the difficulties of organisation. I had a wicked night also. |
| Post by Chris - Posted : 2003-06-10 13:47:12
So steve, the union has no redeeming features. How about welfare services poviding advice and guidance on accomodation, academic appeals, immigration and housing? Hows about bright beginnings? providing nuresry accomodation for students and academics? surely you can appreciate this? Hows about RAG raising lots of money? Or what about Action and all the voounteer work they do in the local community? Or Nightline and the listening and information services they provide. How about the work done by exec members - fighting for students whove had theyre courses screwed over? taking 5 busloads of students to london for the no-fees march and holding a rally in millenium square. Hows about the LUU sexual diversity, safety, healthy housing and drug rape campaigns? Hows about helping to try and form a good university challenge team? I could go on but theres not enough room in one post. Im sorry you seem incapable of realising that just because something isnt to your taste doesnt means its crap. | OK sorry, The Union may have many redeeming features, of which I was not aware, but unfortunately I can not speak with any expertise on any of the subjects outlined by you apart from organising the University Challenge team. You did ask so..
Only three Leeds University Challenge teams have ever qualified for the programme under Paxman (In 10 years), and only one has ever actually won a game. Considering Leeds is the biggest University in the country, this might be construed as a sad indictment of the Union's organisational abilities. What makes you think I " seem incapable of realising that just because something isn't to (my) taste doesn't means its crap."? I hope this is not the case. Do you think a 250% mark up of beer is exploitative in the context of a student's function? |