UCD Ball 2011

Blut2

I noticed today that a UCD Ball event has gone up on Facebook, ( http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=117236878350698 ). There doesnt seem to be a thread on this yet soooo might as well start one. Last years was excellent I thought, one of the best last days of term I've had, hopefully this year will match it.

Any rumours of prices / acts yet? Its not too far away so there must be some gossip starting to buzz around.

Gingy

The only rumours I've heard is that all rumours are false, because nothing is booked yet.

Lets be honest, even if it's Crystal Swing or aboriginal didjeridoo players at the Ball, it's still going to be a class event.

LUPE

A few things:

1) - It really annoys me how they don't release the acts or at least some of them before tickets go on sale

2) - I believe it was €35 last year, which for the calibre of act they bring is way too expensive. Also, see point b) below

3) This leaves people having to fork out the money for the chance that a) someone decent is playing and probably more importantly, that b) the weather is good

4) This year, the usual last day of lectures is Good Friday, so obviously a no go. But why have it on the Thursday, meaning no one can really go out afterwards? Just have it on the Wednesday you morons.

It's really the one big thing they have to get right all year; at this stage we should have names and a better day to have it on. Ridiculous

Ruski

I love the way I never get invites to UCD events on Facebook.

JBoy!

LUPE wrote: »

A few things:

1) - It really annoys me how they don't release the acts or at least some of them before tickets go on sale

2) - I believe it was €35 last year, which for the calibre of act they bring is way too expensive. Also, see point b) below

3) This leaves people having to fork out the money for the chance that a) someone decent is playing and probably more importantly, that b) the weather is good

4) This year, the usual last day of lectures is Good Friday, so obviously a no go. But why have it on the Thursday, meaning no one can really go out afterwards? Just have it on the Wednesday you morons.

It's really the one big thing they have to get right all year; at this stage we should have names and a better day to have it on. Ridiculous

you sound like a load of fun!!.. bullet point criticisms of the UCD Ball! ... haha ya should do a powerpoint presentation while you are at it!... they cant have it on the Wednesday, it has to be on the last day of term! silly!

Pierce_1991

JBoy! wrote: »

you sound like a load of fun!!.. bullet point criticisms of the UCD Ball! ... haha ya should do a powerpoint presentation while you are at it!... they cant have it on the Wednesday, it has to be on the last day of term! silly!

I actually agree with him, don't see any big problem with having it on Wednesday, I'd be a lot less likely to go now with there being no possibility of heading out after.

That said, I don't mind too much about the acts not being released, they don't really swing it for me. I didn't spend 35 quid last year to see The Saturdays or whoever it was that headlined (I dunno coz I left early to go to a proper gig in town :P). The sun is what you want at the end of the day, its what made last year so good

parker kent

Didn't realise it had become a crime to make a logical, well structured argument. Guess I'll get called silly now.

But LUPE did make some good points. But that being said, I think with the last day of term being the day it is, they were hamstrung a little. Although out of everybody who spends all day at the UCD Ball, not that many actually go to a nightclub afterwards. I always went to a house party or "bed". So you can still do that.

JBoy!

parker kent wrote: »

Didn't realise it had become a crime to make a logical, well structured argument. Guess I'll get called silly now.

But LUPE did make some good points. But that being said, I think with the last day of term being the day it is, they were hamstrung a little. Although out of everybody who spends all day at the UCD Ball, not that many actually go to a nightclub afterwards. I always went to a house party or "bed". So you can still do that.

silly

delta_bravo

LUPE wrote: »

A few things:

1) - It really annoys me how they don't release the acts or at least some of them before tickets go on sale

2) - I believe it was €35 last year, which for the calibre of act they bring is way too expensive. Also, see point b) below

3) This leaves people having to fork out the money for the chance that a) someone decent is playing and probably more importantly, that b) the weather is good

4) This year, the usual last day of lectures is Good Friday, so obviously a no go. But why have it on the Thursday, meaning no one can really go out afterwards? Just have it on the Wednesday you morons.

It's really the one big thing they have to get right all year; at this stage we should have names and a better day to have it on. Ridiculous

1. Yes its a little annoying they dont release the acts but really, very few people buy a ticket due to the lineup. Its a day out more than a gig.

2. I think €35 is a fair enough price when you consider the cost of setup and getting in acts. There were about 15 bands/djs on last year so those guys have to get some money out of it.

3. Really if you're going to specifically see certain acts and bands for your €35 you probably will be disappointed. Its a day to meet your friends, see a few acts (good and bad), have a few drinks and just have a good evening.

4. The whole point of the ball is that its on the last day of term, UCD would most likely not have allowed them have it on the wednesday. I was knackered after last years one. You're standing around for up to 7 hours, not many people will be in the mood to go out afterwards.

I'm generally very critical of the SU but the UCD ball is one of the few things they seem to do well at. Just enjoy the day for what it is.

parker kent

delta_bravo wrote: »

4. The whole point of the ball is that its on the last day of term, UCD would most likely not have allowed them have it on the wednesday. I was knackered after last years one. You're standing around for up to 7 hours, not many people will be in the mood to go out afterwards.

I'm generally very critical of the SU but the UCD ball is one of the few things they seem to do well at. Just enjoy the day for what it is.

+1 to your whole post, but particularly this one. The area where the ball is is a wreck so they couldn't have classes etc the next day. Then add in the fencing that would need to be taken down. Also, how many people would turn up for the last day after the ball? Tuesday would become the de facto end of term were it on Wednesday.

Within reason, the acts at the ball don't really matter. Cheesy, fun bands are probably the best bet.

LUPE

JBoy! wrote: »

you sound like a load of fun!!.. bullet point criticisms of the UCD Ball! ... haha ya should do a powerpoint presentation while you are at it!... they cant have it on the Wednesday, it has to be on the last day of term! silly!

Ha... Ha!!! ... good one... !! !! !!!

Thursday isn't the last day of term, silly .... !

<Hilarious punctuation joke removed because it was annoying - Raphael>

Mikeyt086

Ive been to the last 2 UCD Balls (haha), and the act I enjoyed the most was S Club, the moshpit for "Reach For The Stars" was one of the funniest/craziest/happiest/painfull/euphoric moments I can recall (and I can barely recall it). Last year the Vengaboys were great craic aswell. I hope they go less towards the coolest new indie band from the UK who come over and try to do a serious set, and more for acts that on their way down the ladder, that everyone knows all the words to their one or two hits, and will have some fun with the crowd. That what UCD ball is about. Fun.

The most I worry about UCD Ball is drinking too much and KOing, and thus missing the whole day. Every year you see people being carried off, what a shame. The appropirate mix of vodka and the energy drink of your choice is key. Keep buzzy, but dont crash untill safely at the after-session. Thats what concerns me, not whos playing or what day it is. Ill get my pre-drinks and mixer planned out and then top-up with watered down Coors Light or pouches of wine untill the event is over.

In an ideal world, they would annouce 5ive were playing. I heard a rumour that 5ive were playing last year, but it was just wishful thinking. 5ive would absolutely rock the house. They probably dont do stuff like this though. Shame. And Im sure Ill be hearing the same rumours circulating in the Arts block again come April.

The location was key to last years success for me, not wedged in between huge buildings like the year before, but open aired (the sunshine did help). This year I hear its the running track, so no qualms for me there, big open space.

I cant wait. Ill buy my ticket asap, Thursday, Monday, Pancake Tuesday, I dont really care. Im going to make sure I have a good time.

parker kent

5ive played/were due to play the Xmas Ball, so the UCD Ball in hardly beneath a washed up boy band!

Mikeyt086

parker kent wrote: »

5ive played/were due to play the Xmas Ball, so the UCD Ball in hardly beneath a washed up boy band!

Well hopefully they arnt, but the Vengaboys were a headliner last year. Hardly A-List.

5ive? Washed up? Pffft, Keep On Movin' pal.

parker kent

Mikeyt086 wrote: »

Well hopefully they arnt, but the Vengaboys were a headliner last year. Hardly A-List.

5ive? Washed up? Pffft, Keep On Movin' pal.

I wasn't exactly calling the Venga Boys A-list. I'm saying 5ive are just like them, in other words just the type of washed up, cringe fest that works perfectly at student balls.

Mikeyt086

parker kent wrote: »

I wasn't exactly calling the Venga Boys A-list. I'm saying 5ive are just like them, in other words just the type of washed up, cringe fest that works perfectly at student balls.

Would never accuse you of that. I meant, the Vengaboyz are a headline act, so we are some way off having a-list acts.

Calvin Harris will probably play again.

parker kent

Mikeyt086 wrote: »

Would never accuse you of that. I meant, the Vengaboyz are a headline act, so we are some way off having a-list acts.

Calvin Harris will probably play again.

Though The Saturdays were actually the headline act last year. Venga Boys played last, but that was just to suit The Saturdays schedule.

Tayto2000

LUPE wrote: »

Ha... Ha!!! ... good one... !! !! !!!

Thursday isn't the last day of term, silly .... !

<Hilarious punctuation joke removed because it was annoying - Raphael>

Effectively it is as UCD closes for Good Friday normally.

HavingCrack

Mikeyt086 wrote: »

Calvin Harris will probably play again.

Wouldn't be in the mood for Calvin Harris if he only does a dj set again rather than a proper preformance.

Blut2

So word from Ents is tickets are on sale next Wednesday for 40e each and the lineup will be announced "this week". No sign of it yet and its late on Thursday though....Presumably for 40e a ticket they'll have one or two decent bands?

Dunno if I agree with the constant upping of the ticket price. Its the last day of term so I think it'd almost be as good with 20e tickets and worse bands, 90% of the people there arent there for the music anyway. A halfway decent random Irish DJ or two on a decent sound system playing typical student bar stuff would do the job far cheaper than having to pay thousands of euros to random B list acts.

Oasis_Dublin

Johnny needs to make a little bit of extra cash at the end of the year sure. Nooooo, I'm a cynical old man, for shame!

40 euro is a bit expensive for what the ball is. Unless they want to charge 3 euro for the pints inside. The xx were rumoured last week. This was furthered when the SU Facebook page put up some links to xx songs. That said however, friends working in the Trib maintain that no headliner has been secured as of today (Thursday) and that negotiations are still on going.

DL Saint

From ents facebook page:

Everyone ready for the UCD Ball??

Acts to be announced on Tuesday at 12pm..

Tickets on sale Wednesday 30 March @ 12pm from the Library Shop & UCDents.com
...

squeakyduck

parker kent wrote: »

I wasn't exactly calling the Venga Boys A-list. I'm saying 5ive are just like them, in other words just the type of washed up, cringe fest that works perfectly at student balls.

I'd totally go to the ball just to see 5ive.....loved E17 at the student bar, and the vengaboys! :P

unknown13

Acts to be announced shortly

RandolphEsq

Ellie f****ng Goulding. It should be a dance festival, not some acoustic festival!

Blut2

RandolphEsq wrote: »

Ellie f****ng Goulding. It should be a dance festival, not some acoustic festival!

Is she the rumoured headliner? The UCD Ball facebook page now lists

Republic of Loose
Iyaz
Royseven
Fight Like Apes
O Emporer
Bluemoose
Fourplay
Lost in Flight
Frank Jez & Tando
Hogan
Battle of the Bands
Disco of Doom
Casette Jam
Daft Funk
Brandon Block
I-Rate Sound System
Brian Maher (SPIN 103.8)
Red n'Head

and "Headliner to be announced shortly."

unknown13

Pretty bad if you ask me.

RandolphEsq

Blut2 wrote: »

Is she the rumoured headliner? The UCD Ball facebook page now lists

Republic of Loose
Iyaz
Royseven
Fight Like Apes
O Emporer
Bluemoose
Fourplay
Lost in Flight
Frank Jez & Tando
Hogan
Battle of the Bands
Disco of Doom
Casette Jam
Daft Funk
Brandon Block
I-Rate Sound System
Brian Maher (SPIN 103.8)
Red n'Head

and "Headliner to be announced shortly."

No, I was only joking. The suspense was killing me. Not

Unfortunately I'm not to familiar with all these small acts so don't know if I like them or not. Are they all dance DJs?
I know of Republic of Loose though, and like them. Am hoping for a cheesy group along with a good headliner though

brokenhinge

Worst line up yet.. they've massively sacrificed quality for quantity.

Jello

What a load of shite

Most of those acts have already played to a half full student bar. and €40 a ticket? Where's the dance lineup?

unknown13

Fight Like Apes played the Shag ball, Bluemoose played sometime in semester one (pretty sure it was the opening day of Arts week), Republic of Loose played in the first semester. It seems to be like that they are getting the acts that play the student bar.

RandolphEsq

Rubber bandits could be the headliner since they aren't listed there . . .

LUPE

unknown13 wrote: »

Fight Like Apes played the Shag ball, Bluemoose played sometime in semester one (pretty sure it was the opening day of Arts week), Republic of Loose played in the first semester. It seems to be like that they are getting the acts that play the student bar.

They would have a better line-up if they just got everyone who played the Student Bar throughout the year.

Rubberbandits would be a poor headliner imo, you need someone with a good catalogue of generally known tunes

WeeBushy

Lack of any East17/S Club/Saturdays is desperately disappointing imo.

Tom1991

i fail to see the way we can get example pro green tinchy stryder and tinie tempah not my personal faves but there big names and for the big day out we get a host of bands tht ya can see once a week over here nearly and most of spin 1038's djs

mloc

Very poor line up, even by previous UCD ball standards. Republic of Loose again? AGAIN?!

Blut2

RandolphEsq wrote: »

No, I was only joking. The suspense was killing me. Not

Unfortunately I'm not to familiar with all these small acts so don't know if I like them or not. Are they all dance DJs?
I know of Republic of Loose though, and like them. Am hoping for a cheesy group along with a good headliner though

Ah. No, not many dance DJs at all unfortunately. The lineup seems to be mostly generic C list bands that are always floating around the student bar, very poor value for 40euro. Consider last year that we had Calvin Harris, The Saturdays, Iglu & Hartly and The Vengaboys (along with a similar lineup of C-listers as well) all for 35euros.

Iyaz is the only act so far this year thats not of student bar calibre and hes quite the one hit wonder, from his two other singles I've heard theyre not exactly festival stuff too...

kev9100

Awful line-up. This is the one thing that Ents simply HAS to get right all year and frankly, they screwed up big time. Then again, this is what you get when you waste money on a fashion show that few people cared about and on a ferris wheel instead of getting good acts for "the biggest private party in Europe" as we are constantly reminded.

Browney7

This is simply awful. Compared to Trinity's ball its absolutely desperate.

Ents would want to be shot for this.

Pierce_1991

Fight Like Apes are decent, apart from them its pretty sh1t. You had me excited with the Ellie Goulding comment, hate you

delta_bravo

Theres a good aul backlash on the UCD ents facebook page


"Cheers for the deadly line-up... I saw mr Domino making a delivery to the arts block yesterday, is that where all of the budget is gone cause I coulda pulled off a better lineup with the change in my pocket"

"As Julian Casablancas once eloquently said:...."Is this it?"

"how did UCD ball tickets spike in price even though we have crappier acts.... did someone eat the budget....???? "

:D:D

DL Saint

Tickets have been postponed on being sold tommorow and moved to monday because of a "breach of security", ie. so they can sort this s*** out and get in some proper acts and a good headliner. Either that or Johnny spilt his pizza and dutch gold on the tickets and they have to print new ones

1968

The **** line up doesn't surprise me at all. UCD Ents have been (pretty much) rubbish since I started here three years ago.

UCD was once the bastion of promoters who went out of their way to book innovative acts. UCD Ents was once forward thinking. Now the Student Bar is home to washed up, crap 90s pop bands, tedious rock tribute acts and the odd commercial, 'safe' rap or indie act.

The UCD Ball sums that all up. Most of the line up so far are unadventurous rock bands or cover acts.

Republic of Lose - 'Safe' Irish rock band that have played the student bar a bunch of times.
Royseven - More 'alternative rock'
O Emporer - More 'alternative rock'. At least they're up and coming though.
Bluemoose - Cover band
Lost in Flight - More 'rock'
Daft Funk - Cover band.

As far as I can see, Brandon Block (for being a bit different) and O Emporer (for being up and coming) are the only decent bookings. Not that I'd travel far to either of them.

In the late 1970s, the bar held host to the likes of The Radiators From Space, Eddie and The Hot Rods, Tom Robinson, The Boomtown Rats and a host of new, exciting punk bands. In the 1980s, it became infamous for hosting some of the best acid house and early rave acts. The Shamen played the Rag Ball in 1991 ffs!

Christy Moore used to play Theatre L in the late 60s. You had Motorhead in the bar in 1980 and The Police a couple of years later.

Now what to you have? S Club 2 and a half? Bluemoose? And if your lucky, some commercial electro act like Boys Noize for the true 'Raverz!!11'

I don't know what happened but everything changed by the early 2000s. It all became about cheap drink, commercial crap and booking, run of the mill, unadventurous performers.

Pierce_1991

Paddy Ryan "knows for a fact" that the headliners are "amazing"...S Club perhaps?

muboop1

guys, read that page... Some serious funny comments....

"the only craic at the UCD ball this year is gonna be johnny cosgroves fat arse"

"Student bar) Is that Jonny Cosgrove ?... is he, is he wearing a crown??"
"well he is the burger king"

Or my personal favourite... "A condom with a hole in it would be more useful than the Jonny we have at the moment!"

Blut2

1968 wrote: »

It all became about cheap drink

If only! I think most people here would be perfectly happy with this lineup if tickets were going to be 10 or 15euro and pints were going to be 3euro at it. The problem is that when ticket prices are so high people actually expect good acts, something Ents seem to have failed spectacularly to provide this year...

1968

Blut2 wrote: »

If only! I think most people here would be perfectly happy with this lineup if tickets were going to be 10 or 15euro and pints were going to be 3euro at it. The problem is that when ticket prices are so high people actually expect good acts, something Ents seem to have failed spectacularly to provide this year...

That point was directed towards the whole Ents/UCD Student Bar experience in general than the UCD Ball itself but I get where ya coming from.

the explorer

the sad thing is that this will probably sell out, over 7000 people are "attending" on the fb page.

with regards to pricing its gone up by €5 to €40 and no early bird tickets either. I went last year, thought it was ok as a once off thing, dunno about again though. Entry not guaranteed after 5pm, leaving you forced to pay €5 for a small plastic tray of chips. Thats just outrageous profitteering, not premieum pricing. LAst year was also a sunny day, I imagine it would have seemed a lot worse if it had rained though.

I saw "ozzy" giving a pitch in one of my lectures today, promising what sounded like a fantastic ents programme, though I seem to remember Cosgrove giving a similar one this time last year:rolleyes:

aine92

Gingy wrote: »

The only rumours I've heard is that all rumours are false, because nothing is booked yet.

Lets be honest, even if it's Crystal Swing or aboriginal didjeridoo players at the Ball, it's still going to be a class event.

Still stand by this after hearing the line up?

hatrickpatrick

The UCD Ball is the ultimate event at which to score. In this context, who's playing at it is... Largely irrelevant.

unknown13

The event page on facebook has become abuse central. Which is unfair on Jonny despite the line up being poor.