I Go All...Glittery and 'Magical' at Cavern

Welcome to my entirely new type of blog post. Yes, it is still essentially me detailing the strange and often embarrassing situations I face on a daily basis, but I promise it is slightly different. From time to time I'm challenging myself to write these "I Go All..."  posts, which will comprise of me doing something which, more often than not, will be in some way ridiculous and involve me making a fool of myself, but the main point of which is that it's something I've never tried before. If I can figure out how then I will even make a whole new page for it on my blog. But don't hold your breath for that because when Kirsty knocked the router off the mantle piece the other day and I was asked what the noise was, I said, "The internet has fallen over." That is some indication of the extent of my technological knowledge. 


So, this whole idea of putting myself into potentially socially uncomfortable situations came about when I decided to make my third and last year in Exeter the best. Of course that involves trying lots of new things, going lots of new places, and sharing it all with you lovely people.

The first of these 'let's try something new moments' was on Friday. Two of my housemates were talking about something called 'Magic Hatstand'. Naturally I was drawn into the conversation by the mental image I had of a something similar to Mr Benn's fancy dress shop, but in hat shop form. I was so excited at this prospect (and of the promise of glitter) that I was even willing to look past the fact that it was being held at Cavern.

Now, perhaps my feelings towards Cavern are slightly over the top. The first and last time I stepped foot inside was when I was a fresher. I resented the entry fee, grimaced at the overall lack of cleanliness, and couldn't get to grips with a dress code in which converse and hoodies are acceptable on the dance floor. Then I all but cried when I got into an altercation with the world's least helpful and most angry barman, when I politely pointed out that my overpriced Jack and Coke tasted like sewer water (I didn't use those words...until after he started to shout at me). 

But with my determination to try as many new things as possible (and the image of myself in some sort of magic Mr Benn hat) clearly in mind, I set off to Cavern. When I came downstairs in the most appropriate outfit I could find in my wardrobe (a pink lace dress and stilettos), Iona shook her head at me and said I could not be less 'Cavern' if I tried. As I pointed out, "I don't care if I'm going to Cavern or a genuine cave. I'm not wearing ugly shoes."

So after a quick pre-drink session in which enough whiskey was consumed to stop me from backing out at the last minute, we set off to Magic Hatstand, which the Cavern website describes as, "A night of deep funky house". I am a Britney Spears and S Club 7 fan so I will leave you to come to your own conclusions about how well I fit in there. 

There was glitter. Enough to make me feel like a fairy in fact. And there were hats. They were not magical as far as I could tell. In fact they seemed to be a fairly hideous collection from a charity shop somewhere, spray painted all kinds of revolting colours, and there was no Mr Benn inspired hat stand in sight. But, I was determined to embrace the experience, especially after having paid so much to get in.

They didn't accept card payments under £5 at the bar so, seeing as a single Jack Daniels was £2.60 something, and a double was £5.10 (I'll leave you to make up your own minds about that particular 'deal'), it wasn't very long before a good few doubles had been drunk down and my ugly straw hat was at a jaunty angle. 

However, there were not enough overpriced whiskey shots in the entirety of that dingy little bar to make what happened next sit well with me.

Approached by a local Exeter lad in a less than flattering floppy beach hat, I couldn't help wondering if I wouldn't have been better off with my housemates on the dance floor in spite of the music. Don't get me wrong, he was probably a very nice guy. Unfortunately, my impression of him was tainted by his first three questions: "Are you in uni?" "What do you study?" "Would your housemates be ok with you taking me back to your place tonight?" Looking over at Iona and Sophie, who were drunkenly loving life in their stupid hats, the answer was obvious. Clearly they would be ok with it, but I certainly wouldn't be. 

And so, at some point in the early hours (although probably only about 1am because it is Exeter after all) I set off home in my emergency flat shoes, covered in glitter and grime. I'd gone all Cavern for a night. I can't say I'll be doing it again any time soon though.