Ah, the first term of the University year. Big changes are buzzing in the air. New lectures, new freshers and YUSU’s decision to drop Club Salvation as its official Tuesday club night, replacing it with ex-gypsy hotspot, The Gallery. Following “a million pound re-fit” and a tactical name change, The Gallery was transformed into Kuda, now the place to be on a Tuesday night. Was this a wise move from YUSU? Is the “multi-award winning” Kuda a worthy replacement for the “busiest and sexiest club in the city”?
PRICE
Both clubs cost £4 entry with student ID, but once you’ve made it up that huge staircase in Kuda the drinks are slightly better value for money. Double Vodka and Kick Energy comes in at £2.80 whilst in Salvo doubles total up to £3 (all those 20ps you save can go to the Willow Fund).
MUSIC
Hopefully, once you arrive in Kuda you won’t be at the Willow-level of drunk where the only music that you want is full-on old school cheese. The new club’s resident DJ Paul Bailey-Hague promises to give a “3 deck mash up” to those gracing the new LED decorated dance floor. Like Salvo, Kuda has multiple rooms for different music serving everyone’s taste or mood. However, the decor in Kuda (especially in the new Tiki Bar and the novelty of a VW bus) definitely draws more people into alternative club music than the sweaty space of Salvo’s upstairs “Room 2.”
STUDENT OUTLOOK
It seems a universal view that Kuda has benefited from its revamp, with its new rooms and the ditching of the ballroom-style giving it an extra edge on other clubs in York. There are still some out there who prefer Salvo purely for old times’ sake, so it’s unlikely its Tuesday nights will suffer too much from the Kuda competition (in our generation, at least).
A close competition, but it seems YUSU have made a smart move by officially introducing Kuda as the new Tuesday night hot spot. The novelty is clearly popular amongst students, with some describing it as “Revs meets Salvation, best of both worlds.” Hopefully Salvo will maintain sustenance from its new Monday night special. Not that it matters – we’re all going to end up in Willow anyway.
