SZENTEK REVIEW: DITCHING THE NEON, GRABBING THE FLARES

Review by Georgia Luckhurst, (Guest Writer)

Edited by Jack Campbell

Photos by Anna Kerr

There are two events in the St Andrews’ calendar that disrupt the black tie hegemony of ball culture: Starfields and Szentek. Dressing to impress in this town generally means dressing up - long dresses, heels, and suits. There’s little room for creativity when everyone is scouring Asos for a last-minute Christmas Ball ensemble. For that reason, Szentek’s contribution to the fashion scene here is as great as it is to music, providing a rare opportunity to dress down. 

Of course, ‘dressing down’ doesn’t imply a lack of trying. It’s a concerted effort to look effortless; to pull an ‘oh, this old thing?’ when someone compliments you on the top you tried on, took off, and put back on again twelve times. I was on the lookout for what trends were taking off at Szentek 2019, after being convinced it was going to be a repeat of Starfields’ Coachella-esque vibes. But instead of stalwartly noughties’ Californian boho, Szentek attendees seemed to have travelled back in time, with styles more attuned to 70s’ Stevie Nicks than Serena van der Woodsen.

So often, when we hear the words ‘festival’ or ‘techno’, we gravitate towards a neon-palette. There was plenty of colour on display last night but the crowd seemed to favour retro-inspired prints: a lot of paisley, leopard print, and ironic florals (as in, not the type your gran might wear, but definitely something Harry Styles might opt for at the MET gala.) Headbands have come back in a major way, and teamed with the amount of distressed lace on show, Stevie Nicks’ presence was palpable.

Complementing all of the colour on display on the dancefloor were a series of bold original paintings. Szentek has always been proud of its creative synthesis, and justifiably - Kinkell Byre can feel like an uninspired venue after one-too-many alike balls, but the commitment to a unique aesthetic identity here was obvious. From tigers, to Donald Trump murals, and a rainbow-coloured vagina, it was clear that the artists had been given free reign when it came to self-expression - and it worked. I’d never seen Kinkell’s decorative potential utilized so well.

What could have been an aesthetic collision of mismatched prints, blaring colour, and a lot of Lolita-esque heart-shaped sunglasses was actually demonstrative of Szentek’s vision: championing individualism and flair, while working as a collective. I’m so excited for what the committee do next - and for more events that challenge our town to hang up the ballgowns and apply some body glitter.