I Went to Starfields Sober - A Review of SF 2023
Words and Images by Keyona Fazli, Head Writer
Apologies folks, if you had read my article from last year and took me at my word that 2022 would be my final Starfields. Oops. I’m baaaaaack. They just couldn’t get rid of me.
‘I Went to Starfields Sober’ is a bit of a misleading title, as I have gone to three out of four Starfields events (2019, 2021, 2022, 2023) stone-cold sober. Don’t ask, because the excuses range from illness to designated driver (I don’t drive but steering people home should be classed a combat sport). I was there to experience a pre-COVID Starfields, making me a veteran, and it has been deeply fascinating to see a return to the same ambience that once existed, particularly regarding sound.
My Starfields journey this year started fashionably late, though not late enough to miss the beautiful sun and the subsequent golden hour photography holy grail. I am still unsure if it was due to the influx of students, but even the act of entering the venue (Lower College Lawn) was an adventure in itself. My companion in crime and I circled round the back, entering the venue via The Scores, and upon seeing the line, I praised the FS gods for my Press pass, and we shimmied up the queue.
As with all events in St Andrews, I brought with me my trusty earplugs – not to mute out the sound of techno, but merely to preserve my hearing for the remainder of my time alive – and my new (old) acquisition of a 2011 Sony Digital Camera (which I used mercilessly at the time of purchase and have decided a comeback is entirely necessary as a result of the aestheticisation of the my tween years).
The food at the event was truly wonderful and entirely necessary, though the sheer size of the crowd lined up in front of Saint Sizzle was enough to scare me into only consuming churros, located at the other end of the venue. They were heavenly and I have no regrets. As for the drinks I must say there seems to be an impossibility when it comes to solving the queues at Starfields. We saw the same issues as last year: hundreds of students gathered around the circular bar, waiting for sometimes half an hour to be served. Clearly, however, this wasn’t a problem for my sober self.
After about an hour at the event, a voice whispered into my ear, ‘I need a cig’. At hearing this, we promptly left the scene, running into about twelve thousand people on our way out, forced into making pleasantries and gesticulating wildly about the pressing importance of cigarette procurement. Once the goods were obtained, we skipped back into the vestibule-sized smoking section, and realised, with terror, that there were seventeen-year-olds among us.
At Starfields, they, naturally, leave the best for last, which is to say that artist ‘Barry Can’t Swim’ played music I was able to dance to. No shade to the other performers, as they somehow managed to induce vertigo in their sober audience (no idea how the intoxicated were faring), but it felt incredibly monotonous at times, particularly for the first two hours of the event. I did, however, enjoy how CODEO looked like they were having a blast. Musically, Starfields has gone through a few changes over the last few years, featuring more ‘mainstream’ DJs and artists such as Jax Jones in their post-COVID event, but now we see a return to the desire to share more classic techno (though not necessarily through unknown or undercover artists) with students.
Did I potentially see my life flash before my eyes when attacked with an inflatable ball? Yes. Was this my favourite Starfields? Perhaps not – but regardless I had a blast. Normally I would voice my hopes for the next event, but fortunately for all of us, you will have a different writer next year. I do, however, look forward to reading about SF’s future events and innovations.