Last week, the Music society organised their bi-monthly Hex nights, a great way to promote new artists, new music, or new bands to our students.
The Hex Nights used to be very popular last year and the years before the Covid-19 pandemic being a relaxing way for our students to escape for a few hours from their Uni responsibilities.
You don’t need to be part of the Music Society or a singer to pop in and listen to you can just sit there and let yourself be amazed by their very talented members.
“Every two weeks we book the Hex and invite all artists or bands on campus to play their songs or cover different songs.
“By the end of the night, we usually do a bit of jam, as well. We are playing what we feel in that moment, some of our artists are even composing new songs during that time, it’s definitely a nice experience for all of us, artists, or listeners” says Vlad, the President of the Music Society at Essex.
People are grabbing their own drinks or snacks; they sit comfortably and wait for the magic to happen.
Every two weeks there are more than 50 students that gather in the Hex building to take part in the Music Society event, some of them end up joining the society after that, and others are coming and leaving.
“This is a good vibe; you can drink and chat with people while listening to some of your favourite songs or exploring new genres. Students should definitely join more often” says Michel, one of the guests attending the event for the second time this year.
The Society is creating not just a very open and safe experience for everyone on campus, but also giving them the chance to express their true passions using their own resources or learning from people with experience in this field.
“Once you joined the society you can have access immediately to our music room, where we have a piano, drums, or guitars, and a comfy place for people to rehearse and play around with their instruments.”
Vlad, the President of the society told us that organising a Hex night requires a full week of planning in advance, from room booking to creating posts for the social media page they have to work on a schedule for the artists, and then of course, arranging the room for the night.
They must move their instruments from the music room all the way up to the Hex, preparing them before the event, checking if each of them sounds the way it is supposed to, and putting up the chairs for the guests.
The Society is welcoming to any student that wants to improve or explore their taste in music or even to work more on their hidden talents, the Hex nights are also a great way to promote these artists that are part of the society by giving them the full experience of performing in front of an audience.
Their next event will be a Christmas music night, including some of the most famous Christmas songs as George, the social secretary of the society said.
Bianca, singer of the Music Society said: “It’s very enlightening for me that I get the chance to sing the songs that I love and rehearse every week with our band. We can sing them in front of an audience, not just inside of our tiny music room.”
Bianca Katalinic started to be part of the Music society not just as an executive member, but also as a vocalist. She attended four events that happened this term within the society, where she got the chance to sing either alone or with her band.
However, she was doing singing lessons for seven years now back home in her country before moving to the UK to study. Now she is trying to work more on performing outside of a room.
She was singing for the Freshers’ Fair and for a charity event held at the Lakeside Theatre earlier this autumn, and now she is singing every two weeks on Friday nights for the Hex Jam.
“As a piece of advice for the new singers out there, try not to harm your voice by forcing yourself to sing difficult songs such as rock songs, especially in the beginning. Technical knowledge is important when it comes to this, so try to look a bit into it before starting.”
In case you missed the Hex Nights, the society is planning more events for the next term, including more Hex Nights and more collaborations with other societies on campus.
For more information, you can follow their Instagram page at @essexmusicsociety.