We went along to Cardiff Uni’s Taylor Swift society and it was the best day

Being the winners of Cardiff SU’s “Best Newcomer 2022”, I had high expectations when going along to the Taylor Swift society’s 1989 listening party, and they didn’t disappoint! I knew they weren’t trouble as soon as I walked in, with the blank space of The Lodge being filled with swifties, from freshers to those who’d reached 22. The friendly atmosphere immediately struck me, with everyone enjoying a night of 1989, singing along and dancing passionately with no hands tied, waving high all night. It was an incredible atmosphere, but don’t just take my word for it; here are some of the reasons their members gave for why you should come along and shake off all your troubles with them!

Photo by @tom.hughes.media

Why join?

Without fail, whether it was committee members or newcomers on their first social, everyone I talked to higlighted the warm atmosphere of the society. This wasn’t a place for bad blood, but rather a safe environment to party long into the night. Thanks to the widespread fanbase that Taylor has, many members had made great friends that they would have otherwise never met, studying a variety of courses and livng in different accomodations.

“You can be a die-hard Swiftie or just casually enjoy her music”, was a recurring message, with all being welcome along! Overall, it’s a fun, supportive environment for likeminded Swifties of all backgrounds to “meet people and enjoy the chill vibes”.

After this cruel summer without them, the TS Society was back at the Fresher’s Fair, where they could be seen with a lifesize Taylor cutout, an extensive Taylor vinyl collection and free stickers for you to put on your phones, bottles or laptops. According to some of the newcomers I spoke to, the highlight of this stool was the mini-competition that was being run to see how many Taylor songs you could name in a minute! Even if you missed their stand, do not worry; they are hosting a plethora of fun events coming up this year that you should come along to!

What to look forward to?

Every week they host Taylor Swift nights in a variety of locations, also having partnered up with Revolution Cardiff to get their members discounts on drinks and even take over the DJ’s setlist. If these club nights aren’t enough to satisfy your partying needs, they will also be hosting Taylor Swift themed socials to YOLO, bingo and quiz nights, and plenty of karaoke! Should you find that all this partying leaves you with little time to study, never fear, for the society also runs study sessions for you to come together and study with your friends. You may even be able to go for a trip with the CU Swifties, since should the artist herself ever go on tour to the UK, the society is keen to organise tickets for their members.

Iconic moments

I asked their members for some of their most memorable moments in the society, and here are some of the best! Several members remembered their favourite moment as being the time when the whole society gathered in a “cult-like” circle to scream the lyrics to the 10 minute version of “All too well”. Others had fond memories of almost one hundred people chanting “F*** Jake Gyllenhaal”. With several members highlighting the fantastic friends that they had met, I even managed to meet “Argyle”, the lovable seagull that can be seen on Taylor’s t-shirt on her 1989 album.

Photo by @tom.hughes.media

Never ask a Swiftie their favourite Taylor Swift song

If you ever want to see a Swiftie panic, just ask them one their single favourite Taylor song, with almost every interviewee struggling to name fewer than three that they loved equally. Throughout the evening, it was clear that everything they said about the friendly atmosphere was accurate, with nothing but good vibes and potentially slight hearing loss from the volume and enthusiasm of all the singing. It’s time to go and join them, after all, who wants to live forever when you can party into the night and maybe even find your love story with the CU Swifties! Are you ready for it?

Photo by @tom.hughes.media

If Swifty society is your end game you can follow them on Instagram and sign up on the SU website.

All photos in this article and cover photo were taken by @tom.hughes.media, a USW media production student.

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