TAPS looks to boost club’s popularity

With the Underground facing mounting financial pressures, students have a mixed opinion on the rebranded nightclub.

At last week’s AMS Assembly, Nicola Plummer, AMS vice-president of operations, said TAPS thought the Underground would be doing much better.

“We are cognizant that student interest has been lower recently with respect to The Underground,” she told the Journal via email.

The club hasn’t hit capacity on Wednesdays for a while, which was a popular night before the rebrand, she said.

“We have strategies in place to make changes for next semester,” she said.

The AMS communications office said they wouldn’t go into detail about any tangible plans for The Underground next semester.

A survey will be handed out to students to garner their feedback, and final decisions and plans for the future won’t be made until the results are available, Plummer confirmed.

“The deficits will have a negligible effect on The Underground in the long run,” she said.

Jonathan McGuire, ArtSci ’14, said that he’s not attended the club since the rebrand.

“I didn’t think … [the rebrand] would increase the amount of people … [who attend],” he said.

McGuire said the name change was the only noticeable restructure of the venue.

“If they have been trying to generate publicity for themselves they have done a lacklustre job,” he said.

Downtown clubs are more appealing and seem to generate higher numbers of attendance, he added.

“A lot of varsity clubs are more inclined to do a partnership with Ale or Stages for an event,” he said.

Kylee Pederson, ArtSci ’15, said that she’s only attended The Underground to see rapper Dylan Joel and DJ Otis Grey perform live in September.

“It was really fun because I was with my friends and we watched a live performer and wine was cheap,” she said.

While The Underground promotes Wednesday nights, Pederson said that those nights are when she likes to stay in.

“What I experienced when I went there, it was fine. I enjoyed it,” she said.

Eric Koskins, ArtSci ’15, also went to The Underground for the Joel and Grey concert.

He said that he enjoyed his time at The Underground that night.

“It was an enjoyable time with the people I knew there, and the whole concert setting,” Koskins said.

However, he said he’s not revisited the club since.

“There’s more people going to [the Hub]. If all your friends are going to the Hub you might as well follow them,” Koskins said.

The pool tables are what drew many students to Alfie’s, he added.

“[Alfie’s] offered something a bit unique in the sense that it had pool tables,” he said. “Right now [The Underground] just blends in with other places in the Hub.”

Koskins said the revamp of the club may not have worked in the way that was expected. However, a student-run club is important to the Queen’s community, he added.

“I would hope they stay open,” Kiskins said.

“There is QP but it’s nice to have a student-run club.”

“I’d be sad to see [the Underground] go.”