Watch Out Fife, the East London Creatives Are Here

While creatives look to East London to cultivate their super intimate, authentic, underground vibe, to develop DIY spaces where they ‘do things a little differently’, and to display a general commitment to being ‘in the scene’, a hardy few skip north — all the way to St Andrews.

Yes, that’s right: the East London creative has ventured far beyond the familiar haunts of Broadway Market and Hackney Wick. In fact, they’ve crossed the Anglo-Scottish border and established themselves in Fife. And on this particular sunny Saturday afternoon, they were all gathered in the expansive gardens of 64 Hepburn Gardens. 

The Carnegie Club hosted several societies, bringing together an eclectic selection of student groups, publications, and creative collectives. As I wove my way around the stalls, I was met with hordes of people eager to “create a space”. There was Szentek, whose philosophy is that “music is an experience” — their words, not mine. Craft House, an arts collective supporting individuals in their artistic pursuits, and Stereoscope, a photography publication, were also present. At one point, I even watched a friend attempt to prise open a Corona with a marijuana-print lighter, which felt like a fairly comprehensive summary of the afternoon.

Naturally, it is very easy to stereotype these groups. The obligatory pack of cigarettes strewn over the table (indicating a collective smoking problem more than anything else). An obscure band playing somewhere in the background and lengthy conversations about the importance of community: it has been the formula that the internet has been parodying for years. Throw in a tote bag and someone explaining that they "don’t really like labels”, and you have the full set.

But what do the E2 warehouse and the KY16 student accommodation have in common? In other words, what is it about St Andrews that allows these communities to flourish?

I would argue that this is precisely the kind of town which facilitates the formation of such groups. St Andrews houses a permanent population of amere 16,000 people, yet its student population overruns the town, exerting an enormous cultural presence. St Andrews lends itself naturally to the flourishing of communities around even the most niche of interests. Here, a shared passion can become a society or a collective overnight.

There is a deeper irony here. This university brings together people from vastly different backgrounds, yet we must acknowledge the privilege that its students possess. This is what makes these creative collectives so comparable with the East London crowd: there is a particular freedom that comes with knowing your fall is cushioned, and that allows for experimentation.

Having said all that, it might be overly critical to write them all off. It is worth acknowledging that, for all pretension, these groups are doing something valuable. The Carnegie Club itself follows in the legacy of Andrew Carnegie, a major patron of education, the arts, and sciences. The Club seems to have shouldered the responsibility to promote publications like Agora, publicise The Roosevelt Group, and give voice to People You Know Productions. “Creates a space” may be the most overworked phrase, but, admittedly, it is rather accurate here — The Carnegie Club has created a space for all these groups to exist, collaborate, and occasionally, to take themselves a little too seriously.

The Roosevelt Group, a think tank and publication, was asking attendees for their hot takes. A friend of mine (although he was too much in the way of cowardice to ever pencil it in) had a good one: “This whole thing is pretentious”. He probably has a point. That being said, aren’t we all?

Illustration by Alice O'Sullivan