This House Believes that Cambridge needs more house parties. One of the many laments of students living in the cosseted confines of Cambridge colleges is the fact that as well as not having any decent clubs to go to, gatherings of more than four people (or two if there’s music) in someone’s room require the written permission of approximately 17 members of staff. This is a great injustice. As we’ve seen from films and heard rumours of from other universities, house parties are literally where the magic happens.

Enter Backtracks. This night, started last term by four enterprising students (Meera Somji, Lily Moorman Dodd, Matthew van der Merwe and Mischa Frankl-Duval), has so far been a roaring success. The premise isn’t exactly original: playing music from the 70s to the noughties over the course of one night is something that has been done before, will be done again, and doesn’t require a huge amount of imagination. Nevertheless, it is a sure fire way to cover the big hits that get Cambridge students on their feet.

Last night’s event at the Union was their biggest yet, in collaboration with Fever, and promised to deliver the aforementioned house party vibe. It is as yet unclear to this reviewer why holding a night at a centuries old debating society with a congested layout, boring décor and a rubbish sound system is so popular in Cambridge nightlife. It seems to be little more than an excuse to charge increasingly extortionate prices for what essentially feels like a school disco.

But the people want a house party, and Backtracks is here to deliver. After a slow start, the party atmosphere really took off around midnight. A variety of entertainments and acts were on offer; a special mention should go to the somewhat incongruous clay modelling room. It’s not entirely clear what kind of house party the Backtracks team had in mind when they thought of this, but it was a welcome addition and proved popular throughout the night. A laptop hooked up to speakers, on which anyone could put on music of their choice, was a more clear reference to house parties gone by and was a fun variant on the live music and DJs of the main rooms.

The “Artistic Licence” dress code was generally ignored. As much as people complain about the abstract or just simply made up themes of other Cambridge parties, it is clear that students ultimately just want to cover themselves in glitter and put flowers in their hair. Last night’s theme, which tried to pigeon hole people into dressing up as actual “things”, whilst still being kooky and creative, fell between the cracks slightly as people weren’t sure how to incorporate sparkle into the Mona Lisa or Craig David.

It is easy to pick holes in any project. One of the underrated aspects of Cambridge nightlife is that it is possible for anyone to start their own project and make a real mark on the scene. Backtracks has done just that, and while it is not the most innovative of enterprises, last night’s event showed that they are at least thinking of new ways to invigorate the cycle of Life-Cindies-Fez.