Taylor may have only dropped her international tour dates two weeks ago (21/06), but Cambridge was ahead of the curve with its end of year ‘Eras Tour MASH Club Night’. The CUTSAS (Cambridge University Taylor Swift Appreciation Society) tribute nights, which comfortably start at 8pm and finish at eleven (sometimes you can even make it to Mainsburys afterwards) have become a staple of my Cambridge nightlife repertoire. On top of the chart-topping bangers like ‘Shake it Off’ and ‘Love Story’ that feature at every Rumboogie, these nights present a unique opportunity to dance along to the songs that the normies haven’t got hold of yet.

“From short skirts to t-shirts, the Swifties came dressed to the nines”

The commitment to the original Eras Tour setlist gave the night a sense of authenticity. Hearing Taylor’s original song order of Lover to Midnights, it didn’t take much for my overactive imagination to fuel the delusion that I was in Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium, witnessing the real deal. However, to the delight of those who, like me, feel personally affronted by the single Speak Now track on the Eras Tour setlist, CUTSAS made some much needed additions. When you bought your £6 ticket (not a bad discount from the $8,000 some tour tickets cost), fans could vote for the album they wanted to see most represented. As well as ‘Enchanted’, staples from the winning album, Speak Now, like ‘Better than Revenge’ and the chronically underrated ‘Long Live’ took the crowd by storm.

Among strong competition, prizes were promised for the best “era-inspired” outfits. As we all know, Cambridge is a catwalk and, from short skirts to t-shirts, the Swifties came dressed to the nines. Despite my endless nights of Vinted scrolling, my fit felt woefully inadequate, unsure if my dress was supposed to be Midnights or Speak Now. I spotted several of those classic Junior Jewels ‘You Belong With Me’ tops and a brave few wore their Folklore cardigans to the overheated club. More unconventional offerings came in the form of a group dressed as Christmas trees: a tribute to the farm in Pennsylvania where Taylor grew up.

“CUTSAS’ final event of the year is the beginning of many more great things to come”

Not all Taylor’s hits are intuitively suited to a club setting, meaning the MASH Era’s Tour found itself straddling the line between club night and listening party. ‘Champagne Problems’ may be a work of lyrical genius, but how much can you really dance to it? Of course, this diversity also meant there was something for everyone, whether you were a seasoned Swiftie who bought their first Fearless CD in year 6 or a Midnights convert, CUTSAS had something for you.

While Cambridge’s leg of the Eras Tour may not have had million pounds of budget, world-famous openers, or Taylor Swift herself, it nevertheless had the whimsical magic of being surrounded by people who love the same music as you. In the following weeks, as May Week turned into the languishing lethargy of the summer holidays, “I wish I was at Taylor Swift Night right now” became a frequent refrain among my friends. The summation of a forceful second year for CUTSAS, the country’s oldest Taylor Swift society, the night’s conclusion was bittersweet as the current presidents announced they’d be handing on the leadership. The energy and dynamism of The Era’s Club Night has me convinced, however, that CUTSAS’ final event of the year is the beginning of many more great things to come.