What To Do When Homesickness Hits at University

For many of us, going to university is our first time being away from family and friends for an extended period. It can cause our hearts to fill with wistfulness and desolation. Adjusting to a new life can be difficult, despite the pressure to embrace our new chapter at university.

As social anxiety looms over our heads this autumn, we must remind ourselves that we are all on the same boat, experiencing the same feelings of longing for home. We all miss the comfort of our familiar lives, so sitting in our rooms may seem more favourable than going out into the intimidating unknown.

There are many creative and practical ways to navigate the emotional rollercoaster that is homesickness. By incorporating these tricks into your daily routine, you’ll feel more at ease and gradually start to embrace this new and exciting chapter in your lives:

  1. Simple tasks that drag us out of our rooms are important in keeping us busy. Going for a grocery shop with your flatmates, heading to the gym or even attending your lectures can help get your mind off homesickness. These distractions occupy your mind and provide a break from the overwhelming feeling of missing home.
  1. Keep track of LUU wellbeing events such as the weekly wellbeing and global cafes. Fostering a sense of community and belonging that combats loneliness and isolation. This can help you find a space to get to know more people and perhaps even get the support you didn’t know you needed!
  1. LUU hosts many clubs and societies; find something that excites you and give it a go! Your time at university is all about finding yourself and experiencing new things. 
  1. Although it is okay to miss home, you should not cling to what you miss but rather embrace the opportunity you have been given at university. Mindful practices like gratitude journaling are a perfect example of that; start a journal to reflect and note things that you’re grateful for in your new environment. It can help shift your focus to the positive aspects of your experience at university.
  1. When packing for university, grab some trinkets that remind you of your loved ones, such as pictures and stuffed teddies. This will help make your space more comforting and familiar. You can even create a Homesickness Survival Kit.
  1. Fill a box with items that bring you comfort and relaxation. Something like your favourite tea, a cosy blanket, or a good book will do the trick. Whenever you feel down, you can reach for it to lift your spirits.
  1. Create a schedule that excites you. You can look up new recipes and try them out every day. Similarly, you can arrange coffee dates with your coursemates between classes. Or even set up virtual hangouts with family and friends through video calls. Having a set time to connect with loved ones can give you something to look forward to and make it through the hard times.
  1. It is important to look after yourself, your mental well-being is just as important as your physical health. Getting enough sleep, eating well and exercising are a great way to boost your mental health. Having a routine is essential in reducing your anxiety and creates a sense of comfort and familiarity in your new life.
  1. Stick it out! Students who go home every weekend usually find that it takes longer to fit in, so make sure to stay around the first few weeks.

It is okay to feel homesick, whether you’re a first-year or coming back from an eventful summer break. What’s most important is that you make sure to prioritise yourself and listen to what your body and emotions are telling you. These proactive approaches not only help you cope with homesickness but also encourage personal growth and adaptation to your new life.

Read more:

https://engage.luu.org.uk/guides/article/MTH/i-feel-homesick

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/advice/how-deal-homesickness-university

Talk Of The Town: Part Time Model

Are you looking for talented local bands to give you a ‘I knew them when…’ moment? Or just after some great new music? Talk Of The Town is the place!

Coming to headline Hyde Park Book Club on 11th November are Part Time Model. An extremely exciting band consisting of Lucy Tessier, Charlie Wilberforce, Charlie Isaac, Rafael Mendes-Browne, and Ben Smith. If you’re into new wave, jazz and soul with lyrical flare from Lucy and the semblance of Talking Heads & Crumb. Upcoming single ‘Mystery Child’ encapsulates their sound & really proves this is a band that’s here to stay, and demands to be heard.

Following a busy summer playing 27 Festival and Polar Bear Music Club, Part Time Model are at the top of their game following their recent recordings – ones that we’re so excited for everyone to hear. With more upcoming dates locally, they aren’t ones to miss, with huge stage presence and an already amassing following packing our their shows. With members of the band already having solid touring experience with an insanely professional sound. Standout tracks ‘Cut-Off Point’, ‘Ghost In A Shell’, and ‘Until The Day We Meet Again’ hold brilliant promise – so keep tuned on their socials in time for their release.

With support from Rushbonds and Cherry Seraph for the gig next Monday, it’ll be a fantastic evening celebrating long loved and new local talent in Leeds – tickets are available here now and advance student tickets are also available.

Follow them here.

Words by Millie Cain.

The Libertines: What has become of the likely lads?

There is a timeless quality in the washing away of other people’s sweat from yourself after a gig. That first moment of reflection. A lingering smile. The repeating lyrics of the closing song are still echoing round and round. 

Don’t look back into the sun… Now you know that the time is come…

It’s timeless because this very moment has been shared by innumerable other people. The riotous old days of The Libertines now seem an intangible myth. And yet here I am. Feeling the exact same things that they did all those years ago.

The water keeps on gushing over me. Don’t want to take any chances about the contents of that flying pint. But as the filth washes away, I think over every detail. From the moment I walked into O2 Academy, I knew I was in for an entertaining night.

The Liverpudlian Zuzu preempts the mood of the evening with a scintillating opening act of catchy indie rock. Her fifteen minutes on stage allow for a whirlwind showcase of both her songwriting skill and endearing crowd work. ‘Spy Balloon’, in particular, shows her talent for instantly singable indie pop hooks. An excellent start. 

During the interlude, Ed Cosens takes to the stage, to provide some soulful, acoustic entertainment.  Reminiscent of fellow Sheffielder Richard Hawley, Cosens’ rich voice reigns in the night’s excitement, making sure to not let the pot boil over too soon.

Moments later, and the arrival of Real Farmer. The Dutch four-piece shatter the calm with an explosion of punk noise, made all the more captivating by the oxymoronic combination of the singer’s Jim-Morrison-esque look, and vocals more akin to Iggy Pop or Idles’ Joe Talbot. For punk enthusiasts, they’re certainly worth checking out. 

A vicious final track, and thoughts turn entirely now to The Libertines. What would they open with? ‘The Delaney’, perhaps? Or a new tune off their recently released All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade? The set, a façade of The Albion rooms – the recently closed Margate hotel owned by The Libertines and featuring on the album’s cover – looms over us, begging the question. We don’t have to wait long to find out.

Like a loose rodeo bull, the band flails into life. It’s ‘Up the Bracket’. Of course! The title track of the album that started everything. Immediately, The Libertines’ magic is on display. They drunkenly slur through lyrics and guitar lines without ever looking for a moment out of control. It’s as though the frantic dancing of the audience drags the band along with them. Pete Doherty seems to acknowledge this, as he and the crowd share that famously crooked two fingered salute. 

Then it’s into the next one, and the first track off their latest album. ‘I Have a Friend’ sees The Libertines look at modern issues, interspersing their poetic style with mentions of free speech and empty human discourse. There’s no time to ponder these contemporary anxieties however, as the frontmen dive into a vintage guitar solo and the crowd continues to bounce. It’s hard to spot the countless trials and tribulations that litter the years between the two songs. The comradery between the band members is apparently stronger than ever, and their songwriting is, as always, on the money.

What follows is something of a greatest hits setlist, interspersed with new tracks. Some of these new additions prove the more poignant moments of the evening. Doherty takes on a Fagin-like persona for the haunting ‘Baron’s Claw’, and for a moment you could be watching something by Andrew Lloyd Webber. ‘Shiver’ and ‘Run Run Run’ are also welcomed as instant classics by a crowd in full and fine voice. The new album seamlessly weaves its way into the set, helped, it must be said, by The Libertines’ live embellishments that were somewhat lacking in the album’s overly polished production. 

As the final harmonica notes of ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’ die out and the band leaves the stage, we are given a chance to catch our breath. But the crowd is baying for more already. That’s the thing with The Libertines; you simply cannot get sick of their sound. Each song has something interesting; a brilliant guitar line, a witty lyric, a vocal harmony from Doherty and Barât. They aren’t another 2000’s band going through the motions. Instead, there’s more a sense of vocation – this is what these four were meant to be doing. How else would they still be doing it?

The Libertines retake the stage and deliver a seven-track encore that resolutely satisfies any remaining song requests. As countless crowd surfers fly over my head, I find myself under The Libertines’ spell. I think it’s their authenticity that is most captivating. They indulge in the theatrical, the romantic, the poet, the rock star, because they are all these things. As I said, there’s a reason that this band is somehow still performing together, still enthralling audiences, still writing great songs. The Libertines are the real deal. They are as brilliant now as they ever have been, and I think it’s safe to say that for now, the good ship Albion is in steady hands. 

Words by Joseph Macaulay

The Howlers: Live at Oporto, October 2024

Touring the UK with their debut album What You’ve Got to Lose to Win It All (2024), The Howlers crashed into Oporto at the start of October bringing their eclectic sound to West Yorkshire. The venue was set for a sold-out show, not a frequent occurrence at the underground favourite, and the energy in the room was finely tuned to a frenzied anticipation.

Oporto seems a fitting venue for this band, who define themselves outside of the constraints of genre. It’s simultaneously home to sweaty hard rock shows, intimate candle-lit acoustic sets, and a lazy, hazy jazz bar feel which reminds me distinctively of the Blues Kitchen chain. The Howlers embody this indefinability in their own music, shifting between the tones of hard rock, cinematic soundtrack, and cowboy ballad as easily as music flows itself, blending one seamlessly into the next. 

The band finally stepped out on the stage to a roar that almost caved in the roof, immediately launching into one of the standout tracks from their new album, ‘How Long’, bringing their thundering classic rock sound to the crowd off the bat. The energetic drum beats and deafening electric solo were the standout players of the song, and these slipped straight away into the metal-esque rumbling of ‘Lady Luck’. They performed the rest of the album to the same standard, Adam Young’s distinctive voice soaring above the instruments and lending the band its western desert rock tone, gearing up the crowd for them to go wild at the release of Guus ter Braak’s solos. Other highlights include the slowing of the set for ‘Cowboys Don’t Cry’, a more tender and ballad-like track on a roster otherwise inspired by a big soundtrack. ‘El Dorado’, as their most popular song on streaming services, was the perfect track to close out with, Young’s voice and the audience’s mixing together to scale the huge tracts in the instruments’ wake.

The night was a total success for the London-based trio who are well on their way to skyrocketing to the top of the independent artist ladder. They begin the European leg of their tour in March, covering France, the Netherlands, and Italy to name a few, in an effort to bring the success of their sound to Europe.

Words by Maddie Nash