Alternative freshers’ parties

Whether you've already blown your student loan buying pints for all your newfound friends, or are about to embark on your first week and loathe the idea of jiggling about in a drunken scrum at the Freshers' Ball, here's our guide to the hippest, most NUS-friendly nights out this week.

Thursdays are good news for students. Fans of frivolous dress-up fun can take their pick from The Girlcore Glitter Ball at The Bathhouse near Liverpool Street or Queens of Noize's weekly interactive rock 'n' roll bash, Smash & Grab, at Proud in Camden. For a fiver you can get your nails or hair done as you shimmy away to a DJ set from Peaches at the former, or enjoy live sets from the ice-cool Golden Filter at the latter.

Underground house heads can rave it up gratis in a former public toilet at Public Life's Deadfish Family party, or forlower frequencies, Hospital Records throw an intimate D&B soirée at East Village to launch Logistics' new album 'Crash Bang Wallop' for only £5.

Over in Soho, the clubs get indie and rockified at student haunts Madame Jojo's and Borderline, where Bloody Awful Poetry and Favourite Weapon offer alt.dancefloor sounds for just £3 with NUS.

On Friday, catch Mercury Award-nominees Friendly Fires spin one of their eclectro DJ sets as part of The Legion's Disco Not Disco festival (£5, free before 10pm) or, around the corner, check out live electro-techno bands and rising DJ talent at Firas's popular freebie Filthy Few shindig at Bar Music Hall.

Cargo's Free Fridays!'s diverse line-ups never disappoint, but the basslines are always, erm, bassier over at Superfilth!!! at 93 Feet East, which goes on till 4am for free.

Don't fancy someone else's sweat dripping into your wine glass? Check out The Underground Rebel Bingo Club, which goes weekly from Friday. Think not blue rinses: this is one raucous bingo party with DJs till late for £4 with NUS. Similarly, bond with your fellow brains at the new weekly Old Queen's Head's Pub Quiz.

During the week there's myriad cheap 'n' cheerful indie and electronic nights like Bite on Mondays at Punk, Strike Night at Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes on Tuesdays and Fabio's liquid D&B outing Swerve at Ruby Lo on Wednesdays, but save some steam for some of the bigger nights on this week. There's more bang(ers) for your buck at nights like FabricLive, every Friday at Fabric for £10 with NUS, and Bugged Out! this Saturday at Fire, where you can put your hands up for two rooms of cutting-edge electro-techno for £13..