100 nights and counting: A sit down with the Prince of POP!

POP! stands at the heart of Warwick’s internationally famed culture. Every Wednesday night Warwick’s finest gather to party the night away, guided by the visionary mind of Disco Dave.

Many claim to be the King or Queen of this illustrious institution; however, most would argue that only Disco Dave can crown the one true Prince of POP!, a title Dave chose to bestow on the institution’s most dedicated individual, Harry Williams, on one beautiful night in his second year. Against all the odds, Harry, a Maths and Physics student, has somehow made it to 100 POP!s and stands firmly as the first documented individual in world history to have accomplished such a feat. What follows is a testament to sheer determination, mental fortitude, and a refusal to say ‘no’ to the prospect of the Copper Rooms.

The Boar began by asking Harry if he had ever envisioned achieving such POP!-related greatness, and how exactly he began his Warwick circling career. Harry contended that no one could have expected to go to 100 POP!s upon their arrival at Warwick, as it depended on staying for four years, a generally rare occurrence (read on to discover how he pulled it off). His first circle was with the Motorsport Society, something he admitted was a rogue choice. However, it was when he found himself in a Mixed Netball circle that he knew he had found his calling.

Harry contends that ‘everyone has different drinking limits, but the perfect number is always two more than you need’

Yet, it was not all sunlit uplands from here, as Harry acknowledged: “At the end of the first term, I lost the election for Mixed Netball social.”

Thankfully, the gods of Warwick denied the election’s victor his Master’s degree, allowing Harry to champion in the subsequent by-election. What followed is undoubtedly for the history books: two years of Netball circling perfection commanded by the Prince of POP!.

What followed felt like our eyes were being opened to the world of circling. Asked what the perfect number of purples was for an optimal night in POP!, Harry contends that “everyone has different drinking limits, but the perfect number is always two more than you need”. In the heady days of his first year, he often drank “10 or 12” pints, culminating in an inspiring 15.

Sadly, his tenure at Warwick has reduced his tolerance to a mere eight today.

His most controversial argument is that the best time to leave POP! is 2am. “If you get to 1am, you’re kinda committed, so you might as well stay”.

The Boar continued to tap into Harry’s vast knowledge of ‘circle’, asking him what he believed was the most impactful of all the circle punishments. Harry asserts that the “straight leg” (a slightly more rogue punishment which sees you lying on your back and downing a pint positioned between your feet) and “a hands-down” (definition pending) were perhaps the most difficult and messy punishments that he knew of. However, as a Social Sec, he found that encouraging someone to down their drink was often the “most impactful punishment you can give” if applied correctly.

Not even meningitis could deter POP!’s bravest warrior from breaking his streak

Harry also noted that the most important thing when running a circle is to “keep the energy going”, making sure circles remain “fun and light-hearted”. He added that you “don’t want to be screaming at someone to do something […] if someone doesn’t want to […] you just move on”.

Last year, Harry unfortunately contracted meningitis – possibly as a result of going to 60 POP!s in a row. However, not even meningitis could deter POP!’s bravest warrior from breaking his streak. When asked about his remarkable commitment Harry noted:

“It was maybe not the smartest thing I could have done […] I didn’t drink when I was recovering in the early stages, so I would just drive to circle sober, and I would leave POP! within like 30 minutes and go smoke. Because flashing lights were not good for me. The way I saw it was, I never missed one in three years […] may as well keep it going.”

When asked about Harry’s favourite circles he mentioned the importance of having “big personalities […] who bring energy” and described his perfect circle as:

“30 to 35 people who are really experienced would mean a lot of fun. They all know the rules and everything, but they’re all there to actually get really drunk, lots of energy, and they all know each other.

I’ve run 120-person circles, though it was about 70 people at most circles, and that was a lot of fun. It’s great seeing that many people there. But it’s kind of stressful to manage and run, making sure everyone feels involved and everything. And you end up needing upwards of four socials, which is another thing to manage.”

Because I’ve never missed one I’d probably go back and miss a few […] sometimes it’s not that great

Harry Williams, Prince of POP!

100 POP!s is an achievement that, presumably, won’t be matched for some time: requiring near-faultless attendance, four years of study at Warwick, and extreme mental resilience. Come rain, shine, or even meningitis, Harry made it to all of them. When asked about how he felt about this dazzling testament to Wednesday nights in the Copper Rooms, Harry remarked:

“I think I probably wouldn’t go to 100 again. Because I’ve never missed one I’d probably go back and miss a few. Because sometimes it’s not that great. And it almost got to the point where I was going purely for the sake of it, like, ‘I’ve never missed one I should go’.

Although I wouldn’t call it a complete waste of time, I still had great memories and lots of fun there. I met most of my closest friends, we’re still close to this day. It’s helped me a lot as a person and has gotten me places.”

We then inquired as to which of the 103 circles had been his favourite, Harry reminisced:

“A circle for my birthday in my second year. We had about 90 for that. I got socials from, I think, six different sports clubs to help me out, and it worked a lot better than I thought it would.

The one that’s a big question mark, is the Week Seven POP!, because I have an exam the next day. So my plan for that one is to just drive, go sober, go to circle

Harry Williams, Prince of POP!

I thought of combining because the people came from different clubs, socials […] and different clubs play really differently. I thought it might not work. I think that was the most fun, running that circle.”

When asked whether Harry was going to continue his perfect streak until this, his final year at Warwick, Harry remarked,

“Well, I’ve had 100% attendance every other time, so it’s so so close. Yeah, no, may as well do it. The one that’s a big question mark, is the Week Seven POP!, because I have an exam the next day. So my plan for that one is to just drive, go sober, go to circle.”

Since POP! has been such a significant part of Harry’s university experience and as he is sadly graduating this summer, we asked him how he was feeling about leaving it all behind. Harry noted:

“I’m probably not ready. I want to be sat there on a Wednesday. I see the time hit 2 am on Thursday morning […] where’s Angels?

Yeah, no, I think I’m ready to leave uni. I don’t want to be at uni for another year […] ready to go into the actual world. And to be fair, POP! is not quite the same as it was in like my second year, it has tailed off a bit.”

Alarmed by the possibility of a world without Harry in POP!, The Boar inquired as to whether he’ll come back at all next year. Thankfully, Harry confirmed: “I’ll come back for some Skool Dayz with the other alumni.”

The Warwick community can rest easy, Harry will be back.

There might be something. It’s gonna be called BANG!. We weren’t allowed to call it something like POP!, but it’s the same premise. We’ve got 11 sports clubs coming now

Harry Williams, Prince of POP!

Last term, the popular and now sadly deceased Instagram account Warwick Overheard announced Harry’s retirement from circling as part of an elaborate hoax. We asked Harry what his reaction was to this potentially world-ending announcement:

“I was very confused. It was only Term 2 Week 8, so there’s no way I would have been retiring, but it was strange when people started coming up to me in the POP! toilets asking if it was really true.”

The Boar had heard tell that Harry had a celebration in the works to cap off his circling career:

“There might be something. It’s gonna be called BANG!. We weren’t allowed to call it something like POP!, but it’s the same premise. We’ve got 11 sports clubs coming now. It’s in the Copper Rooms on the Saturday of Week 9.”

Harry’s circling record is remarkable. We believe he deserves a blue plaque by the entrance of the Copper Rooms so that future generations have something to aspire to. The sheer mindset of someone, who, faced with the dilemma of whether to go to POP! each week, said the same word without fail: “Yes” and then actually delivered every time, is frankly incredible. It’s something humanity as a species has a lot to learn from. All we can do now, to pay him back in some small way, is go to every POP! this term and support his legacy by attending BANG! late in Week 9. We’ll see you there.