Good Gig, Bad Gig.

[Nakatomi]

Well you've cracked it then. By that definition, like me, you're already perfect.

News just in...

See the supporters only section

[Excalibur]

News just in...

See the supporters only section

I did.

Breaking news: I still am perfect.

OK, order has been restored in the universe. I am once more basking in the adulation of a crowd who now full well that I'm the best DJ they've seen that night, if not that week. After a truly grim Friday wedding, I had got my head down at a Travelodge, in order to avoid retracing my steps on Saturday. I was granted to be access at 4pm for a 7.30 kick off. Remember these numbers, they are important. In conversation with the groom, he told me that they had got a bar extension, and if I played on past my contracted time ( midnight ) he would pay extra.

Long story short, I get in at 4, set up in a relaxed manner, in a lovely huge bay window of a golf club, and am ready shortly after 5pm. The barman takes a call, and informs everyone that guests will be here in fifteen minutes! Brownie points to the bored DJ who set up over three hours early because he had nothing better to do, eh?

I start playing background, and it's obvious that some of the guests are " greyhounds straining in the slips". ( If you don't get that one, it's Shakespeare, Henry V ). We then have a meal ( which I was sort of invited to partake of, but I'd forgotten about upstairs at this venue ). I still had my sarnies left from dinner, so wasn't worried, especially as it seemed like a hot plated meal, and I didn't want that on the playout!

I worried that with good weather, stunning grounds, and daylight till 10pm, I wasn't going get any meaningful dance floor action till much later. I was wrong. Well once the floor filled around 8.30pm, it truly never emptied. Tamla, Northern Soul, Rock, Indie, Disco, and Chart, all grist to the mill. I was molested a couple of times ( in a far more pleasant way than the night before ) by a couple of young ladies, and even the fellas were very polite, lovely folk altogether.
We had a first dance an hour or so after, ( there wasn't going to be one, but B &G had a change of heart midway through the night) and guests could hear me easily outside.

So could the neighbours.

A noise complaint with Maui 5s, that's got to be good going. They were singing nicely, and I reckon it's the bass they produce that does the damage. To be fair, it was midnight, so I turned it down a notch, and backed the bass off. We hit 1am effortlessly, by which time I'd already got the radio mics, and a couple of lights packed away.

Just a cracking night, with lovely guests. Don't you just wish they were all like that?

[Imagine]

It was supposed to be an awesome night of dancing. Three years on the books, third attempt at getting married thanks to "you know what", and the day finally arrived....along with 28 degree wall-to-wall sun (Gawd it's been hot).

Lovely venue despite the sound limiter (it's workable and apparently I'm more daring than most according to the venue in that I actually dare to turn the volume up to dancing level and play limiter bingo ). They were an older couple and the night was to be a mix of not too much cheese coupled with clubland from the 90s to the current day....on paper an absolute winner.

Until you start setting up in a barn which has had the full force of the sun on the roof all day and just wouldn't cool down, and guests that were already flagging from the heat.
Eventually kicked things off an hour later than planned (the couple were really laid back and were having photos taken when they were supposed to be doing the first dance). The first dance - a new one on me for this portion of the day...Tina and Ike in all their glory (and yes, the crowd joined in on the dance floor at the drop and went wild).

I managed to keep them there for a couple more, and then dance floor action suffered in preference of a nice patio area, refreshing beverages and the tiniest bit of a cool breeze (sigh). Hey ho....let's plug on with the playlist.

I didn't manage much more than a dozen bodies at a time all night until right at the very end when I went off-course in favour of some Garage (not my speciality subject....yet, but seemed to please the crowd).

End of the night is 11:30 sharp in this venue and there were plenty of fist bumps and thanks, so didn't do too bad a job. Even the groom admitted it was just too hot to dance but praised me on the music selections that they'd been listening to from the patio.

A good night from their side of things, they were happy. Just one of those where you come home feeling just a little deflated because it would have been nice to have a few more bodies on the dance floor.

Next week, a draughty old barn with no sound limiter and indeed no neighbours for about 5 miles. I'm starting at 10pm for two hours following a band. I feel it's time to give the mighty Yamaha rig it's first airing since before Covid

[Excalibur]

End of the night is 11:30 sharp in this venue and there were plenty of fist bumps and thanks, so didn't do too bad a job. Even the groom admitted it was just too hot to dance but praised me on the music selections that they'd been listening to from the patio.

A good night from their side of things, they were happy. Just one of those where you come home feeling just a little deflated because it would have been nice to have a few more bodies on the dance floor.

Next week, a draughty old barn with no sound limiter and indeed no neighbours for about 5 miles. I'm starting at 10pm for two hours following a band. I feel it's time to give the mighty Yamaha rig it's first airing since before Covid

As Wayne knows full well, my gig was also a wedding, 200 Young Farmers! A wonderful marquee in the middle of nowhere, and the 1812 was singing beautifully.
11.30 finish? Pah! I was paid up to 1.30am, and PAYG in cash per each hour/part hour after that. My dance floor filled at 8 ish, and at 3am when I switched off, I still had a good handful of dancers.

What did I play? Clubland, Irish, Country, Indie, Pop, 60's, and anything else requested ( of which there were lots, but not all great ). There were highs and lows.
Lows: Three separate radio mic systems all experiencing drop out from the middle of the tent, just by the bar. Perceived wisdom seems to blame the tills, or the Faraday Cage of fairy lights adorning the roof.
Glass/drinks on the dance floor.

Highs: Tractors being driven through the tent around 1am. Guests climbing tent poles ( or not ascending to the top, in some cases). The guests determination to dance in melting heat.

Next week has no late finishes, thankfully.

[stormproductions]

Some of you have no staying power.

Last weekend was lighting for a very nice 21st birthday party in a stunningly converted former milking shed, around 100 years old but now looking like something from a style magazine. Loads of fairy lights in the roof of the dining area, some deco lighting in the foyer/toilet area and pretty much a full club rig in the bar/kitchen part of the barn with 24 moving lights and 10 mirror balls. Plus a load of exterior lighting.

I agreed with the parents that the power issues just after 4am were a good opportunity for me to leave (it turns out some of the audio kit had taken a drink, thankfully I was only on lights for this one) but once a small generator had been dragged from another barn they apparently kept the music going to around 8am.

I got home at 5.30 but only got 3.5 hours sleep as I had 2 other jobs to derig that day before returning to the milking shed to spend all day Monday derigging that.

[Imagine]

As Wayne knows full well, my gig was also a wedding, 200 Young Farmers! A wonderful marquee in the middle of nowhere, and the 1812 was singing beautifully.
11.30 finish? Pah! I was paid up to 1.30am

Thankfully the licensing authorities round 'ere are going for the earlier finish. And let's be honest, how many weddings and parties do we do where they should have finished at that time on a high note rather than dragging things out to the bitter end?

Highs: Tractors being driven through the tent around 1am.

I actually spat wine over my laptop screen when you sent that through on Messenger

Guests climbing tent poles ( or not ascending to the top, in some cases).

Glad you didn't tell me about that bit at 3am - wine's getting expensive

[Imagine]

I'm starting at 10pm for two hours following a band. I feel it's time to give the mighty Yamaha rig it's first airing since before Covid

Oh WOW!

I dug the Yammy 12/8 combo out of storage this morning to make sure all's still well (it's not been used since late 2019). I'd forgotten just HOW GOOD it sounds
Really looking foward to shaking some dust and cobwebs out of the roof of the barn on Saturday now

[Excalibur]

Oh WOW!

I dug the Yammy 12/8 combo out of storage this morning to make sure all's still well (it's not been used since late 2019). I'd forgotten just HOW GOOD it sounds
Really looking foward to shaking some dust and cobwebs out of the roof of the barn on Saturday now

You all know exactly what's coming.
The tried and tested:

" Ye cannae change the laws of physics".
I'm reminded of this every time I fire up the 1812.

[Imagine]

You all know exactly what's coming.
The tried and tested:

" Ye cannae change the laws of physics".
I'm reminded of this every time I fire up the 1812.

You still haven't heard this ground shaking combo have you?

I'm pretty sure I've caused some major structural damage to the foundations of my house today (Played A-Live in a 1970s semi at nearly full tilt shook the windows!). Those little 12" subs far outweigh anything else in my armoury as far as ground shake goes

This setup really shouldn't be as powerful as it is but trust me....it's shaken the ground of a good many marquee weddings in the past.

[Imagine]

A wedding in a gorgeous and VERY rustic barn that I've been to before, a photographer I'm good friends with but rarely get to work with, a band, and an awesome couple and guests......but let's rewind a little.

Just two weeks ago, I didn't even KNOW about this wedding. Last night was one of my scheduled Saturdays off and the plan was to sit at home and chill before tomorrow's efforts as Captain Chaos. Until an email hit my inbox two weeks ago on Monday begging for help. The couple had received an email from their booked DJ just 13 days before the wedding saying he'd quit the business and wouldn't be there . It's this sort of thing (which is happening a LOT) which really boils my wee wee at the moment!

Well I couldn't leave them high and dry could I?

Anyhoo....works out there's a band (who've travelled from God's own country to be there and then drove back after the set!) and I'm on from 10pm to midnight....walk in the park then . By the way, the band's PA sounded absolutely awful and was starting to give me a real headache. It was an HK system (I think Elements), but the sound engineer had waaaay too much mid and virtually no bass in them.

Got there for 9pm to set up as agreed (I'm on a different wall to the band so need need to be there and hang around), and waited, and waited, and waited some more. Yup, as with most weddings we're running behind and I didn't get started until 10:30pm....the night's getting even easier and even better, it's cooling down so guests are moving from the patio to the barn. I was INSTANTLY recognised by one of the younger guests as Captain Chaos! (yup...I'd done this young lady's birthday back at the start of the year and she still remembers who I am )

The band eventually handed over to me, and I kicked off with Whitney wanting to dance with somebody (who loves her). One of the few on the very small playlist I'd been given a few days ago. The only real instructions were "no cheese" meaning Macarena and the Cha Cha Slide.

Now I was a little bit excited about last night because the postman brought me a present on Saturday morning.....a USB stick loaded with the entire back catalogue of Mastermix's DJ Beats collection (for those that have somehow missed these, they're absolutely BRILLIANT when you're doing stuff like 70s and 80s where the drummers weren't necessarily electronic).

From Whitney, we went on a trip down memory lane to the 70s, a couple of Northern Soul's that were on the playlist, up to date chart, some 90s clubland....and all in the space of 90 minutes. Twas like shooting fish in a barrel

Of course, finished with the obligatory Wonderwall and Brightside (their choice not mine) to be greeted with chants of "One More" (I'd been expecting this because the band suffered a similar fate). Now I'm lucky with this particular venue in that it's miles from civilisation and so long as you don't take the Mickey, the bloke that owns it doesn't mind a bit of overrun. OK - one more then. I'd had DJ Otzi's rendition of a song about a girl called Caroline lined up until.....they started chanting one of Mr Sintara's better known tracks.

I haven't finished a show on New York x 2 for....well I can't actually remember the last time I played it if I'm honest. Cue linked arms, leg kicking and a lot of singing and at the end of the track they all very politely started to make their way home.....was I in some sort of dream?

Lots of hugs and thanks at the end and the promise of a million star review when they're back from honeymoon. It's nights like this that I absolutely LIVE for!

Tomorrow - a different story. It's the local primary's annual fete (for the first time since before Covid), I'm there doing the background, PA, announcements and a half hour kids party (which probably won't happen) in temperatures predicted to reach 35 degrees.....