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Heavy Metal?
A regular customer of mine asked me last night if I do weddings! (Which I do).
Apparently their friend had been let down by a DJ who was going to do their wedding for free, and they are struggling to find a replacement. (The DJ was a family friend, but pulled out)
Yes, I answered, then came the comment. They are heavy metal fans, and are looking for a heavy metal DJ! (Most of the guests are fans too), wanting heavy metal all night. They have a band booked 17:00 - 19:00, then wanting a DJ for after the band. (Been told they have the room until 2AM ) Venue is a recording studio in Sheffield.
Well, as you can guess I know absolutely all about heavy metal, and told her this. I said that her friend would have to provide me with the music and a playlist to cover the event, since my knowledge is zero.
Anyway she is going to pass my details onto her friend, lets see what happens.
Any heavy metal guru's out there who could advise on music etc?
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I have a fair bit of knowledge about heavy metal, having spent some time in their 'sphere' (not a type of music I enjoy though)!
The number one thing to remember is that 'heavy metal' alone isn't what people listen to - it comes in lots of sub genres, and each person has their own preference(s), such as Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Extreme Metal, Folk Metal, Metalcore, Power Metal, Thrash Metal etc. And even those genres have their own sub genres!
Have a listen to..
Power Metal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG7Rl3qxUqY
Folk Metal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GclKDei5hHU
Death Metal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjb0j9l1sz4
Fancy a laugh - this is an example of the genre of 'Pirate Metal' (yes, it genuinely exists) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ_eVIZkjZE
As you can hear, each genre is *very* different. So you'll want to keep genres together, like you would with different genres at a 'normal' party.
I'd want to know what percentage of guests are genuine metal fans. Hopefully it's in excess of 75%... otherwise you'll end up with many unhappy guests! Metal isn't exactly one of those genres you can 'listen to' if you don't like the music!
Bloodstock Festival can give an outline of who the big bands are: http://www.bloodstock.uk.com/events/boa-2018/stages
One thing I will add: metal fans are lovely people. Despite looking 'scary' in their 'black' outfits, they are the nicest people you'll come across. Nothing wrong with being up front with them on the night, saying you know nothing about metal music, but want to play their favourites - they'll soon be happy to guide you with artists and titles they want to headbang and mosh to (and headbanging and moshing is about the extent of their dancing!).
Good luck!
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Originally Posted by
fullcontact68
Apparently their friend.
Any heavy metal guru's out there who could advise on music etc?
They may class their friends music tastes as heavy metal, but they may be Foo Fighters or Kiss fans so a decent list is your friend here. I would distinguish how many guests are going to like the music and more importantly know the tracks. I have done a lot of metal weddings and only a couple have been a success as the music has been so hard that it has sent untie June and Uncle Pete, were running for the door with their hands over their ears!
I am no means an expert, so I would get a top 10-20 list, separated by bride and groom, a further list of 20-30 as you don't know the genre. Then most importantly formulate a fafe list to fall back on that comprises of easier listening pop rock as this is a good safeguard (ACDC, GUNS & ROSES, METALICA, NIRVANA, KISS, FOO FIGHERS, BON JOVI etc.) . If they want to just do their list then forget it and get them to book a specialist rock DJ. I had this once where they just wanted a list of music I had never even heard and it fell flat on its face from the start. Never again.
You can start off with more rocky relaxed music or girl friendly tracks like Shut up and dance, Nickelback, sweet home alabama etc. and Generic classic rock & teenage dirtbag genre is always a sure fired hit and pleases most members of the wedding.
Stuff like this:
Iron Maiden sounds perfectly normal to me but some guests may go home early!!
Choose tracks like Enter Sandman and you might find they all get up dancing as its very popular mainstream now
I usually go on a rule, if I know the track/band then fine, if not then they should hire a rock specialist DJ!
This is by no means a great list but its got quite a few well known more alternative tracks in there.
Don’t Stop Believing - Journey dont Don't Starship
Here I Go Again 87 (CLASSIC ROCK - SLOW START) Whitesnake
Sweet Home Alabama Lynyrd Skynyrd
I Want To Know What Love Is Foreigner
Bryan Adams - Summer of 69
Pour Some Sugar On Me Def Leppard
Nothing Else Matters Metallica
Enter Sandman Metallica
You and Me Song The Wannadies
Two Princes Spin Doctors
Teenage Kicks The Undertones
Teenage Dirtbag Wheatus
Should I Stay or Should I Go The Clash
She's So Lovely - Scouting for girls Scouting For Girls
Run DMC Featuring Aerosmith- Walk This Way Run DMC Feat. Aerosmith
Michael Jackson - Just Beat It
Keiser Chiefs - Everday I love you less
I'd Do Anything For Love Meat Loaf
I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor Arctic Monkeys
Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine O’ OF
Girl You've Really Got Me Going The Kinks
eye of the tiger
Bohemian Like You The Dandy Warhols
Beat It Michael Jackson
Are You Gonna Go My Way Various Artists
Are You Gonna Be My Girl Jet
American Idiot Green Day
Bohemian Rhapsody Queen
Green Day - Basket Case
Where I Find My Heaven Gigolo Aunts
greenday - when i come around
Florence - You've Got the Love Florence + The Machine
Ace Of Spades Motörhead
Alive Pearl Jam
all right now Free
All Summer Long Kid Rock
Always (slower version) Bon Jovi
...And Justice For All Metallica
The Bad Touch Bloodhound Gang
Beat It (Ft. John Mayer) Fall Out Boy
The Beautiful People Marilyn Manson
Best Day Of My Life American Authors
Black Chandelier Biffy Clyro
Crazy, Crazy Nights KISS
Danger! High Voltage - FIRE DISCO Electric Six
Dreaming of You The Coral
In Too Deep Sum 41
Little Lion Man (Radio Edit) (139 BPM) Mumford & Sons
Love Gun Kiss
Master Of Puppets Metallica
More than a feeling Boston
Mountains Biffy Clyro
My Generation The Who
My Sharona The Knack
Nickelback - Rockstar Nickelback
No One Knows Queens Of The Stone Age
Paint It Black (Stereo Version) The Rolling Stones
Pretty Vacant (were so pretty) The Sex Pistols
Rebel Rebel David Bowie
Rocks Primal Scream
Rope Foo Fighters
Run to The Hills Iron Maiden
Scar Tissue Red Hot Chili Peppers
Seven Nation Army The White Stripes
Sharp Dressed Man ZZ Top
She Sells Sanctuary - the Cult Various Artists
She's All Natural Buffalo Summer
Since You Been Gone Rainbow
Smooth Criminal Alien Ant Farm
Status Quo - Rockin All Over The World - rocking
Thunderstruck AC/DC
Valerie (Feat. Amy Winehouse) Mark Ronson
Weak Skunk Anansie
Whole Lotta Love (Edit) Led Zeppelin
You Give Love a Bad Name Bon Jovi
Foo Fighters - The Pretender
Learn To Fly Foo Fighters
Californication Red Hot Chili Peppers
Foo Fighters - Everlong (acoustic) Foo Fighters
Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing
Ho Hey The Lumineers
Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven
ACDC - SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG
Whole Lotta Rosie AC/DC
Down Down (Single Edit) DEEPER Status Quo
Every Breath You Take The Police
Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl
Pompeii Bastille
Kids MGMT
Pumped Up Kicks [Album Version Foster The People
Chocolate The 1975
Fat Lip Sum 41
Steal My Sunshine Len
Buddy Holly Weezer
The Darkness- I Believe In A Thing Called Love The Darkness
Place Your Hands Reef
Buck Rogers Feeder
Song 2 Blur
Rock the Casbah The Clash
A Town Called Malice The Jam
Chelsea Dagger The Fratellis
Guns N' Roses - Welcome to the Jungle
Paradise City Guns N' Roses
Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle) [Radio Edit] Limp Bizkit
Come As You Are Nirvana
Nirvana - Nevermind - Lithium
Just A Girl No Doubt
Last Resort Papa Roach
Perl Jam - Daughter Pearl Jam
Heaven Is A Halfpipe (If I Die Opm
The Offspring - Pretty Fly for a White Guy
Still Into You Paramore
Give it Away Red Hot Chili Peppers
Take On Me Reel Big Fish
I'm A Believer Smash Mouth
the smiths - this charming man
Fool's Gold The Stone Roses
Last Nite NIGHT The Strokes
LIVE Too Much Too Young The Specials
Sweet Disposition The Temper Trap & The Temper Trap
A-Punk Vampire Weekend
Same Jeans Various Artists
Woman Wolfmother
Moving To New York The Wombats
MEGADETH - Holy Wars the Punishment Due
Iron Maiden - The Trooper
Inside Various Artists
Rock Bottom UFO
Doctor Doctor UFO
Ready To Go Republica
No Tomorrow Orson
Breaking The Law Judas Priest
Don't Matter Kings Of Leon
My Favourite Game The Cardigans
Bubbles Biffy Clyro
Highway to Hell AC/DC
Madness - Baggy Trousers
Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You shouldn't've) Buzzcocks
Shake It Metro Station
Linkin Park - Numb
Linking Park - What I've Done
Supermassive Black Hole Muse
Higher Ground Red Hot Chili Peppers
Steve Harley - Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)
Romantics - What I Like About You
The Rolling Stones- GET NO Satisfaction
Rolling Stones - Honkey Tonk Women
Louie Louie The Kingmen
Oasis - Don't Look Back In Anger
Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby
Europe - The Final Countdown
black sabbath - PARANOID
iggy pop - passenger
money for nothing
Blister in the Sun Violent Femmes
The Boys Are Back In Town - Thin Lizzie Various Artists
Nutbush City Limits Tina Turner
I Am the Resurrection The Stone Roses
Golden Touch Razorlight
I'm gonna be 500 Miles The Proclaimers
saturday nights alright - for fighting Elton John
Smoke On The Water Deep Purple
Parklife Blur
I Love College Asher Roth
Scummy Arctic monkeys
Between Angels and Insects Papa Roach
Trouble (ROCK - NICE) Skindred
Girl All The Bad Guys Want Bowling For Soup
Misery Business Paramore
Dance, Dance Fall Out Boy
Sugar, We're Going Down Fall Out Boy
Fire, Fire Heaven's Basement
Monkey Wrench Foo Fighters
Goo Goo Dolls - Iris (Acoustic)
Wake me up inside / Bring me to life - linkin park Evanescence
Tainted Love Marilyn Manson
Fear Of Dying (ROCK - GIRL SINGING) Jack Off Jill
Movies Alien Ant Farm
When You Were Young The Killers
Use Somebody Kings Of Leon
One Way or Another Blondie
Monster The Automatic Automatic
Many Of Horror Biffy Clyro
The Kooks - Naive
Stacy's Mom STACIES MUM Fountains Of Wayne
Snow ((Hey Oh)) chill Red Hot Chili Peppers
Take Me Out Franz Ferdinand
Back In Black AC\DC
Whatever You Want Status Quo
Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower
I Can Dream Skunk Anansie
Gravemakers & Gunslingers (SWEARING)
Nowhere Therapy?
Digging The Grave Faith No More
The Gentle Art Of Making Enemies Faith No More
I Was Made For Loving You Kiss
Whiskey in the Jar Metallica
Don't Let Me Get Me Pink
So What Pink
One Week Barenaked Ladies
Run To You Bryan Adams
Closing Time Semisonic
Livin' On A Prayer LIVING Bon Jovi
Mr Brightside - RADIO EDIT The Killers
Fallout boy- Thanks For The Memories Fall Out Boy
Out Of The Black Royal Blood
Blue Orchid The White Stripes
Want You Bad The Offspring
Land Of Confusion Disturbed
All Star Smash Mouth
Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt We Are Scientists
The Great Escape We Are Scientists
Superman Goldfinger
My Friends Over You New Found Glory
I Miss You blink-182
All The Small Things Blink 182
Butterfly Crazy Town
Last Resort Papa Roach
Wake me up inside (GOOD COPY) w/ linkin park Evanescence
hey mickey! Spice Girls
Greenday - Dookie greenday
Iris Goo Goo Dolls
I'm A Believer - DAY DREAM Smash Mouth
Sc8er Boi - Skater boy Avril Lavigne
Semi Charmed Life Third Eye Blind
I Wish Skee-Lo
Take Me Home Jess Glynne
First Date Blink-182
Riot Girl Good Charlotte
Generator The Holloways
Gives You Hell The All-American Rejects
Counting Crows - Mr. Jones
The Rock Show Blink-182
Plug In Baby Muse
What's My Age Again? Blink-182
CLEAN Panic! At The Disco - I Write Sins Not Tragedies PANIC
20Th Century Boy Various Artists
Ace of Spades - country cover (banjo) Hayseed Dixie
Afrika Shox [Radio Edit] Leftfield & Afrika Bambaataa
Lovecats Cure
Hong Kong Garden Siouxsie & the Banshees
Monkey Man The Specials
Underworld - Born Slippy (Trainspotting Soundtrack)
Girls On Film Duran Duran
Garbage - Drop Dead Gorgeous Garbage
Echo Beach Martha & The Muffins
Duality Slipknot
Pantheon Inme
Through The Fire And Flames Dragonforce
Tears Don't Fall Bullet For My Valentine
Immortals Fall Out Boy
What I Want (Featuring Slash) Daughtry
Predictable Good Charlotte
Temptation Cradle of Filth
Kids In The Dark All Time Low
Helicopter Bloc Party
All Day And All Of The Night Kinks
All My Life Foo Fighters
All Sparks Editors
Always Bon Jovi
Anarchy In The Uk Sex Pistols
Around the World Red Hot Chili Peppers
Bad Moon Rising Creedence Clearwater Revival
Bangarang feat. Sirah (Original Mix) Skrillex
Bat Out Of Hell - MEATLOAF Meat Loaf
Beautiful Day U2
Beck - Loser
Big Gun Ac/Dc
The Bitter End Placebo
Black Dog Led Zeppelin
Blue Monday (ROCK COVER) Orgy
blue oyster cult - DONT FEAR THE REAPER
Bombs over bagdad Outkast
Born To Be Wild Steppenwolf
Bowling For Soup -Girl All The Bad Guys Want
Boys Don't Cry Cure, The
Break Even The Script
Breakfast At Tiffany's Deep Blue Something
The Breeders - Cannon Ball The Breeders
Brimful Of Asha Various Artists
Any Way You Want It Journey
Jerk It Out Caesars
Prodigy - Firestarter
KNOCK ON WOOD - The Impression That I Get (ska - upbeat clueless) The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Party Hard Andrew W.K.
Dani California - CALIFORNIACATION Red Hot Chili Peppers
When Your Heart Stops Beating (SWEARING) Plus 44
Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous Good Charlotte
All My Best Friends Are Metalheads Less Than Jake
Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away) Deftones
Last edited by yourdj; 16-02-2018 at 03:15 PM.
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Heavy metal covers such a wide range.
One extreme is soft rock and the other is death metal.
I think you are right in asking for the music to play.
Or at least a play list.
Trying to second guess might cause a riot !
I have had ipods handed to me at the beginning of some gigs and simply let that play all night !
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I simply would not take a gig on with music that I knew nothing about.
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Dinosaur
Originally Posted by
Vinny
I simply would not take a gig on with music that I knew nothing about.
Absolutely correct. But:
If we only did gigs we knew off by heart, we'd never learn anything. With a little forward planning and communication, coupled with a hefty dose of the invaluable Spotify, it's possible to do these at a more than acceptable level.
Once you've got a heads up about what's requested, you can often see songs you're familiar with which would work.
Some of my best reviews have come from gigs where on paper I wasn't overly familiar with the music beforehand, but once in the swing of things I found a lot of songs I knew which fitted in nicely.
Also, there's an immense amount of knowledge and help available on this forum, so he wouldn't be going in blind.
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Originally Posted by
Vinny
I simply would not take a gig on with music that I knew nothing about.
Yeah that's my initial thought too... I'm going to be honest with them if they get in touch, if they do, and supply a playlist for the night, I'll do it (since its for a friend of a regular client)
Thanks for all the comments/suggestions. Going to have to play this one by ear, 1st, if they do contact me, and 2nd, if they supply the music they require.
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Originally Posted by
Vinny
I simply would not take a gig on with music that I knew nothing about.
Totally agree.
Originally Posted by
Excalibur
Absolutely correct. But:
If we only did gigs we knew off by heart, we'd never learn anything. With a little forward planning and communication, coupled with a hefty dose of the invaluable Spotify, it's possible to do these at a more than acceptable level.
Once you've got a heads up about what's requested, you can often see songs you're familiar with which would work.
Some of my best reviews have come from gigs where on paper I wasn't overly familiar with the music beforehand, but once in the swing of things I found a lot of songs I knew which fitted in nicely.
Also, there's an immense amount of knowledge and help available on this forum, so he wouldn't be going in blind.
I'm going to have to disagree with Peter on this one for the following reasons.
Firstly, this is not a pub rock night where you get to try out some tracks that others have told you "might" work. This is someones' wedding. Their special big day. It's a specialist genre which deserves a specialist DJ. You play some of those tracks that Toby mentioned at a "heavy metal" party and you'll get lynched. Remember, metalheads are big, hairy, ugly so-and-sos (and that's just the women!) so it's best not to get on the wrong side of them. "Heavy Metal" is not the same of "soft rock" and I'm a big Status Quo fan but I know I'd be in trouble for playing them at some of the heavy metal gigs I've done in the past.
Secondly, yes, we have a wealth of knowledge here but that's only good in the preparation period of the booking. What happens on the night when you get a guest come up asking for a request along these lines "Can you play that song that goes '<<insert lyrics of choice here>>'? It's one of my favourites but I can't remember it's title right now as I've been drinking since early this morning!". You need to think on your feet and, as always, musical knowledge is key. Will you say "Hold on, I just need to post in MDD to find out what you're talking about!"?
I do believe that, from time to time, it's good to step out from your comfort zone a little. But I also believe that this should only be done at the right place and at the right time. A specialist themed wedding is neither the right time nor place. In today's society of "where there's a blame there's a claim" if you mess up someone's big day you could find yourself in bother. This all may sound very negative from me but, these days, I'm more a realist than I've ever been!
Dazzy D
Lightning Disco & Entertainment
Born to make you party!
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Dinosaur
Originally Posted by
DazzyD
Totally agree.
I'm going to have to disagree with Peter on this one for the following reasons.
You play some of those tracks that Toby mentioned at a "heavy metal" party and you'll get lynched. !
What? You mean like Michael Jackson, Van Morrison, Biffy Clyro, Dire Straits and David Bowie? Surely not!
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Dazzy D
Lightning Disco & Entertainment
Born to make you party!
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