Charlie Brown
01-08-2009, 03:06 PM
After my fantastic trip to mighty Reading, I thought I would post a full report/diary of my time there.
The start of my journey is spent in a lovely first class carriage with my complementary bacon and egg sandwich. The “first class host” is called Lucy and she cared for your every need ;)
This is where my venture to Reading began. Another hour on the train and I was to be greeted by the bearded man himself. I must admit I was rather anxious about staying at the home that belonged to the Thomas’s....I guess it was the unknown of staying with a different family. On the other hand, I was looking forward to a bit of peace and time away from my own hectic family life.
I arrived at Reading station with my 26 suitcases and spent around 15 minutes having a wild goose chase with Darren. It was exactly like a bigger version of hide and seek in the rain. The one way system is a “pain in the arse” he said. After an eventful game I clambered into his white van where I met Ben (Darren’s son) Ben is a really nice chilled lad who loves everything sporty. Polite and well spoken I could tell I was going to be staying with a nice family.
Once I had surveyed the house, he showed me where all his precious kit lived. Boy, was there a lot of stuff....he could open his own shop! I took note of the fact he looks after all his gear. Everything is in flight cases and in order. Look after your gear and it will look after you.
After a nice lounge around the house, a gorgeous pork dinner and observing him in the office it was time to pop the suit on and head off to the Wedding. The tom tom estimated that it would take approximately 1 hour, but Darren being a “professional” allowed an extra half an hour. The journey actually took 2 hours! The motorway had major traffic jams but on the other hand it allowed me to watch the planes coming to and from Heathrow. Something else I learnt....always allow plenty of time when travelling to a gig. Due to the traffic we did arrive 30 minutes later then we had anticipated but luckily they were still eating.
We setup the gear, but I must admit, I was very unsure what to do. I think we all have our “own way of doing things” and we all know what lead is where etc...but he did help me out and gave me the gaffa tape job. Funnily enough, he didn’t give me that job the next night? ;) :confused:
I was very impressed with the S & H booth and this is another lesson learnt, “more isn’t always better.” Darren used two led par cans and a Martin EFX. This is gave a great effect and was more than enough. The sound did sound superb too.
After playing some funky jazz as background music it was time to announce the first dance. Darren is a talkative confident fellow and this really shone through. Darren brings a whole new meaning to the world “personality DJ.” Another lesson I learnt...as long as the guests can hear what you are saying then it doesn’t matter what you’re saying. There is nothing worse than having a DJ speak into the microphone and people can’t understand what he is saying. The quality of the microphone became very apparent. I have learnt that a good quality mic can get you very far.
The beginning of the night he played standard party stuff and the way he mixed them was very clever! Let’s take for example “Love really hurts without you – Billy Ocean” although this is a “dancy” tune it’s also a bit “mowtowny” and he used this to his advantage. Instead of randomly skipping from genre or decade he worked through them in “genre” order. So after Billy Ocean he played something like The Temptations (Motown.) We continued to have a laugh behind the stand and I thoroughly enjoyed the night. There were some songs which he played towards the end of the night which I had never heard off. I can remember “Place your hands – Reef” then after that they all sounded the same to that. ;) The last song of the evening was sung by a group called “Elbow,” again, never heard of them.
We pack away and start the hour journey home, or did it take an hour? As Darren was speeding down the motorway we noticed that he was very low on fuel. He asked the tom tom to take him to the nearest petrol station but unfortunately when we arrived there it was shut. After driving to 4/5 different petrol stations in Surrey we eventually find one that was open. This added another 45 minutes onto our journey. Conversation was never short mind as I felt a tiny bit of connection between the two of us. I think we could relate to each other a bit, even though the age difference did scare him at times. ;)
Back home and we crack open a bottle of wine but unfortunately after watching Top Gear I was zonked out so I went up to bed around 2.30ish?
“Mrrrrr Brroowwwnnn, are you decent?” Is what I woke up to at 12.00pm the next day :sj: At first I half forgot where I was as there was just this man standing at my door with a glass of orange juice. :D
3 hours later I’m still sat in my PJ’s on Facebook. The smell of paella drifts into the lounge so off I go to inspect. What a chief Mr Thomas is! After a scrumptious meal of paella and mussels, I reluctantly have to go and get changed. :D
Changed and ready to go we set off to the Moat house. Luckily this only a 10 minute drive down the road. Tonight he is using a bigger rig ... as it’s a bigger room. 2 Par Cans, 2 EFX’s, 2 moving heads, 1 cluser laser (bloody fantastic!) and a megabar behind him :o ;) He is also using a RCF sub tonight which added a real “umph” to the sound.
I also meet Lee...who I refer to as “Action Man.” He is one of the most efficient roadies I have ever come across. He is a real hard worker and loves to get stuck in. Another lesson I learnt... Darren’s DJ’S have built up a lot of respect for him. He looks after them well so they are loyal to him. Never make enemies. Even at venues just be laid back and tell them what they want to hear “Hello there my name is Darren. What time would you like the music to finish? Ah that’s great...volume wise, if it’s ever too loud then please do come and tell me and I will turn it down. I never play over...because let’s face it, you want to get home so do I **laughs** Where do you want me to setup Sir? Fantastic that’s not a problem...we will try and pack away as quick as we can too.”
I learnt so much! Any way after the incredibly cheesy Ricky Martin tribute act..it’s time for Darren to do his thing. Playing a wide of range of music and interacting with the crowd he yet again exceeds my expectations. In this line of work you have to be a “people’s person.” You need to be aware, flexible, versatile and most importantly, you need to know how to handle different situations. Some people you come across in life are lovely kind folk...but you always get that complete idiot who knows better than everybody else....Darren handled this idiot on Friday night perfectly! :D
Disco king then plays “Number 1” and he lets me have a dance with the guests! I’m beckoned to the dancefloor by this 49 year old who is a mother of 10 :sj: She asks me if I’m wearing a wig...that’s as far as the conversation went! After having a boogie, Darren couldn’t resist to say “Don’t bruise him girls...his Mother would kill me!” I didn’t go red at all.....
Last song of the night is “Queen” and then action man starts work again....I take a par can off and action man has all 3 speakers in their cases, wires of the floor and into the box plus the stands were folded away!
Short drive home to a night in front of trashy tele...Darren has a drink or 10 and he forces me to drink this wine! :D :eek: He starts telling me a few stories that I find very amusing....
....off to bed at 4.45am!
Wake up the next morning, shower, pate on toast, quick bye bye to the family and he takes me to the train station. Shake of the hand and floods of tears :D I leave this lovely caring family behind.
Darren is a great man. Funny, cherry, short tempered and he was happy to help me. He has given me oodles of advice and I’m so grateful for the wonderful experience. The children are really polite, the wife is kind and Darren is Darren. :sj: I don’t think he realises how much I enjoyed the past few days....no matter how tired I got. To be fair it wasn’t just the disco’s I enjoyed but just being in someone else’s company was nice...I like Darren and hopefully it won’t be too long till we will meet again.
Train from Reading to Birmingham was lovely but from Birmingham to Nottingham is a bit shabby. The standard seats look better then the bloody first class.
I have a 70’s disco/surprise party tonight...but half of me doesn’t want to do it. I feel guilty...I don’t have the equipment or music knowledge Darren has, but in my own little way, I know I’m good at what I do, especially when I’m in my comfort zone. I have learnt so much from him and tonight they better be ready for a chatty DJ :D! Dad has broke down in Manchester so I have 1 hour to find a minibus or driver! :bang:
As we all grow up there are something’s we will remember and others we will forget. The past few days will be something I will treasure for a long time....who knows, this could just be the start for me.
Sorry for the long post folks....thank you Darren. Have a good weekend :)
The start of my journey is spent in a lovely first class carriage with my complementary bacon and egg sandwich. The “first class host” is called Lucy and she cared for your every need ;)
This is where my venture to Reading began. Another hour on the train and I was to be greeted by the bearded man himself. I must admit I was rather anxious about staying at the home that belonged to the Thomas’s....I guess it was the unknown of staying with a different family. On the other hand, I was looking forward to a bit of peace and time away from my own hectic family life.
I arrived at Reading station with my 26 suitcases and spent around 15 minutes having a wild goose chase with Darren. It was exactly like a bigger version of hide and seek in the rain. The one way system is a “pain in the arse” he said. After an eventful game I clambered into his white van where I met Ben (Darren’s son) Ben is a really nice chilled lad who loves everything sporty. Polite and well spoken I could tell I was going to be staying with a nice family.
Once I had surveyed the house, he showed me where all his precious kit lived. Boy, was there a lot of stuff....he could open his own shop! I took note of the fact he looks after all his gear. Everything is in flight cases and in order. Look after your gear and it will look after you.
After a nice lounge around the house, a gorgeous pork dinner and observing him in the office it was time to pop the suit on and head off to the Wedding. The tom tom estimated that it would take approximately 1 hour, but Darren being a “professional” allowed an extra half an hour. The journey actually took 2 hours! The motorway had major traffic jams but on the other hand it allowed me to watch the planes coming to and from Heathrow. Something else I learnt....always allow plenty of time when travelling to a gig. Due to the traffic we did arrive 30 minutes later then we had anticipated but luckily they were still eating.
We setup the gear, but I must admit, I was very unsure what to do. I think we all have our “own way of doing things” and we all know what lead is where etc...but he did help me out and gave me the gaffa tape job. Funnily enough, he didn’t give me that job the next night? ;) :confused:
I was very impressed with the S & H booth and this is another lesson learnt, “more isn’t always better.” Darren used two led par cans and a Martin EFX. This is gave a great effect and was more than enough. The sound did sound superb too.
After playing some funky jazz as background music it was time to announce the first dance. Darren is a talkative confident fellow and this really shone through. Darren brings a whole new meaning to the world “personality DJ.” Another lesson I learnt...as long as the guests can hear what you are saying then it doesn’t matter what you’re saying. There is nothing worse than having a DJ speak into the microphone and people can’t understand what he is saying. The quality of the microphone became very apparent. I have learnt that a good quality mic can get you very far.
The beginning of the night he played standard party stuff and the way he mixed them was very clever! Let’s take for example “Love really hurts without you – Billy Ocean” although this is a “dancy” tune it’s also a bit “mowtowny” and he used this to his advantage. Instead of randomly skipping from genre or decade he worked through them in “genre” order. So after Billy Ocean he played something like The Temptations (Motown.) We continued to have a laugh behind the stand and I thoroughly enjoyed the night. There were some songs which he played towards the end of the night which I had never heard off. I can remember “Place your hands – Reef” then after that they all sounded the same to that. ;) The last song of the evening was sung by a group called “Elbow,” again, never heard of them.
We pack away and start the hour journey home, or did it take an hour? As Darren was speeding down the motorway we noticed that he was very low on fuel. He asked the tom tom to take him to the nearest petrol station but unfortunately when we arrived there it was shut. After driving to 4/5 different petrol stations in Surrey we eventually find one that was open. This added another 45 minutes onto our journey. Conversation was never short mind as I felt a tiny bit of connection between the two of us. I think we could relate to each other a bit, even though the age difference did scare him at times. ;)
Back home and we crack open a bottle of wine but unfortunately after watching Top Gear I was zonked out so I went up to bed around 2.30ish?
“Mrrrrr Brroowwwnnn, are you decent?” Is what I woke up to at 12.00pm the next day :sj: At first I half forgot where I was as there was just this man standing at my door with a glass of orange juice. :D
3 hours later I’m still sat in my PJ’s on Facebook. The smell of paella drifts into the lounge so off I go to inspect. What a chief Mr Thomas is! After a scrumptious meal of paella and mussels, I reluctantly have to go and get changed. :D
Changed and ready to go we set off to the Moat house. Luckily this only a 10 minute drive down the road. Tonight he is using a bigger rig ... as it’s a bigger room. 2 Par Cans, 2 EFX’s, 2 moving heads, 1 cluser laser (bloody fantastic!) and a megabar behind him :o ;) He is also using a RCF sub tonight which added a real “umph” to the sound.
I also meet Lee...who I refer to as “Action Man.” He is one of the most efficient roadies I have ever come across. He is a real hard worker and loves to get stuck in. Another lesson I learnt... Darren’s DJ’S have built up a lot of respect for him. He looks after them well so they are loyal to him. Never make enemies. Even at venues just be laid back and tell them what they want to hear “Hello there my name is Darren. What time would you like the music to finish? Ah that’s great...volume wise, if it’s ever too loud then please do come and tell me and I will turn it down. I never play over...because let’s face it, you want to get home so do I **laughs** Where do you want me to setup Sir? Fantastic that’s not a problem...we will try and pack away as quick as we can too.”
I learnt so much! Any way after the incredibly cheesy Ricky Martin tribute act..it’s time for Darren to do his thing. Playing a wide of range of music and interacting with the crowd he yet again exceeds my expectations. In this line of work you have to be a “people’s person.” You need to be aware, flexible, versatile and most importantly, you need to know how to handle different situations. Some people you come across in life are lovely kind folk...but you always get that complete idiot who knows better than everybody else....Darren handled this idiot on Friday night perfectly! :D
Disco king then plays “Number 1” and he lets me have a dance with the guests! I’m beckoned to the dancefloor by this 49 year old who is a mother of 10 :sj: She asks me if I’m wearing a wig...that’s as far as the conversation went! After having a boogie, Darren couldn’t resist to say “Don’t bruise him girls...his Mother would kill me!” I didn’t go red at all.....
Last song of the night is “Queen” and then action man starts work again....I take a par can off and action man has all 3 speakers in their cases, wires of the floor and into the box plus the stands were folded away!
Short drive home to a night in front of trashy tele...Darren has a drink or 10 and he forces me to drink this wine! :D :eek: He starts telling me a few stories that I find very amusing....
....off to bed at 4.45am!
Wake up the next morning, shower, pate on toast, quick bye bye to the family and he takes me to the train station. Shake of the hand and floods of tears :D I leave this lovely caring family behind.
Darren is a great man. Funny, cherry, short tempered and he was happy to help me. He has given me oodles of advice and I’m so grateful for the wonderful experience. The children are really polite, the wife is kind and Darren is Darren. :sj: I don’t think he realises how much I enjoyed the past few days....no matter how tired I got. To be fair it wasn’t just the disco’s I enjoyed but just being in someone else’s company was nice...I like Darren and hopefully it won’t be too long till we will meet again.
Train from Reading to Birmingham was lovely but from Birmingham to Nottingham is a bit shabby. The standard seats look better then the bloody first class.
I have a 70’s disco/surprise party tonight...but half of me doesn’t want to do it. I feel guilty...I don’t have the equipment or music knowledge Darren has, but in my own little way, I know I’m good at what I do, especially when I’m in my comfort zone. I have learnt so much from him and tonight they better be ready for a chatty DJ :D! Dad has broke down in Manchester so I have 1 hour to find a minibus or driver! :bang:
As we all grow up there are something’s we will remember and others we will forget. The past few days will be something I will treasure for a long time....who knows, this could just be the start for me.
Sorry for the long post folks....thank you Darren. Have a good weekend :)