All good so far but apprehensive about tonight.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I'm on edge today and a have a touch of the nerves again for the first time in a very long time. All the parties so far at the hotel residency have been spot on and the majority of them all have been packed with women of all ages. As I am sure you will agree, women are party savers in my opinion. They will get up and have a good dance and enjoy themselves and it's been great.

It's been a bit of a tight squeeze though (I'll try and get a photo later) and I have the speakers tight up against the lights but it seems I am still having to keep an eye on them as the evening goes on and the alcohol starts to affect people.

Tonight I have a large party with once again 4 different companies but the majority is taken up by one particular company who apparently 2 years ago kicked off in spectactular fashion. There were fights so I'm told. I've already spoken in detail to the manager who is a great bloke about my safety and the safety of my equipment and if I am under threat, I will make announcements etc.

I know I am probably worrying about nothing and I will come back to this later when I return home to let you know how it went but it does make me wonder how these companies are allowed to return when they have caused problems in the past? Ok, I do know....it's worth a lot of money to the hotel but it doesn't fill me with confidence that I will have a trouble free night tonight.

Good luck everyone who is out tonight - Have a good one!

[MikeW]

Hope it goes well for you. It is not nice working in a situation like that.

[Jonathan Ford]

I'm on edge today and a have a touch of the nerves again for the first time in a very long time. All the parties so far at the hotel residency have been spot on and the majority of them all have been packed with women of all ages. As I am sure you will agree, women are party savers in my opinion. They will get up and have a good dance and enjoy themselves and it's been great.

It's been a bit of a tight squeeze though (I'll try and get a photo later) and I have the speakers tight up against the lights but it seems I am still having to keep an eye on them as the evening goes on and the alcohol starts to affect people.

Tonight I have a large party with once again 4 different companies but the majority is taken up by one particular company who apparently 2 years ago kicked off in spectactular fashion. There were fights so I'm told. I've already spoken in detail to the manager who is a great bloke about my safety and the safety of my equipment and if I am under threat, I will make announcements etc.

I know I am probably worrying about nothing and I will come back to this later when I return home to let you know how it went but it does make me wonder how these companies are allowed to return when they have caused problems in the past? Ok, I do know....it's worth a lot of money to the hotel but it doesn't fill me with confidence that I will have a trouble free night tonight.

Good luck everyone who is out tonight - Have a good one!

Really difficult situation, Gary.

I've was a little wary last night for the same reason. My Xmas residency is doing a package including free drinks. Some of the younger guests were trying to sneak people in to drink for free, and had to be ejected. Shockingly, the General Manager left a 20 year old waitress to do it, and I was expecting it to kick off. Fortunately, all was well...hope you have the same good fortune.

[StarZSoundS]

Short early finidh party tonight.....



Young Girl early twenties.


Came up for request with a Bandana on.There seemed to be threads hanging from the Bandana and I thought i recognised the Material.

Thought about it for two mins and realised that it was the same material that was on the seats that surround the Social Club....Pointed it out to the Head Barmaid and they were ejected.


It transpires it wwas ripped from the Club Seating....How sick are some people:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

[spin mobile disco]

Yes I had some trepidation about some of my gigs this year for similar reasons. And to cap it all what used to be 1am finishes are now 12am finishes so the guests all seem to think the party is over too soon and become very rude etc when I have to finish at 12.

[Corabar Entertainment]

One year, Steve had a party for a branch of a well-known store that were trouble from start to finish.... so much so, they weren't welcome back at the hotel the following year.

The following year, we were booked by another hotel a considerable distance away and this particular night, Steve was working there, and in walks the same people from the same branch of the same well-known store! Their reputation had gotten around and none of the hotels in the vicinity would take the booking, so they had to travel further afield.

I don't know who was more shocked - Steve or the party-group! :eek:

[andyw]

One year, Steve had a party for a branch of a well-known store that were trouble from start to finish.... so much so, they weren't welcome back at the hotel the following year.

The following year, we were booked by another hotel a considerable distance away and this particular night, Steve was working there, and in walks the same people from the same branch of the same well-known store! Their reputation had gotten around and none of the hotels in the vicinity would take the booking, so they had to travel further afield.

I don't know who was more shocked - Steve or the party-group! :eek:

i can imagine their shock, they book a hotel miles away to make sure they avoid the same dj as last year and then find, omg it's him again:) :beer1:

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Well, cheers for the comments.
It's done and dusted now and was trouble free but a bit rowdy at times and guess what.....it was a couple of women that were the really rowdy ones, totally off their heads on wine and anything else that was on the company tab. It was actually all one company in the end with the others moved (in advance) to the other function room where there was also a Disco (unbeknown to me until friday and less said about that Disco the better).

Late starter last night too. 9.45pm when I eventually got going but it was a packed floor right up until the finish at midnight. There were also 2 absolutely stunning girls there who looked gorgeous...the problem was, they knew it and it made them ugly in my eyes as the booze had obviously got to them and they were very loud. They also kept coming over to me during the evening and made me feel a bit small etc...rubbing my head, asking me for Ragga and RnB and then saying stuff like "If I kiss you on the cheek, will you play me some decent stuff?".

No need for it really and I felt a tad uncomfortable. There's nothing wrong with stunning girls, of course not BUT..when they think they are gods gift and the party revolves around them, well sorry but I don't like it. Everyone else can stand there with their tongues hanging out, drooling at them as they (example) bump and grind and dirty dance to the likes of Bon Jovi etc but I found it comical.

[Corabar Steve]

One year, Steve had a party for a branch of a well-known store that were trouble from start to finish.... so much so, they weren't welcome back at the hotel the following year.

The following year, we were booked by another hotel a considerable distance away and this particular night, Steve was working there, and in walks the same people from the same branch of the same well-known store! Their reputation had gotten around and none of the hotels in the vicinity would take the booking, so they had to travel further afield.

I don't know who was more shocked - Steve or the party-group! :eek:


i can imagine their shock, they book a hotel miles away to make sure they avoid the same dj as last year and then find, omg it's him again:) :beer1:What Angela didn't mention is the fact that on our first encounter they tried to intimidate me into playing R&B all night (despite the fact that nobody was dancing to it when I did play it & there were many older members of their party that clearly wanted pop & cheese), by surrounding me. I fronted up to them & told them that as I was used to working for both the HAMC & Outcasts MC that it would take a lot more than a bunch of spotty chavvy asian lads to intimidate me. Over the course of the evening I got one of the youngsters & one of the older group onside & they actually stayed with me all night to fend off their respective colleagues. A good night was had by all , but the hotel refused to have them back.

The first hotel (Wembley) was a fair trot away from their store, so I have a feeling it wasn't the first time it had happened as there are plenty of venues in the vicinity of where they were based without having to travel anywhere near as far afield.

Funnily enough, our first booking in this particular hotel (a privately booked function) ended up in one of the biggest brawls I've ever seen, but because of the way I handled myself, resulted in our getting the contract for the Christmas discos that we are still doing 7-8 years later.

The function was an Irish wedding. No alarm bells at the booking stage as all the communication went through land line phone numbers & a fixed address.

HOWEVER, when I'd finished setting up the guests started to arrive. In hindsight I should've sussed something on 2 factors before the actual give away point. The cake was the most ludicrously over the top thing I'd ever seen. It looked like the Disney castle, with moats & fountains & fairy lights all over it.

Also the bride & bridesmaids looked like they really ought to be sat on top of a toilet roll in the 70s. I've never seen so much satin, taffeta & lace on 3 garments, one neon pink the other two tangerine.

Some of you will already see where this is going. I'd toddled off to get changed & when I got back all the guests were already seated. Here comes the clincher, the give away moment, the moment of realisation that I might be in for one of those nights.

Not one table was mixed sex. All the men were sat together in groups (& a couple of packs of cards were already on the tables) as were all the women.

Oh poo! Pikeys!

As it turned out, it was a fantastic evening. They had a band on for part of the night & the mix of music I played was nice & varied (even if I did have to play a bit more chavvy dance music than I would've liked). A big cheer & applause at the end & all was well, OK there were a few pushy requesters, but only a few more than you would usually get & they were easily handled.

I powered down & started packing up, when I heard the most almighty kerfuffle coming from the ante room / corridor outside the main room. All hell had broken loose. I don't know to this day what had happened to kick it off, but the women were brawling like drunken sailors on leave (you know the stereotypical image that tends to get used in films) completely blocking my exit route.

I just carried on packing up & sat with my kit waiting for the carnage to end.

During all of this the men just carried on playing cards.

Once the police had been & all of the guests (including the B&G who were supposed to be staying the night) had been ejected from the building I loaded the van & went home.

Amongst the debris, broken glass, mangled chairs etc was the most hair / hair pieces I've ever seen on a floor outside of a barber shop / hairdressers & at least 3 teeth.

The F&B manager collared me on the way out & said words to the effect of brilliant job, well done / handled, have you got a card. & the rest is history.

The End.

[sweetie]

as an irishman I woud prefer if you would refer to the 'irish' wedding as 'itinerant' or even 'irish traveller' or 'irish pikey' as it is a bit of a general label. thanks

[Corabar Entertainment]

as an irishman I woud prefer if you would refer to the 'irish' wedding as 'itinerant' or even 'irish traveller' or 'irish pikey' as it is a bit of a general label. thanks
Sweetie - the point Steve was making is that we were booked for an Irish Wedding, with no specific indications at that point.... it only became obvious that it was an intinerant / irish traveller / irish pikey / pikey wedding when the guests all arrived.

(Actually, all my family - Donegal - and the Irish travellers that Steve and I have known and been friends with, make a distinction themselves between 'travellers' and 'pikeys'.)

[Corabar Steve]

Indeed, I have been very good friends with some genuine Irish travellers (although they are on a permanent site). Scared the crap out of some on my trike, DJd & given the venue (my old pub that I was assistant manager of) for free to the head man for his wedding aniversary, had them as back up / unofficial security which helped me out of a few potentially sticky situations in the pub (including getting rid of some pikeys) & had many late night drinking sessions with them.

These folks are travellers, the wedding was definitely pikeys.

[sweetie]

sorry! was a bit touchy earlier.

Were they like these?


Mod Note: Sorry Sweetie, too much bad language in it.

[Corabar Steve]

That lot were classy by comparison