Your First Proper Gig

[marting]

As many are aware, I have taken a booking for my first proper gig, thanks for the good, and the not so good comments.

I would like to HEAR about your first gig. Crowd pleaser or dust bowl disco? What went wrong?

We all started somewhere, let's HEAR where you did....

[Andy Goodtimes]

Pub called the Haircastle in Kidsgrove which I understand has since been closed because of druggs problems. It was an eighteenth and they were all Content removed before they arrived. thing was they were up for it and I couldn't put a foot wrong, it was because it went so well that I made my mind up 100% that this is what I was going to do.

[hammy]

was a bar manager in a hotel and the resident Dj was also the town mayor and had a prior engagement so i stood in for the night and kept the dance floor packed so thought "this is for me"

[Alchemy]

New Years Eve gig. Went really well but with the benefit of hindsight and subsequent experience there were a lot of things I could have done a lot better.

[DazzyD]

First gig was a karaoke. Not many in the small-ish pub but went ok. Did this for a while then went on to discos where I got a buzz from the fact that people were dancing and smiling and that was because of me!

And about a year later I did my first wedding which went down amazing and I never looked back!

[Shaun]

First ever gig, I was 16 at the time. The DJ I ended up working for came in to the youth club I worked at and offered to do a couple of kids discos with equipment he'd just bought. I ended up helping him on those few gigs.

He asked me if I fancied doing some more with him and my first adult gig was a few weeks later. A busy night at a local working men's club, capacity crowd of around 400 folk. My then boss made me pick up the mic, walk around the front of the equipment to the front of stage and introduce the disco to everyone. That was my first time standing up to talk in front of a crowd and my first time using a microphone; my first 'proper' gig. It went pretty well despite me being a nervous wreck. I was hooked after that.

[Excalibur]

As many are aware, I have taken a booking for my first proper gig, thanks for the good, and the not so good comments.

I would like to HEAR about your first gig. Crowd pleaser or dust bowl disco? What went wrong?

We all started somewhere, let's HEAR where you did....

In the words of the song: " A long, long time ago................." :D :D :D

More later. ;)

[DJ James Lake]

My first gigs (at age 13) were roller discos so I was eased into it fairly gently, didn't have to worry about folks dancing as they came to skate. I learnt my mic and mixing skills from this.

I did this for four year until I got my driving licence and started to take on normal gigs by which time I was more than ready

[mattydinx]

My first gig was my local Scout & Guide group's Christmas disco, I was 13, and my equipment consisted of two Hi-Fi CD players, a relatively naff SoundLab mixer, a donated 100w PA system, a Geni XTC and a custom T-bar with 8x R80 lamps attached (bodged from some B&Q light fittings!)

Don't think many people danced, it was a typical - boys on one side of the room, girls on the other affair!

[chrispeacock]

a pub called the cimla hotel in neath port talbot. they booked me for a new years eve gig as my father was playing the guitar and singing on stage that night so i could go through his gear. But they gave me a few bookings in the weeks coming up to new years eve. the money i earned from these i put towards more cds and gear.

the first gig itself was ok, quite a quiet pub but people kept asking me for travis songs and songs from now 44 as these had just come out. i slowly learnt what songs people liked and gradually started to play these songs for people before they even asked me, which kept them happy.

before i done any of these gigs i went to the busiest pub in town and introduced myself to the dj there who was very well known in the area. i asked him can he give me any advice or tips and he said yeah no problem knock yourself out and walked out the front door for a break. leaving me learn for myself on the spot on a pair of dual cd player denon's. first song i wen to put on, pressed play and realised i put disc 2 in instead of disc 1 and the bloody spice girls came on. my mate was on the dance floor and starting laughing his head off at me. haha funny when i look back. i still deal with this dj to the day and have a very good business relationship with him.

[DeckstarDeluxe]

About 4 years ago in a village hall for a 12 yr old birthday. Took my turntables home amp and skytec speakers and charged £40.

Never looked back since mind however joining the forum has been a god send in terms of improving the way I operate.

[abracadabradisco]

My first was at a hospital social club for a leaving party for a guy nicknamed Leprochaun. Guess where he was going home to.
2 Garrard sp25 decks, Eagle transistor 4 ch mixer, Grampian DP4 mic, mono valve 30w amp and 2 Bakers Selhurst speakers. No lights first gig but everyone had a great time in August 1968. Fee £5.

[Silver]

You are having a laugh aren't you, come on you are?

Mine was in 1969! I can't even remember what country it was in, never mind how it went! http://planetsmilies.net/not-tagged-smiley-10090.gif

[Leicester Ben]

Primary school disco for me. Looking back I was awful, it took me a good 3 years to get to being good.

[flatliners]

Ovington social club about 20 years ago first song played liquid gold dance yourself dizzy.

[Excalibur]

Primary school disco for me. Looking back I was awful, it took me a good 3 years to get to being good.

Nearer 43 for me, and I still haven't cracked it. :o :o

[funkymook]

First gig was a local nightclub where I used to collect glasses a few nights a week for a bit of fun and pocket money. Got chatting to the assistant manager about music and he was a big funk fan. So he let me put my own night on, relaxed the normal no jeans/trainers dress code and a 50/50 split on the door (£3 entrance if I remember rightly). It was a complete sell out, as was the following 3 gigs, so with the money made from that I bought my own equipment.

It ended after a few months when the new owners came in and tried to pay me £50 (knowing full well it was usually a 50/50 door split as I had a meeting with them before - they chatted/interviewed all the staff one at a time). I stood my ground and they eventually reluctantly paid me, didn't help themselves as they had the figures for the door on the table in full view of me. Then I promptly resigned as glass collector and DJ.

[Excalibur]

My first gig, as has been documented on here before, was a Young Conservatives Xmas Party. Two record players linked together, and no lights. At that one, a young lady asked if I would do her party next week if she gave me money!!!:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: Is the Pope Catholic? Do bears live in the woods? :D :D :D :D :D :D

Off I went,did the gig, trousered the £3 and got another gig for the following week. The rest as they say is history.

[Charlie Brown]

Neighbourhood Watch Xmas party.

Four bank coloured lights...Homemix CD player...Rope light...Mono guitar amp and limewires finest.

Loved it.

[paul1404]

For me was Nye at a pub 15 years ago - done it as a favour for my mate - His Mum owned the pub - Took me 1210s a box of banging house records and me mums old 7" we hired 2 speakers 1 amp and a kaos light. Learnt a lot that night mainly
1) underground house only works in an underground house
2) dont play all your best party tunes in the 1st hour
3) its hard work
4) its hard work
5) When I got a cheer from the dance floor that i was gonna do this again

[TONYTIGER]

1959 for me ,playing in between the dance band who used to play tea dances in the local ballroom.

Popular in those days were

Bobby Darin,Dion and the Belmonts,Phil Philips,Sam Cooke,Ray Charles,Paul Anka,

Leek Amp Goldring turntables and Tannoy speakers and of course a giant mirror ball.

[simonp]

First gig as a bona fide DJ - back in 1987 - Rockfords Nightclub, Worksop - I was 18 and just been given the Thursday night residency, The weekend officially started with me. I can actually remember it though, and I even had a warm-up DJ on before me. I can remember it being a good night despite me dropping a few appalling mixes :lol:

As a mobile it was a private function for this bloke who owns half of Sandwich in Kent at his house (a blooming mansion to the rest of us). I was upstairs in theis huge drawing room - the house was pretty open plan - It was going ok and about an hour before I was due to finish everyone disappeared to other parts of the house, and I mean everyone, so I was stood up there on my jack jones. Eventually his daughter (early 20's) and a couple of her mates came back up and asked for a couple of songs. I played them and they then buggered off. I played to myself for the last 20 minutes or so, packed down, loaded up without seeing a soul. Just as I went back in for a last sweep to make sure I hadn't left anything behind the bloke who I was doing the party for appeared out of nowhere, I mean nowhere - I must have jumped a mile - said superb, good job - put a £50 note in my hand by the way of tip and that was that. I must admit it did put off the whole mobile lark, thinking are they all going to be like this.

[Corabar Entertainment]

I must admit it did put off the whole mobile lark, thinking are they all going to be like this....and now you wish they were all like that so that.... ie £50 tip and you could bugger off early :p

[DiscosMobile]

It depends on what were calling My First Gig.

I was trained by one of the best mobile Dj's in my area for about 12 months back in 1994. So had relative experience training and I helped him carry his gear for that time too. They did not want to promote me to DJ as I was still only 15.

Dad helped finance my gear which was duel record players pre amped and probably 100 watt speakers with a light screen and 2 yes 2 banks of 4 spots in a box.

My Manager I was working for in my day job was also a DJ and he got me a job over Christmas at one of the hotels he had a residency in. And it was over Christmas 18 dates because he was booked in another hotel.. even then he paid me £100 a night and £200 NYE.

What can I say it was a disaster. especially when I was playing to the same crowd for 3 nights a week. I was trained with people at the time ages 30-50.. these Christmas gigs everyone was 65+ I did not have a clue.. Later on the year after I was working in the same type of hotels and I realised I needed wartime singalong classics and a bit of max bygraves etc.

But yes my first whole Christmas lol..

Then you could call it my 2nd first gig..

Was when I was playing all these wartime venues I also doubled behind the bar at the World Famous Palace Nightclub like todays Ministry of Sound or Syndicate Superclub and they all knew I was a DJ (lol in the loosest possible terms) and there DJ did not turn up.. So they looked to me to play all the recent club tunes and pop music.. Well I had the newest NOW ALBUM.. hahaha..

but I fluked that gig just and got the job the day after when I went out and invested massively in music and had a storming night the day after.. Oh and I got £50 retainer and £1 for every person who paid admission.. It held over 2000 people and I cant say I made less than £700 a night.

I do wish times were as they were back in the day..

[TONYTIGER]

It depends on what were calling My First Gig.

I was trained by one of the best mobile Dj's in my area for about 12 months back in 1994. So had relative experience training and I helped him carry his gear for that time too. They did not want to promote me to DJ as I was still only 15.

Dad helped finance my gear which was duel record players pre amped and probably 100 watt speakers with a light screen and 2 yes 2 banks of 4 spots in a box.

My Manager I was working for in my day job was also a DJ and he got me a job over Christmas at one of the hotels he had a residency in. And it was over Christmas 18 dates because he was booked in another hotel.. even then he paid me £100 a night and £200 NYE.

What can I say it was a disaster. especially when I was playing to the same crowd for 3 nights a week. I was trained with people at the time ages 30-50.. these Christmas gigs everyone was 65+ I did not have a clue.. Later on the year after I was working in the same type of hotels and I realised I needed wartime singalong classics and a bit of max bygraves etc.

But yes my first whole Christmas lol..

Then you could call it my 2nd first gig..

Was when I was playing all these wartime venues I also doubled behind the bar at the World Famous Palace Nightclub like todays Ministry of Sound or Syndicate Superclub and they all knew I was a DJ (lol in the loosest possible terms) and there DJ did not turn up.. So they looked to me to play all the recent club tunes and pop music.. Well I had the newest NOW ALBUM.. hahaha..

but I fluked that gig just and got the job the day after when I went out and invested massively in music and had a storming night the day after.. Oh and I got £50 retainer and £1 for every person who paid admission.. It held over 2000 people and I cant say I made less than £700 a night.

I do wish times were as they were back in the day..

Was that the Palace in Blackpool by any chance used to be owned by Micky Pattermore?

[simonp]

...and now you wish they were all like that so that.... ie £50 tip and you could bugger off early :p

Didn't think of it like that - bugger! yeah absolutely :lol:

[DiscosMobile]

Was that the Palace in Blackpool by any chance used to be owned by Micky Pattermore?

No First Leisure.. and Leisure Parks took it over (who then got a "cheap" DJ and its ended up closing).. they owned most the piers the tower, winter gardens etc.. He might have been the overall owner.. But I am not sure

[Shakermaker Promotions]

My first ever, ever gig was when I was about 11 years old. I went to a weekly kids club that was run in the summer holidays at a hall near to where we lived (it's still there too). We were told that one week there would be a Disco in the afternoon so me being me decided to take some of my records with me. I remember taking a plastic bag which had the likes of Gary Numan, Boney M, Bee Gees all on 7" and a Rolling Stones LP. The DJ let me play some of my records and I remember playing Gary Numan as much as I could whilst no'one took any notice!

Other than that, my first gig as a DJ was straight in at the deep end at a club. I had just left my band and the first Alternative night in the town had started. It went for 2 weeks before the DJ (a german guy who loved the likes of Hanoi Rocks, Tigertailz etc....he was a real 'spandex' type of bloke) got the boot because no'one liked what he played. I was actually going on holiday with my then girlfriend so I said I'd think about it when I got back. I was a regular at the club with my mates on a friday night so I knew the Promoter / DJ well. I went on holiday, took too much money and realised we were fully board so came back with a fair old wedge of money. When I did get back, I noticed on a flyer in a record shop that the Promoter was playing on the fact that I was DJing. He made a big deal of the band I was in as he knew it would people in because we were pretty big at the time. I started to panic...I didn't own a single CD at the time and had a few bits of vinyl so I went out with the rest of my holiday money and spent the lot on tons of vinyl and it paid off.

My first night was absolutely brilliant. It took a while to work out the different controls etc (I had the lights to do too but ended up getting someone else to do it). I was at that club for 5 years but also did other nights aswell as other clubs locally started to work out that the Alternative thing was actually very popular.

My first gig for a private function was when I was working for my friends business. It was a 40th birthday if I remember correctly and I was sick with nerves (as I was with the club thing at the start). It actually went well with no problems and I thought that from then on it should be easy....it isn't always though is it.

My first gig as my own boss and under the Shakermaker Promotions banner was a private function on a boat in Reading. I was booked by someone I've known for years and she wanted to pass the work my way. It was an 80's night with a Quiz for her works do and it went down better than I could've imagined. I've had follow on work from it ever since.