Potential First Gig......Should I Shouldn't I?

[Eski75]

First off, apologies for the length of this post, but I wanted to put my question into context.

In the Spring I posted my intro in the Newbie section where I announced that I was going to take the North Nottinghamshire metropolis of Mansfield by storm by establashing an alternative/indie genre night. Since that time I have worked on practicing my technique on my Cortex, finding groupings of tracks that sit well together and building my collection of genre songs.

I recently stumbled across a local group of amatuer promoters that have a passion for helping local bands get exposure by putting on live music events in and around the town. Could there be something there for me there I thought?

I made contact via email as that's the only contact details available, not really expecting a reply. I offered myself up as a "between band" DJ and mic man "Give it up for Mansfield's very own.....Free Beer!" etc (you get the picture).

Imagine my surpirse when less than 12 hours later I get a reply saying that it sounded like a good idea and what kind of stuff would I be likely to put in a set. I replied with some old and new (Stone Roses, Cure, Smiths, 'Monday's etc from the old, Maximo Park, Friendly Fires, Klaxons, Kasabian etc from the new) with maybe a bit of indie electronica (Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, Gorilliaz,New Order, Depeche Mode etc) and maybe a few punk/new wave classics (Clash, Stranglers, Jam, Blondie, Pistols etc).

So then I get offered a spot, which is where my question comes in. I've done my own little risk assessment so here goes.

First off.....it's a non-payer, I don't have an issue with that because the bands aren't paid either and it's a good opportunity to climitise myself to playing to and dealing with punters.....in other words it gives me some experience that I am badly lacking.

Of slight concern is the bands. I would need to DJ between an indie pop act (brill) a death metal act (oo-er) a hip-hop act (Hmmmm) and a traditional folk act (!?). Where do you start??? Do I stick to what I want to do and think "well I haven't misrepresented myself to the promoter, I've been very upfront and honest about what I would do" or do I try and accomodate the genre's on offer? (Indie pop with my eyes shut, the other three I would really struggle except for a bit of classic rock for the metalheads).

I don't really want to spend my evening getting beer chucked in my direction and being introduced to a whole vocabulary of creative hand gestures but then I'm a big lad, what's the worse that could happen?

Secondly, the venue is a reasonably well respected specialist music venue.......regardless of what people at this particular gig might think (I don't mean that to sound arrogant, I'm not seeking to go out of my way not to be liked!) might the proprieter see something in what I'm trying to do and could it lead somewhere?

Or maybe.............am I just being a defeatist and try looking at it with my glass half full......if nothing else there's bound to be a funny story come out of it!

So, if you all were NOT well established professional wedding/event DJ's but maybe looking to do something like me...........what would you think?

[DiscoMagic]

Well you don't know until you try - It sounds like you have put in a fair bit of effort here. and this might lead to something bigger or better.

Then again it may not, but what have you got to loose?! You need to go in there give it your best and if the gig isn't received well then at least you have tried! You have been totally honest with the promotors and if they didn't think it would work they would not have invited you to join in.

If you concerned - then perhaps a little chat with the promoters might work along the lines of "I would love to join in your night, but just wanted to clarify what I will be doing and would this definatly work with your line up!?.

As for beer and aggressiveness - don't they have security???

We all have to start somewhere, and we all have to go through the gigs where we give poor performances, or stuff it up! - Thats why we start off doing it for free or charging peanuts! The most important thing is to learn from your mistakes and enjoy every moment, not get down hearted or upset when things go wrong!

[katman]

I think first night nerves are perfectly normal, especially so for the first night ever.

All you can do is give it your best shot, as Ralph said, you seem to have done a lot of preparation and been honest with the promoter but no-one can ever be 100% certain of how something will be received.

It could be an OK night, it could be a good night, it could be a fantastic night, or it could be a night where nothing seems to go right but one thing I have learnt over the years is that you learn more from your mistakes than you do if everything just happens.

Of course, the best thing is that you take what would have been an OK night and YOU add that something extra to turn it into a fantastic night :)

Have a great night, learn what to do, but more importantly learn what NOT to do, and above all, relax and enjoy yourself.

Keith (about to return after a 21 year break and really nervous!)

[funkymook]

Go for it!

It looks like an ideal opportunity to hone your DJ skills playing the music you want to to the right sort of audience and to network.

As a non-payer you need to make sure you're getting something tangible out of it though, so I'd be looking having your name on posters and flyers (rather than just '+DJ') to start building up your local reputation as the alternative DJ to go to for private bookings, even look at having your own flyers to put around the venue.

Try to get some tracks from local bands as well, especially if they have or are going to be playing soon, or if you know they have a good following that come to the venue (my local music pub has quite a few local bands on the jukebox).

Check out some Indie/Alternative club playlists on the internet (I quoted one a little while back in one thread) to get an idea of the range of tunes being played, it's important to keep up with what's happening.

Is there an opportunity after the bands have finished for you to play for another couple of hours so it ends with an Indie/Alternative disco? Or ask if you could take a quiet midweek night and do an alternative club night at one of the venues and split the door with them?

One thing I would be cautious about is if you do get enquiries for private gigs off the back of this - don't undersell yourself. Quote a realistic fee from the start, and stick to it. You can't start chopping and changing your prices if you get lots of bookings from the same circle of people, they'll know if you charged one of their friends less, if you start cheap, you'll stay cheap! You don't need to feel grateful someone want to book you, they should feel grateful you'll DJ for them.

Lots of potential :)

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Funky's post is spot on in my opinion.

I started off doing exactly the same. I had left my band and wanted to start DJing. I started off DJing in between the bands and ended up DJing with my old band at a big gig. Shortly after that I got into a club and it was upwards from there.

This is where the passion for it comes in. If you have a full time job anyway then you can probably afford to do a few gigs for free to see how you feel about it.

[Eski75]

Yep.....I work full time so it's not about money. If for the sake of argument then I have a 30 minute slot in between each band (bearing in mind the running order will go bent after the first band as one band goes overtime and another takes 50 min to set up because they can't get the acoustics of thier cowbell right).......would you go with nothing planned and have a go at reading your crowd or would you go with 4 or 5 pre-planned "set's"?


As for beer and aggressiveness - don't they have security???

They do have door staff yes, and I'm probably being unfair......I've just been at similar events as a punter myself where maybe a group of diehard metallers or dubsteppers think any other genre is rubbish and are quite drunkedly vocal about it.

That said, a night a eclectic as that I would hope people would be a little more open minded, but booze does funny things to folk!

[funkymook]

would you go with nothing planned and have a go at reading your crowd or would you go with 4 or 5 pre-planned "set's"?

I'd go with a list of suitable tunes that more than covers the time you'll need to play - and just use it as an aide mémoire, pick'n'mix from the list as you see fit, a fixed set-list never works (guarantee you'll abandon it after a couple of songs anyway).



They do have door staff yes, and I'm probably being unfair......I've just been at similar events as a punter myself where maybe a group of diehard metallers or dubsteppers think any other genre is rubbish and are quite drunkedly vocal about it.

That said, a night a eclectic as that I would hope people would be a little more open minded, but booze does funny things to folk!

I've never had that sort of problem at any gig supporting bands, even when what I play has been a totally different style - as you say, an eclectic mix of bands usually brings the same type of audience.

[theoloyla]

Give it a go but with an open mind. Yes go with a playlist and a plan but be prepared to rip it up and go with the flow. In my experience lots of dj's at these sort of gigs are not visible to the crowd anyway unlike a normal club dj working from a booth - but your club may be different.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Suss the crowd out and see what they are requesting. If it's a new night and they see that there is a DJ there too, they will more than likely start the ball rolling and you'll get an idea.

As for going with pre-planned songs etc....I never did that in my club days and I still don't now. I never know what I am going to play until I get to the venue.

[DJ_Wulfman]

I used to DJ a very popular monthly Indie / Alternative night when I lived back in the Midlands and I found amongst all of the classic and modern Indie it was very easy to throw in a few hard rock and hard dance tracks without deviating from the theme too much.

My biggest piece of advice would be....A carefully planned set-list helps it all move along so much more smoothly.

[yourdj]

Take it easy mon and enjoy yourself.

If the promoter wanted a good DJ then he would pay someone to do it who has experience. Instead he is choosing you so you have nothing to loose as his expectations will be low possibly.

I would personally contact all the bands involved, get a set list and details of the bands artist names etc. too introduce them properly and act as an MC. The promoter will love you for that as I doubt they have the balls or the skills to do it. Musicians, promoters (and DJ's (cough)) are very megalomanic and love the attention from a good announcement. They will remember you and perhaps hire you too DJ at their gigs? Or recommend you?

play some stuff similar to the act coming on but obviously not the same artist and tracks.

depends on what the crowd is. You may find something completely different between sets may be a relief and keep it much more alive.
Better than that you will stand out. :D

I was playing with a good band the other day playing indie and in between sets played standard wedding cheese, which worked.

[Eski75]

Thanks for all the positive responses.......for anyone interested I'll post a brief summary of how it went should I survive lol!

[Dynamic Entertainment]

Am I the only person whos a bit worried about the whole Cortex in a club scenario....not that theres anything wrong with Cortex...its just ive never found a club/pub thats been happy with the dj ripping their dj box to bits just to put in their own gear.
Ive still got a couple of clubs who arnt happy with me wiring in a serato box between their mixer & cd players...heaven forbid if I should actually remove their gear to put something else entirely in...

[Eski75]

Am I the only person whos a bit worried about the whole Cortex in a club scenario....not that theres anything wrong with Cortex...its just ive never found a club/pub thats been happy with the dj ripping their dj box to bits just to put in their own gear.
..

That's something I hadn't even considered.......bug:Censored: er

[katman]

ive never found a club/pub thats been happy with the dj ripping their dj box to bits just to put in their own gear.

Thats why whenever I do an install I cable spare channels on the mixer to phono sockets on a faceplate so that people CAN just turn up and plug in without disturbing anything. Lots of mixers now have inputs switchable between two or more inputs so all they have to do if flick the source switch on the mixers.

Ive found the biggest problem with people disconnecting club gear to wire in their own is that at the end of the evening they dont put it back how it was and it often doesnt get discovered until the next night that the gear is in use and doesnt work.

[WWDJ]

Am I the only person whos a bit worried about the whole Cortex in a club scenario....not that theres anything wrong with Cortex...its just ive never found a club/pub thats been happy with the dj ripping their dj box to bits just to put in their own gear.
Ive still got a couple of clubs who arnt happy with me wiring in a serato box between their mixer & cd players...heaven forbid if I should actually remove their gear to put something else entirely in...


That's something I hadn't even considered.......bug:Censored: er

I've found they don't really give a monkeys if you keep the punters in with good music. It pays to have a word in advance on the kit layout first so you know what to unplug and when. If necessary label or put cables where you remember so they can be put back correctly.

[Dynamic Entertainment]

Thats why whenever I do an install I cable spare channels on the mixer to phono sockets on a faceplate so that people CAN just turn up and plug in without disturbing anything. Lots of mixers now have inputs switchable between two or more inputs so all they have to do if flick the source switch on the mixers.

Ive found the biggest problem with people disconnecting club gear to wire in their own is that at the end of the evening they dont put it back how it was and it often doesnt get discovered until the next night that the gear is in use and doesnt work.
Yep...and whilst us mobile Djs know all about wiring stuff up...ive found many club jocks havnt a clue.


I've found they don't really give a monkeys if you keep the punters in with good music. It pays to have a word in advance on the kit layout first so you know what to unplug and when. If necessary label or put cables where you remember so they can be put back correctly.
I must just be unlucky then, because nearly all the clubs i work wernt happy until i expalined 9and showed) that I know what i was doing....mayve have something to do with said people in Katman's post, who dont put things back...

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I've been fine when I have been in places that have their own kit. There's a small bar in town that myself and Mike have DJ'd at and the space is tiny. I wanted to take my flightcase with me but there was no room so I just plugged the laptop with VDJ into their mixer and all was well. The manager actually said that it sounded better than the CD Players (Denon's) which really needed a service anyway.

On another note, it amazes me how badly treated some of the equipment is in these places. I used to do another venue in town and installed their brand new Pioneers for them (can't remember the model number). Within weeks they looked battered.

[katman]

People who dont own equipment dont treat it with any respect whatsoever. A favourite trick of some "DJ's" round here years ago was to pull the knob off the power switch on Technics SL1200's. When you do that the spindle and switch cam drop into the base of the deck and it doesnt work.

Takes about 30 seconds to reassemble the switch but about a day and a half to remove and replace all the screws holding the deck together. ( I may have exagerated the total time slightly but its REALLY annoying)