I spent my misspent youth in Richmond and it sounded just like the former Magnums wine bar, just off the green. I last played there about 20 years ago!Quote:
Originally Posted by funkymook
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I spent my misspent youth in Richmond and it sounded just like the former Magnums wine bar, just off the green. I last played there about 20 years ago!Quote:
Originally Posted by funkymook
OK mixed reviews for me friday was a terrible gig 21st in the shamrock club in Welwyn _ massive venue can hold 300 + - I was told gig was in the small hall - Client had about 100 guests food and drink was in bar next door which held up to 100 people - playlist i was given was not working only for about20% of audience. most guests left a about 10.30 - Tried my hardest al night to get people dancing no matter what i did I could only please about 20% of them at once - felt down afterward .........
then sat absoulutely ripped it up -New night that I am putting in in the LOFT in Chesham Was told that I was sick by several people ( which means good in the >21 year group ;) )Dance floor packed all night pplayed variation of chart / dance / urban great night - Now a new resident - funny old game were in
Which what some of the guests told me there were - and who am I to argue?
Think 'Made In Chelsea' but less annoying and with a really good taste in music!
Small French bistro venue in it's own courtyard - wedding breakfast was downstairs, parking right outside the door so could set-up at leisure and the car could stay where it was all night.
For the second week running, tiny venue and dancing right from the start - small intimate wedding receptions have become my favourites.
Apart from the expected New Romantic, Bowie, New Order etc tunes they were also well up for something a bit darker - The Mission, Sisters Of Mercy, Siouxsie Bauhaus, Iggy etc. all went down well. One of the biggest tunes of the night was Patti Smith's Gloria (if you don't know it the slow start would clear the floor at most gigs - they were all singing along to the beginning and went absolutely mad at the fast bits!).
First dance was Bryan Ferry's Let's Stick Together - they wanted me to invite people to join them after about 20 seconds (so not sure if that actually counts!)
Lighting was fairly minimal at the clients request - there was a handy hook above the bar to hang a mirror ball, and I managed to get two lights directed on it from opposite sides of the room, it looked terrific, then just a pair of Ego 3's (kaleidoscope effect) directed on the dancefloor. Room was painted dark red so no point directing anything at the walls (but it showed up the mirror ball really well), for the size of room and ambiance we wanted it was perfect.
Really good night for me last night; a wedding reception at a regular venue. The couple were little older, so I played virtually no chart or r & b...heaven! I worked alongside a guitarist/vocalist who was pretty good...and was 15! Anyway, the evening turned into a bit of a request-fest, with a busy floor all night. Glowing thanks from the groom at the end, massive round of applause, chants of "more"...and then boos when I politely declined. Really good night!
Last night I was at Northbrook Park for a Wedding and even the slightest bit of interest after Wednesday's Wedding would have put a smile on my face. I was quite apprehensive beforehand because I knew the venue had sound limiters and wasn't sure what access was like etc. etc.
I need'nt have worried at all on all counts.
The guy in charge said not to worry about the sound limiters. He would be walking about with a handheld job and said the levels should not really go above 92db on the dancefloor. Very nice guy he was.
So, 7.30pm start and a 11.30pm music cut off time. I was booked until Midnight and was then told that the music had to finish at 11.30pm. I arrived at 5.30pm to give myself plenty of time. I arrived at the same time that the dancefloor guy arrived from Gloucester so we helped eachother in with the equipment and set up around eachother. Once we'd set up we got chatting and I was amazed to find out just how cheap he was. We chatted about various things and he gave me a price list. We are going to meet up in the next couple of weeks to sort out something.
So, after the tips and advice I received regarding my mate investing in me so that we can purchase some dancefloors, I have taken on board what some people said and will test the water for a while first with commission jobs first.
I decided to start early as the wedding breakfast had finished and the guests and Bride & Groom had come through from the other room. So, 7.00pm I kicked off with some background music and instantly the atmosphere was 100 times better than Wednesdays wedding. I knew the Best Man as I had done his wedding 3 years ago so we co-ordinated timings with eachother before he got wrecked. He did a good job!
Cutting of the cake was sorted and then it was straight to the first dance(s) at around 8.15pm. First dance was Al Green 'Let's Stay Together' followed by Lonestar 'Amazed' (same again tonight actually!).
The plan then was to have just the Bride dance with her father to Elvis 'The Wonder of You'. This had been arranged in the pre-wedding meeting a couple of weeks ago......
Well, last week I had a call from the father of the Bride. He wanted to surprise the Bride and said that if possible could I play Ricky Nelson 'You are my sunshine' instead as he used to sing it to her when she was kid. No problem at all.
When it came to that moment I announced that the Bride & her father wanted to dance together and everyone else left the dancefloor. The father of the Bride gave me a wink and a smile as it was only us that knew the change of plan. The song started playing and the Bride looked at me, smiled but looked confused...I said "Surprise!" and as soon as the lyrics came in, her father started singing too and she was flooded with tears of joy. It was a really nice moment. 'The Wonder of You' followed and everyone else joined in and from then on it was just busy on the dancefloor all night.
Lots of current chart stuff and I used VDJ a few times to mix it up a bit. I am getting the hang of it the more I use it now and a couple of guys on the dancefloor were cheering and shouting "In the mix" when I was doing stuff...
Hed Kandi - Man in the Mirror > Maroon 5 - Moves Like Jagger > Yolanda Be Cool - We Speak No Americano and so on...
Around 10.00pm a whole bunch of girls started coming over and asked me to 'Cheese it up' so that's what I did and it went mad!
Best song of the night was easily The Killers 'Mr Brightside' which I haven't played at a Wedding for a few weeks now.
Last song of the night was Starship - 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now' which went down a storm.
Lots of cheering and "One More!" chants but I couldn't play anything else as it had just passed 11.30pm and the guy in charge was nearby.
Really enjoyed last night and am really in the mood for tonights wedding now even though I have been up at silly o'clock this morning.
Remember the wedding booked with two days to go.
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well.....................
On speaking to the B&G , their original venue was very close to St Mary's , Southampton , and due to the fact there was a home football match (Southampton needed to win to get promotion) , the venue was altered at the last minute , also the DJ who was supposed to do this , was using the in house system and karaoke ( presume he/she did not have there own gear).
Still I arrived at 10:30 as I was booked from mid day until 11:00pm , well that was never going to happen...:D
Two guests arrived at ten past mid day , I have some background music playing , B&G turn up 5 minutes later , and everyone else at 12:45....er all 8 of them , so 12 all in.
Small buffet , just a few sandwiches , plenty of beer and sprits , they asked fro the first dance at 1:30 , and then...................
The groom and best man sang to every westlife and boyz own track I had....:daft: , bride joined in now and again ,they used my radio mic , by 4:00 pm there was 4 people left , they kept asking for tracks , so I played them , until......
at 9:30 the bride passes out , closely followed by the groom , I took a cue from this and packed up.... :D
And you know what , I really enjoyed the day.
Daryll
Wow, what a strange one! Glad it went well and a early night thrown in :)
Enjoyable day yesterday. Kind of took it a bit easy for once. Didn't get too much kip the night before so was up early and took advantage of it. Went to set up the Disco for the Wedding at The Elvetham and was done by 10.30am. Did a bit of shopping, got soaked, bought some fish and chips and treated the dogs to a super-sized saveloy each and then sat down and watched West Ham beat Hull (knew we'd do it but all too late and the agony of the play-offs awaits....I'll say now, we won't do it this season!).
Got to the venue just after 7.00pm for a 7.30pm start. They were running about 40 minutes late. Chatted with the staff who are always really friendly and got up to speed with the toast master who was a really friendly bloke and very funny. Now, I always make a big deal of the first dance to my customers in their pre-wedding meetings and ask them how they want to be announced etc etc.... The toast master said that in the contract with this particular venue, he had to introduce the first dance so I let him get on with it.
The couple cut the cake outside the room and then everyone squeezed into the 'Disco room'. If you have ever been to this venue before (this is my 5th time this year so far), you'll get a good idea of just how tight it was when 120 people all crammed in to watch the first dance. The dancefloor (16ft x 16ft) just about fits in!
So, the toast master does his bit and the Bride & Groom take to the dancefloor. There are guests standing beside me and one of them recognised me. He made a joke and said "Have you ever played the wrong first dance?"... "Never!" I replied..... (can you see what's coming here!??).
So, I press play and 'Amazed' by Lonestar begins....The Bride & Groom look at me with a confused look on their faces. The father of the Bride rushes over to me and says those words that I really don't want to hear..."Erm...excuse me, I think it's the wrong song?".... Oh my god!! I feel myself burning up with embarassment, I want to disappear quickly. I reach for the booking form and check, double check and then pass it to the father of the Bride. "This is the song that they asked for" I said..."I'm really sorry if it's the wrong one but this is what I have on the booking form".
It was all fine though! It wasn't the wrong song. The Bride & Groom had difficulty hearing the first piano part until the lyrics came in because all the guests were making so much noise with their cheering etc...As soon as the lyrics came in they gave the father of the Bride the thumbs up and me too. He came over quickly and laughed and said "Don't worry, false alarm!". The guy standing next to me laughed too and said "Sorry, I'll keep my mouth shut!". His girlfriend gave me a cuddle and said "You should have seen your face!"....Honestly, that's the worst I have ever felt at a wedding. I could've died on the spot!
After Lonestar it was The Carpenters 'Top of the World' and everyone joined in. I went over to the father of the Bride and asked if everything was ok. "Perfect!" he said..."Please accept my apologies for any confusion. I could see you were a bit shaken by that, it was our fault not yours". I explained that I wanted everything to be spot on for them and that it had never happened before and everyone was totally cool with it. The Bride & Groom came over and laughed and took it all in good humour. They said that they couldn't hear the start of it and thought it was the wrong song....PHEW!!!!!!
After that it was straight into lots of current chart stuff and the dancefloor was packed. The weather was terrible outside and there was a hog roast booked which ended up setting up inside in another room. A few people left the dancefloor to go and eat and I was left with around 50 (all women) dancing to 70's & 80's classics.
The night seemed to fly by just like Friday's wedding and that's always a good sign. I hardly checked the time all evening which is also a good sign. I got lots of requests for cheese so I did some of that and also some 90's classics like Will Smith, Five, Backstreet Boys, Take That, Spice Girls etc and everyone went mad for them. At one point the whole room was bouncing and was packed solid. The Killers, Kings of Leon, Reef, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Journey & Queen took us up to 11.30pm and it was still rammed in the room.
I played 'Jump Around' and 'Walk this Way' and felt like I was in a Bouncy Castle at times! A couple of very, very nice Spanish girls asked for 'Lambada' and 'Hips Don't Lie' and gave everyone a taste of their spanish wiggling which everyone clapped and cheered along to and then it was the last few songs.
A guy came over just before the last couple of songs and asked if I would play 'That's Amore' as his mate who was the Best Man was called Andy More (A.More). I wasn't sure whether to or not as I was running out of time but took the chance and I am glad I did. It worked a treat with everyone singing along. I made the announcement that the last song was coming and that the Bride & Groom had requested that everyone join them on the dancefloor and I played 'Never Forget' and the atmosphere was amazing.
Really, really good night again and lots of chants for "One More!" again at the end. I wasn't sure what to do as I had just gone past Midnight but the room was absolutely rammed. The Duty Manager was nearby and gave me the thumbs up. He came over and said that the Bride & Groom had booked the venue exclusively so I played Florence & The Machine - 'You got the Love' and there was a huge cheer. Followed that with 'One Step Beyond' and finally finished at just gone ten past midnight.
Father of the Bride came over to me and thanked me and shook my hand, putting £20.00 in it at the same time. "Amazing!" he said and his wife hugged me. Bride & Groom came over and said that it was perfect and a few of the guests came over to shake my hand too before they vacated to the bar.
The room emptied out pretty quickly as people went into the bar (opened 24 hours). I was just starting to pack up my stuff when the 2 very, very nice Spanish girls appeared again. They came over and thanked me, hugged me, kissed me on the cheek and asked if they could get a photo taken with me. "Oh yes!" I thought..."No problem!".
During the evening I was chatting with the photographer who was a professional but also a guest. He was a really nice bloke and said he would send me some pro shots of the rig etc. At one point in the evening when the dancefloor and room was rammed, I said to him that I had an idea. He stood up on the bay window behind me and I asked everyone in the room to turn and face me with the Bride & Groom at the front. They all did it and it was really cool. He showed me the photos he'd taken on his screen and it looked amazing. "Brilliant idea!" he said..."That will be a classic".
It was still chucking it down as I loaded the van up. Was home by 1.15am and had a well deserved Cider. Couldn't sleep as I have been buzzing since Friday night.
3 Weddings this week and 2 of them have been 2 of the best for a long time. Well happy!
Odd one for me last night, this was the late gig I got in, working alongside the Who tribute act, 'Who's Next'
Only got the gig on Wednesday, and in chatting with the client, was advised that the birthday boy was a fan of Rock, Ska, Motown and Soul and obviously, anything that could compliment The Who. I'd be playing the gaps in Who's sets plus giving up the first hour for a Kids Magician.
Turned up at the venue within good time, to have the fire exit answered by Roger Daltry, and when I say that I mean, he was a dead ringer, he was a friendly guy and, fortunately I'd got there just before the band and so got a fair parking/load in spot (I.e they didn't have chance to bogart every good load in point). The band were late though and were sound checking well into my first spot of background music but stopped in time for the Magician. First break for me, whilst the slightly creepy magician fought off the hyped up young ones. I decided to burn some extra energy of the youngsters by appealling to them at the start of my next spot and got some requests for party dances which were typically well received before returning to the brief to (try and) hype the audience ahead of the band.
I think this is why I felt this to be an odd night, I think it was a case of the organiser not providing a party for their guests, but choosing just what they wanted, the stuff I played, like Stones, Bowie, Small Faces got toes tapping but no big response, then when the Who came on it fell flat, only the birthday boy and his daughter really appreciating how good they were, and to be fair, they were very very good, I enjoyed it muchly, even if the crowd weren't bothered.
Hit my stride in the second spot and played a few more standard tracks, Queen, Steve Wonder plus a few of the more modern ones like Moves Like Jagger, and a floor started to build (a few had been evidently enjoying the offerings at the bar during Who Set 1) and The Who would have appreciated the crowd they had at the start of the second set, which was a lot better received. I started my last spot with Kinks, Stones and off into Soul and Mowtown which went down well with those who'd stuck around but the crowd had thinned a fair bit (with the parents taking the kids home)... could have probably finished at 12 but played til 1 as booked and then loaded out in horrendous rain. Finally got cleared and said goodbyes, all well received but couldn't help thinking that with a few organisational tweaks it could have been amazing.
Ah well...off on a stag weekend in Barca on Friday (including a visit to the Barca vs Espanyol game) so think I've earnt a weekend off (first since early March) and am going to enjoy it!
Fab gig last night..I even did a bit of a gig log, haha!
I might even upload it!