I found out, while idly browsing my venue's website the other day that their clients can secure an extra hour's extension and free bar nibbles for a mere £500. Only five hundred quid! Must be the most expensive bar nibbles ever :lol:
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I found out, while idly browsing my venue's website the other day that their clients can secure an extra hour's extension and free bar nibbles for a mere £500. Only five hundred quid! Must be the most expensive bar nibbles ever :lol:
I used to get a yearly booking for a job because if there was a disco, the bar opened an hour longer. They didn't actually want a disco, but I was a necessary evil. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by juski
Wedding on Wednesday night at my favourite venue. :beer1:
Decent enough night and I'm sure the bride and groom would be more than happy. One thing I did find wierd though - people were smiling, they were dancing and they were singing but I didn't feel like that there was an atmosphere. Visually, it looked like a great gig. Photography would be spot on. But it didn't feel like that. Was an odd experience...
Normally when I'm there, I work with one manager on the night and she knows how I roll, but Wednesday it was someone different. I know her anyway as she's usually there when I arrive but normally leaves about an hour later. Never worked with her until the end before, and it was actually quite fun. She kept on coming over, having a chat and making sure everything was ok. She was happy with the fact that we are very low maintenence. Told her we'd be out of there in half hour, and I don't think she'd believe me. 23 minutes after the gig, we were down and in the van. ;)
Just.. meh!
Tonight's wedding was a slow burner but when people did get going oh wow did their tastes ever pogo around. My bride & groom intro was good I thought, but they took some geeing up to cheer them onto the floor. I've never had to get a crowd to do it again because they were so lacklustre.. til now.
Oh and I HATE genre jumps, but tonight seemed to require them in spades. Two of one style of track was sometimes too many. Hop to the next style.. full floor. Play another I know usually goes well.. one older woman mouths "I don't like this one" & they're all walking off the floor. Damnit people!
The road to 11pm took forever. Nothing was sticking for long. People were filling the floor for one song (with 1 minute 20 left to go) & then wandering off again. One of those nights where I ponder "why the hell did I ever take up DJing again?".
I did get some requests & they were duly played, but my own selections were doing better numbers on the floor. In the middle of a rock & roll set I got a request for Dancing Queen for granny Bessie... no rush.. just in a couple of minutes will do. Arghhh! Then during Dancing Queen.. "Jump around! NEXT please!" somebody said. What? How's that gonna work? Heh. I didn't play it next, but managed to work my way around to it.
Hey ho. Can't have been that bad because I got a cheer at the end of the night & one person asked for a card. Glad that one's over. Roll on xmas party season. Only 15 more weddings to go!
It wasn't just me then :)
Tonight saw me on the back of a farm trailer for a party on a local farm (end of harvest thing).
I was looking forward to this one, it's different to the long run of weddings I've had, it was outside, and the sparse list of requests I'd had mentioned the Wurzels and the Lego Movie theme track "Everything is Awesome".
Now....the reason I say the request list was sparse is because I could have truly done with a longer one for tonight....they're not English farmers (well, the labourers aren't anyway). Instead, I had a mix of Poles, Bulgarians, Latvians and Lithuanians......hmmmm. I'd put feelers out a couple of weeks ago for some music from their homelands, and whilst Polish isn't too bad, the others are tricky to say the least. And before anyone mentions Eurovision....they're all translated to English and finding the native tongue versions was turning up real blanks.
I should stress at this point that the main brief was for "cheesy disco music".
Like Justin, I spent the evening hopping across genres, decades and even nationalities (I've been from full on cheese to heavy rock and back again!).....barely anything worked. It didn't help that I was stressing over one of my beloved DXR's playing up (think it's just the XLR lead but will check tomorrow....it seems to have lost bass and there was a hell of a hum coming from it too).
However, end of a very long night came and the bosses came up and congratulated me on being a brilliant DJ! Apparently the guests all enjoyed themselves, but had been drinking since very early on (maybe that was the problem). They even mentioned using me again so not all bad.
Hey ho.....teenage gig tomorrow night. We'll see how that one goes.
Yesterday had it all for me....up's and down's and then up's again.
It was a wedding at a venue I do a few times a year but this time in the big marquee as there were around 250 attending. I've played the marquee about 5 times before and have not encountered any problems but yesterday there were some.
I got to the venue at 9.00am to set up and was careful and took my time as my back still isn't 100%. I decided to use my JBL JRX 100's with the RCF Subs and it sounded really nice and powerful.....well, that was once I could get some power to switch it all on and sound check.
For some reason the power was tripping and nobody on site could tell why? I had set up and was ready to do my thing but hadn't even switched on anything as yet and the power was tripping. It was frustrating as I had to hang around and was at the venue for over 2 hours (a good 30 minutes extra after I'd set up). After some investigation we finally worked out (or so we thought) that someone was using a dodgy extension lead somewhere (caterers). A couple of people said that the caterers were pulling a lot of power but we'd had the same set up on previous occasions with no problems so I wasn't so sure. Needless to say, being the worry guts that I am I couldn't help being very apprehensive when I left after I finally did get to sound check.
When I was at home during the day I kept in touch with the guy running the bar and one of the wedding co ordinators as I knew them and they said that it had tripped again a couple of times during the day. They were sure it was the caterers equipment and attempted to convince me that all would be cool by the time I arrived as the caterers would be finished and therefore less power would be drawn. I wasn't so sure. Like I said, we'd all worked together previously so I thought the problems was elsewhere. This didn't stop me worrying and even the fact that West Ham were 2 - 0 up against Liverpool didn't really excite me. Every time I spoke to one of the co ordinators I made the point that should anything happen again, it wasn't my fault. I was covering my back put it that way.
So, I got to the venue a good hour before I was due to start, something I don't normally do. Things were running around 20 minutes behind too and it had started to chuck it down with rain so the guests weren't that keen on leaving the marquee after the speeches to go for drinks in the garden area. They stayed put which meant that I had to sound check again whilst they were there. When I turned my power on I was 50/50 as to whether all would be ok and had my fingers crossed......yes! it all worked fine!
I played some chill out tunes up until the cake cutting and then the first dance came and went and then it was party mode. I had a great list of requests in advance and made my way through them and the dance floor was packed out all the time. There were a few bhangra tracks in there and they went down well with the indian guests and everyone else. It was nice playing them.
The caterers had gone by now but to my surprise some different caterers had turned up to start on the evening food which was indian street cuisine. Luckily they were using gas so there were no problems but it was strange when the power tripped again at around 9.30pm. Everything went off and we were all in total darkness. I was worried about my amp (Crown XLS802) as it was on full power when everything went off and I didn't know if it would come back on again when the power appeared again. I'd had a problem a couple of years ago with an electrical spike killing it and it cost me over £200.00 to get it fixed and I didn't want that again. I had a spare in the van as always but thought that if that went aswell then not only would I have killed 2 amps and had 2 bills but I'd have to get the Mackies out and they may not be enough. Told you, I am a worry guts! Well, everything was fine and the 3 or 4 minutes of darkness felt longer. Before long we were up and running again and I patted the amp and said "Thank you". I was relieved but....the bride wasn't impressed at all. She made a point of saying to me that she knew it wasn't my fault and hugged me and told me not to worry. That made me feel better....a lot better.
The final 2 hours saw a packed dance floor and despite telling people to keep their drinks off it, nobody listened and it became an ice rink with people (mainly guys) slipping over. I saw one guy walk from the bar with a full pint, over to his mates who were prancing about and one of them pushed him. He went down with a full pint and got covered but just laughed, got up and went and got another one. He looked a complete mess and his suit will be in the dry cleaners come Tuesday morning I'm sure.
Last songs of the night went down really well - Manic Street Preachers - Motorcycle Emptiness and Oasis - Champagne Supernova. Far too many people on the dance floor at that time and as usual a massive circle with the Bride & Groom in the middle. I stood out front to protect my equipment and ended up joining in with them.
They couldn't thank me enough and everyone cheered and clapped. The marquee emptied out pretty quickly as people rushed to get their taxis or get on the coach provided by the Bride & Groom. I started to pack down everything in darkness. I ended up getting my van as close to the marquee as possible and opened up the side behind me and shone my headlights in to make it easier. The black and white dance floor was a total mess, in fact the whole place looked trashed whereas a few hours before it had looked gorgeous. It was a great night but I think there will be some afters as the Bride wasn't happy with the power situation and rightly so. Nobody could understand why it had happened but we got through it and as long as I am not to blame then that's ok.
Off out early again today for an all day music festival where I am supplying the lighting and also playing later too. A long day ahead and then a long drive ahead tomorrow as I head to Great Yarmouth for a few days......I'm gonna need a beer at the end of this weekend! :beer1:
Hey, that would make a good song title.:D
Friday night, a wedding at a Golf Club. These type of venues are known for having difficult access, and being somewhat upmarket. Not this one! All the way there, I was convinced that I or the sat nav had got it wrong. It's in the middle of Hull, and upmarket it isn't. The saving grace was the room's on the ground floor for a change, so no big access issues.
The setup area? In a corner, under a display cabinet, in a little alcove. Cramped, or what? :(
So, Micromax in play, and powerbar on tripod. Then it was like drawing teeth. I'm getting a lot of split crowds. Play 80's floor's rammed or busy. That automatically draws a request for chart/modern ( ie the stuff you've just spent two hours playing. :mad: ) Virtually no crossover between the two camps.
Groom came up to pay, and seemed mildly put out when I counted it, insisting it was right. I pointed out that it was £100 more than it should be, and that calmed him down a bit. :)
Crowd drifted away quickly, last half hour was played to folk who normally drink there. Not a great night. :(
And Saturday. Total opposite. All dayer for a bride who had come to see me a week before, to finalise details, and pay the balance. It's a farm near York which has diversified into a holiday cottages/wedding venue. Lovely lovely staff. who couldn't have been more helpful. Not like the caterer, who " was only going to be five minutes " blocking access to the marquee for my van. Over half an hour later, " oh I didn't realise you wanted to be in " :mad::muppet::mad:
Setup area in the marquee was virtually perfect. Gap from side of tent to dancefloor big enough to get a full rig into, and plenty of height for the overhead. Sides were high enough to get the speakers up just far enough.
As an aside, the venue owner said that many discos still need a venue table . She reckons they don't have space in cars, may be right. Still surprised me. She was very impressed with the DSB though, thought it was a lot tidier than having cables everyhere.
There are noise issues with neighbours, so we had a soundcheck, and all was good. There's no noise limiter, but if it can be heard clearly at certain points round the venue, it has to be turned down. I played at an acceptable level for me and the guests, with no problem.
Got all set up, including a few uplighters, and grabbed a sandwich and a snooze in the van. The ceremony was held at the other end of the marquee, in an extension tacked on but separated by doors, and it looked lovely. The food for the reception was " Afternoon tea", sandwiches with the crusts cut off, pots of tea, the works. Really nice, and fitted in with the venue, the occasion, and the weather. There were " singing waiters " as a surprise, and they were absolutely brilliant. Their actual stage name was " The Ratpack Boys ", and they did an hour set later on as well. Crowd loved them, very professional guys. Pleasure to work with.
When the food was done with, everyone went outside, and the room was turned round. Folk with young children started to drift back in surprisingly early, and I was soon playing in earnest. The live act did their set, by which time the hog roast ( yummy :) ) was ready. We then had a hectic few minutes, where we crammed in Cake cutting, first dance and one for the couple's five year old son, before the hog roast. Squeaky bum time when the groom told me I was playing the wrong song :eek::eek:, but it was the one specified by the bride, who informed him thus, so phew!!
The dancefloor was slow at first, and just built all night. Songs of the night? Cracklin' Rosie, Superman, and Oops. Party crowd. Interestingly enough, the bride and groom live a hundred yards from Friday's venue, and the groom works there. Spooky. Considering both sets of guests must be from the same small area, they were like chalk and cheese.
By the end of the night I was playing half of songs to fit requests in, switching tracks with seconds to spare, and trying to still get it to flow seamlessly. Forlorn hope there, really. Despite my best efforts, I had some unplayed at the end. Ah well.
Come the end, the bride was sad it had all ended, lovely girl. Groom spoke to me for the first time, and said that although some guests though it should have extended, he reckoned that finishing on a high with a virtually full venue was the best way to finish the night. Wise man.
Random irritations:
Drink. Drunks.
Drinks on the dancefloor, bottles of lager or prosecco worry me, when they fizz up. I spent a lot of time worrying, watching, and pushing them back from the booth while their owners asked for requests. Fortunately, no spillages, or incidents, so not too bad.
Drunks, well ladies who have to hang on to you for support, insist you ought to be playing chart despite a full dancefloor, and don't believe that the current floorfiller was a request. I informed one that the bride had asked for this and suggested she check if she didn't believe me. I saw her face drop when she did, Priceless. :)
All in all, a fabulous day, and just the tonic I needed after Friday.
Justin and Wayne, this genre shifting was an issue for me too on both nights, and a lot of juggling was needed. There seems to be less willingness to accept anything except what they personally want, unless I've got my rose tinted glasses on again.
Sunday afternoon, family party in a marquee ten minutes down the road. Should finish around ten, cos it's very residential. Nice easy one, I hope, micromax and powerbar again.
Hectic weekend then for me also.Funny you should say that. :whistle: My daughter lives in Sheffield, a place well appointed with real ale bars. Monday will be spent trying to get our little group of bibbers to better our record of ten venues in a day. :beer1::beer1::beer1:Quote:
Originally Posted by Shakermaker Promotions
Happy bank holiday folks.
Family party for me to celebrate Mums 50th, daughters 21st and sons 18th.
Lovely house in the middle of nowhere, huge gardens with 3 separate marques. One for me, one with tables and chairs and the last one with the bar and buffet. 100ish guests from 18 to 75.
Pouring with rain when I arrived and long carry from shingle drive around house to set up area. Had been in contact with client throughout the week, worried about the weather. Discounted using tripods for speakers due to soft unlevel ground. Took subs with me and intended to use them instead to use them as stands. Client provided two square sections of 1 inch thick plywood that served the purpose.
Slow start due to really heavy rain and people staying under cover. Built slowly but with two distinctive camps, 70/80s and recent. Till 11am the two wouldn't mix. However as the lubricant took hold a good night was had by all and at midnight ( scheduled finish time ) things were the busiest and I was enjoying my self so kept going. 12.25 young lady wearing a headband as a skirt and skyscraper heals trips up the concrete steps to the house and has nasty blow to the head and full on nose bleed.
Atmosphere changed and bought the night to the natural close. Played "don't look back in anger" with 60-70 people singing and swaying. Huge hugs from mother and daughter and many thank you'd plus father pressing a collection of notes in my hand as a tip.
Good night from unpromising start.
Seems to be situation normal, currently.Quote:
Originally Posted by DJColsie
Western themed fancy dress 40th Birthday last night and I was booked to do line dancing between 7 and 10 with a female singer doing 10 till midnight. Got to the venue in good time and set up. Was an easy load in to a small stage. One speaker either side and playout system and bits and bobs on table at back. Played background whilst guests arrived. Singer arrives about 7.15 and wants to set up in middle of stage. Er no - that's where I will be leading the dancing from:p. She reckons it will take her about an hour to set up!:rolleyes: I explain that I am doing an hour from 7.30 to 8.30 when there will be a half hour break for the buffet. Suggest she sets up then but to the side of the stage leaving me room to demonstrate for my second set from 9 till 10. I have a full dancefloor for both of my sets. Singer comes on at 10 and half the audience leave within 10 minutes and by 11 there are only a handful of guests left. Early doors at 11.30. Felt a bit sorry for the birthday girl but she said she had had a good night and I had been fantastic. Glad I was there early!;)