Good Gig, Bad Gig.

[Andy P]

TEN hours?! Yikes. I used to pull sets that long (the record was 12 I think) when I worked in Whitley Bay some bank holiday Mondays, but I was a good 15 years younger then. Mind, I bet the pace is a bit less frenetic at a wake. I could barely keep up then. Now.. I'd struggle to make it past 6 hours full-on.

Murder Mondays at Whitley Bay - ah the memories


So this weekend - Booked on Saturday as part of a 5 way chain to do a karaoke for the Proctor and Gamble annual ball.

It was in the platinum suite at St James Park for 3 hours from 10-1am. I was part of the entertainment as they already had a full disco, casino and games area, photo booths and fun fair/sweet stand. I was set up in the chill out lounge



Just a minimal set up was required which was great as its a hike and a half up to the suite via a service lift and lots of corridor. Was harassed from 6pm to get there and set up and I was out taking photo's of my other DJ and his set up for his website. Got there at 8 which was well early. so took my time and had a chat with the other entertainment providers.

Night was epic - the theme was best of British so the DJ had been given a playlist of only British artists and bands to play. Bit restricted but he done well. I was free to play anything they wanted on the karaoke and it was by fat the busiest section of the floor. I was packed out all night after the first 30 mins and could have played on for another 3 hours I had so many requests. Done a few myself and ended on 500 miles with about 30 lasses hanging of my neck. A truly great night with just the type of crowd I love to perform for. And as it was a ball the women were resplendent in their gowns and frocks.

from that I went to a kids 13th Birthday on Sunday at the rural end of Newcastle. Hall was set out lovely and we got all the kit in and set up but the guests didn't arrive - she had invited over 80 and got 10. Such a shame and I was gutted for her. However they'd ordered pizza for 80 so I was able to help out a little there. When I got home at 10 I was out for the count.

[Nakatomi]

Nice setup Andy, in a nice looking venue. Beats the WMC I was at last Saturday

So. Tonight was majorly different to any other gig I've done in my life. I think this was mostly because I went to see the client earlier in the week. The short story is that I used to walk my dog past their house & saw they were in a 'win a wedding' competition. Fast forward a little bit & I was googling around trying to find reviews of one of the hotels I walk in at.. and I found loads of local press articles about how that couple who live virtually next door to me had won the competition. I figured I had nothing to lose by showing my face. The bride to be wasn't in, but me & hubby to be talked about music & my DJing credentials along with some of the details of the night. I left after arranging to see them both the following night but when she arrived home (the organising never stops in weddings, I suppose) I got an email saying the next night was no good, could I pop over now? So I did.

We developed a rapport, they asked a lot about what I could do for them (including whether I can mix - i.e. not leave big gaps in the music). I had to explain that I was visiting them to find out what THEY wanted from ME. Simples. So, we ran through some music ideas which I dropped onto a playlist I could bounce off on the night.

The next day the groom to be asked if I could play 3 of he & his mates favourite tunes from back in the day.. 2 were what I'd call heavyish rap - Lean Back & another whose title just escaped me, followed by Fatman Scoop & Faith Evans - Be Faithful. Oh, and there was to be a group of dance school girls doing a couple of choreographed routines before the cake cutting & first dance & the tunes would be on CD.

Righto. I arrived at the venue to find uplighting, a starlit dancefloor (Hungry Joe was ere) and a bride in a panic. The leader of the dancing girls had forgotten the CD with the first track. No problem, said I, do not stress about this. I'll just go online & buy it for you. Oh, what's that? The hotel wifi is only giving me 2.5k a sec & the room is a faraday cage as far as EE is concerned? The download eventually arrived. Ah.. what now? One of the girls is a dab hand with Audacity and cut a big chunk out of the track? Hmmm. Hotcues to the rescue! Working with the girl who did the edit, while the background music was playing & the room was filling, I set cue points up to skip exactly the right part of the song (You can't stop the beat from Hairspray - the 2007 remake), and utterly winged it. I introduced myself, the girls came on, I hit play & sweated for 3 minutes until the 'edit' point & it went seamlessly. Afterwards the bride couldn't thank me enough. Hey, all part of the service, said I. Twas pretty hair-raising but the nobody even noticed the join.

After that the girls had a costume change (duh, of course) before their 2nd number. I checked out the CD & the in-house player didn't like it. Thankfully it was just yer common or garden version of Uptown Funk with the intro chopped off (like wot I play). Nobody knew it wasn't from the CD & the dancettes had a massive applause. From there it was onto the cake cutting & first dance. We'd talked about doing a couple of smoochies in a row after their first dance - Al Green - Let's Stay Together so I did, to a packed floor. I picked up the pace & had em all up til buffet time.

From there things got a bit sticky, but requests saved my bacon - there were a lot of RnB fans in the house. RnB isn't a genre I feel comfortable with though. In my younger days I out & out HATED it. Nowadays, meh.. whatever turns the crowd on is good enough for me. So out came a big RnB set. I practised a bit of scratching the next track in, in my headphones (I've hardly even tried on my controller) & surprised myself enough to be able to carry it out live to cheers from the crowd. A huge circle appeared on the floor & breakdancing moves were busted by a few of the groom's mates. A pretty awesome sight. So, what to play next? AHA! The Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme of course! OH YEAH. Hahaha.

I tested the water by trying to shoo some oldies in but they got lukewarm responses. Requests serviced again, full floor, packed to the ginnels with Beyonce, Rihanna, Usher.. (WHO, said former me).. Oh, last orders time.. where are we gonna go now? Hmmm. Stuck a teensy bit of Motown on, didn't lose any dancers, congratulated the couple again, wished everybody else a safe onward journey, told them who I was again (big cheer!) & played Proud Mary as the last song.

An absolutely storming night. I really need to brush up on my RnB though. I kept that lot happy but it was a bit of a test for me. B&G came over as I was de-rigging the gear (can't leave it set up for tomorrow's wedding cos the wedding's in there!) to thank me & say they're going to supply me with a very glowing testimonial for when I get myself on the road.

Oh yeah.. And I made a very interesting new acquaintance in the starlit dancefloor man too. I'll definitely be keeping in touch with that fella for sure.

Oops.. I forgot about the other thing about tonight. I picked up one of the Revos to hang it up on the ledge where it goes and the LENS FELL OUT OF THE FRONT No stress. I just nipped to reception to borrow some sellotape & stuck it back in place. I'd have put it back properly had I a posi screwdriver in my bag (I'll have words with my son about that in the morning). Honest to some deity or other, it just shouldn't happen to a DJ.

Tonight, as far as I know the same hotel have another wedding on. I'm boogered if I know the spec, the manager certainly couldn't tell me before I left. Never a dull moment around there, I tell thee.

And lastly.. that 'Cheerleader' track.. MASSIVE. I actually quite like the Felix Wossisname remix too. Lovely bassline

[Andy P]

Pretty decent night for me on friday - 18th birthday at local cricket club and they were mad for cheesy dance, 80's and rnb, sorted.

Smallish dance floor was packed all night and a acoustic guitarist/singer done an hour - easy cash

[Imagine]

11 year old birthday for me tonight (said April was dead ). That said, it's nice to be home in time for a on a Saturday night

Another one of those where 50 were invited, and only 15 turned up . This is becoming annoyingly familiar.
It's the birthday girl I felt sorry for. With the adults it's not quite so bad, but when they're only 11 years old and people aren't turning up....it takes the biscuit.

Actually turned out to be a good night as it happens. 11 year olds are normally my worst nightmare, they're not teenagers and won't dance all night, but every now and then you come across the ones that don't want the interaction of games either. Tonight, they were well up for the games side of things. And because there were only 15, it didn't cost me a fortune in bags of sweeties either

I did my usual trick of leaving a couple of space hoppers discreetly at one end of the room. The normal rule of thumb is if they go for them, then it's game on and we can get on with a few games. This lot were actually begging me for more games than I did!

I even came away with a £20 tip from mum.....

Couple of weeks off now before I hit wedding season big time. I've got 6 in May alone (and bear in mind I'm a part timer).....busy summer ahead so going to make the most of a couple of weeks in front of the telly

[Nakatomi]

Wayne, 15 turning up out of 50.. ouch. They're not very good odds at all, poor lass. Time for my new startup idea: RENT-A-CROWD

Onto tonight then..

Rolled up to the hotel, armed with tools to repair the errant lens on the hateful Revo III, at 6.20pm. Walked in, wondered where everybody was. Then I saw the tables, marked with team name cards. Gah. It's a blinking Murder MISERY night again!!!! The hotel got their dates mixed up on the list they gave the boss. This meant I didn't have to be there til around 9.45pm.

Oh well. I set up the 'show' & drove back home. I got to spend a bit of time with my wife on a Saturday night, which is becoming an ever rarer thing. The 'players' of the Murder Mystery effort were their usual selves & the leader's patter entertaining.. then it was my turn. Started off with recent tracks, polled the crowd for requests.. and then got em in spades. Summation: a cheesy request fest. Even 'Oops Upside Your Head' got an airing, marking the very first time I've ever played it in public in er.. how many years of being a DJ? Maybe I'll give it the benefit of the doubt again one day.

I had one complaint about the cheese, but I said people are asking for it, and most of the room are up dancing to it so it's out of my hands. Ha. This complaint was from a lady who asked me to play a Christmas song. Oh you know.. "Snow is fallin''... "Shakin Stevens?", I asked. "No, just 'Snow is fallin'" said she. Her friends came over & said to me "Oh she's not been asking for Merry Christmas Everyone again has she?". My favourite Christmas song of all time too, but er... y'know.. it's not even May so too early for even irony there. 'Come On Eileen' was requested for somebody called Eileen. I had to reign in the Whitley Bay DJ still in me.. must... resist.... MUST... RESIST..

Not a bad night in all though it couldn't possibly hold a candle to last night's wedding.

Onwards to Monday, where I have an 18th birthday party at my favourite hotel. Nope, no idea what sort of music is needed but somebody who will remain nameless has intimated that 'some 18th music would probably go down well'. Could be a good time to unleash the request app on em though.. be interesting to see what comes out of that. It'll be fine... we can access absolutely every song ever made within seconds, right?

[Shakermaker Promotions]

My booking last night was a wedding for a very nice couple in a hotel just 5 minutes drive up the road.
Met up with the Bride & Groom last week at the venue for a chat and it went really well. Apart from their first dance choices and last song of the night, they gave me full control over the music. They also said that there wasn't really anything they didn't like so I was looking forward to it.

Now, remember this part - In my meetings I always ask if there is anything that could be played that could potentially upset anyone. It might be that something that reminds someone of a family member or friend that's no longer with us or just anything that brings back bad memories. 99.9% of the time, if there is something then the customer will say instantly. I'll make a note of it and steer clear of it and if it is requested I will politely say that I can't play it. I always say that if you have to try and think of something then there isn't really a problem. The Bride & Groom were certain that there was nothing that could or would upset anyone.

This venue is lovely. I do enjoy playing there but I am always a bit anxious because around 6 years ago something with the electrics fried both of my amps (I was using passive at the time) and it was lucky that I live just around the corner. I'd sound checked when I'd set up and all was fine but when I arrived 15 minutes before I was due to start I turned everything on and the amp went pop. Tried a second one and it did the same so I had to get home quick and get active speakers. The venue is a big one and I didn't think they'd be up to the job but I got through it. It was nerve wrecking at the time and I guess that even though the venue was refurbished a few years ago and I have had no problems since, I still have it in the back of my mind.

The load in is a bit of a pain. It is a few journeys back and forth from the van and right across the venue to the other end. It's got to be around 150 metres or something and because it is a very nice permanent marquee I always take my subs with me to fill out the sound a bit more so setting up takes a bit longer. I had plenty of time though because on this occasion the couple were getting married in the main house and having their meal there so the marquee was used as the party venue on this occasion and not where the wedding party would be all day. It was a good idea because it worked really well.

So, on to the night itself and when I arrived there was nobody in the marquee as yet apart from the photographers who I'd met on a number of occasions previously.
I was there in plenty of time and had around 20 minutes before I was due to start. A number of younger guests entered the marquee, saw me turning on the equipment and came over and said "get the music going then DJ"
I wasn't ready yet and it was still early but I am not a clock watcher and if I am ready to go then I'll start. It was 6.50pm and I was due to start at 7.00pm so I just put a couple of current chart songs on and the 10 guests that were there already got up on the dance floor. This must have looked encouraging to the rest of the wedding party who slowly filtered in to the marquee. Some headed straight for the dance floor and I thought to myself "This could be a good night".

Did the usual stuff..... Background music with a bit of acoustic, chilled out, ratpack etc and led up to the cake cutting for 8.00pm. Made my announcements and did the whole "If you have any requests" bit and then announced the first dance. The Bride & Groom had chosen 'their' song and had asked me in our meeting if it was ok to have it because it wasn't a slow one. I told them that they shouldn't worry about that and just enjoy the moment. The song was James Blunt - Bonfire Heart and it went down really well with the guests who you could tell were just itching to get on the dance floor with them. Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud followed it and the dance floor packed out and that's how it more or less stayed all night.

I was blasted by requests and played every one of them including Journey - Don't Stop Believing which (remember what I said earlier?), had one of the female guests in tears at her table. Everyone else on the dance floor was loving it and singing along but I could see her through the crowd on the dance floor and I wasn't sure what to do. I felt bad that someone was upset. When another guest who'd been sat on the same table came over and requested some Robbie Williams I asked if the lady was ok and told her that it wasn't my intention to upset anyone. She said it was fine but obviously told the lady when she went back to the table. The lady who'd be in tears came over and told me not to worry and gave me a hug. She looked like she'd had a fair bit to drink and it wouldn't be the first time she'd be in tears either.........

Later on in the evening the Bride requested S Club 7 - Reach, for her and all that attended her hen night. The Bride was quite wobbly too by now but she had a permanent smile on her face. It was coming to the end of the song and the lady that had been in tears earlier was bouncing around on the dance floor and then suddenly fell over on to her backside. She seemed fine at the time and just got up, laughed and hobbled back to her table. It soon became apparent that she'd done herself some damage. I could see her with her leg on another chair and she was crying and in pain. I saw a few people go over to her and then within about 10 minutes an ambulance and paramedics had turned up. People were still on the dance floor and having a good time. The C&B Manager came over and asked me to turn the volume down a bit so the paramedics could talk to the lady and about 10 minutes later she was put on a stretcher and taken to hospital. I later found out that she had discolated her knee.....OUCH!

Finished off the night with some more current chart and 90's dance music before playing a couple of slow ones at the end as requested and the Bride & Grooms last song choice which was Michael Buble - Home.
A really enjoyable night for the most part and a very happy bunch of people (apart from the lady who ended up in hospital obviously).

Just to add - One of the things that makes me laugh and this happens every now and then is when you have your pre-wedding or pre-function meetings and you talk to the customers about music. For example: When I chatted with the Bride on this occasion she said she loved Bon Jovi and also Five (amongst many others). I find it amusing that on the night, when you play (for example) the Five megamix (which was requested by someone else) that you can actually read the lips of the Bride on the dance floor when she says "what's this?" and then suddenly remembers who it is. Obviously being full of alcohol creates a bit of memory loss but I get a bit embarrassed by it to be honest as I feel that they are thinking "what is he playing?" and then all of a sudden it's ok because they've realised who it is. Does that make sense?

[Shakermaker Promotions]

A couple of photos from the set up from the morning. I took some of the evening but they came out a bit blurry.

[Excalibur]

Nice set up, Gary. Mine last night was a presentation for a life saving club, in Rotherham. Quick gallop down the motorway, and when I got closer to the venue, there were huge hoardings guiding me in. All that was missing was a set of landing lights! Promising start, eh? Not for long. Access to the front of the venue appeared to be blocked by a bollard, meaning a forty yard carry to the front steps. The disco who turned up for the wedding downstairs knew all about this, and simply lifted the unlocked item out of the way. Grrrrr. They'd been there before, as you can guess, and knew all about the access to my room upstairs.

Never mind, I got a reduced rig upstairs, and set up in the ridiculously sited alcoves by the dancefloor. The low ceiling was fitted with some ancient colourspots, attached to a bulgin plug. Would probably have worked well, if I'd taken an old controller. Young Allan ( Casual 77 ) came to have a look, and his help was invaluable. I'd taken a small rig, and the main laptop which had been performing flawlessly for weeks decided to throw a wobbler on one deck. I had to work out the issue, and play a track in from the backup while I rebooted VDJ, which cured it. Phew!

Fairly uneventful evening otherwise, my only real requests were from the under tens, and we ended up playing all the riper ones from the cheeseboard ( with one or two requests from the parents in this vein also ). The best part of this gig was the 11pm finish, so 10.55pm, I'm announcing the last two songs. Bar staff come across, and ask what I'm doing? Bar till 11.30pm, music off at midnight, as per usual. Not on my signed contract young lady, have a look here. My remaining guests disappeared astonishingly quickly, and Allan was an absolute Godsend with the packing up. Many thanks there Allan.

[Andy P]

After a brill Friday came Saturday.

I was at the Westwood Club which is another quite local gig - total DJ mileage this week was under 15 in total.

Its an easy get in at this club through a fire exit which runs right in front of the stage - I pull the door open to..... candy cart in the way. That'll be moving then health and safety of course (not).

Just finished brining in the last of the kit and some dude walks in - as I turn around to ask what he's doing I was roared at "im on the committee here and this door should be closed" well excuse me for not instantly closing it. I was actually letting in a bit of air while i got set up but hey. So I moved the car as last time I was here I got blocked in by punters who were leaving the cars over night and nearly had to ram my way out.

Committee man comes in again you parked on the path mate, move your car. Really one of these nights.

it was an engagement party for two twenty some-things. 7.30 start with late 9.00 buffet so not much time for a full play list afterwards. All the young ones wanted was dance dance chart dance, all the old ones wanted was old old bay city rollers old. I tried to blend the two but the line of people making requests for the "next song" got annoying quickly and mixing was more a case of cue and go.

Got a 5 star review for the night but it was deffo a frustrating affair.

[Andy P]

on a different note - on saturday I also tried a different selection of buffet music and enjoyed it - so Im now thinking about bring back Shalamar to the play list