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I don’t wanna rock, DJ

Neil and Alan playing each other's guitars on stage, smiling.

A new venue is always a great opportunity for any band. But there are a few things we get anxious about when we’re playing somewhere new for the first time. Will there be enough room to set up? What’s the parking situation? Will the local crowd like what we do?

Will they have a DJ?

DJs are part of the live music scene and they do a great job. But, from a band’s point of view, they need to be carefully factored into any gig situation.

They need space, they need power points, and they need time to do what they do.

We’ve worked with some excellent DJs in our time – Mr Creature, Nick Hodgson, Jay and Aiden to name but a few. And recently we were chuffed to bits to add another top entertainer to our ‘absolute pleasure to work with’ list.

The Swan.

Bolton.

Friday 24 May.

Our first gig at the venue.

The first thing that hit us was just how big the place is (we believe the technical term is MAHOOSIVE). The second thing that hit us was da beats. As we loaded in, we heard the lovely Terry long before we saw him. He’d got there early and was working his magic on the decks behind the bar, just to the right of the stage.

He gave us a wave and straight away started chatting with us. Where had we travelled from? What kind of music were we going to play? Did we need a hand loading our gear in? He gave us the low down on the set up and playing time, and asked us to let him know if we needed anything. He even pointed our Ann in the direction of the ladies’ loos when he spotted her wandering aimlessly around the place after the sound check (like we said, the place is big).

As the punters started coming in, Terry did his thing, banging out top tune after top tune. He clearly had a great rapport with the crowd and we were treated to some brilliant banter. Between tracks, he kept reminding the audience of our start time and bigging us up (we’ve never been called ‘the world famous 5th Element’ before, and we kinda liked it!). When gig time arrived, he gave us a fantastic introduction, and off we went!

We were probably a bit heavier than the locals were used to, but they gave us a fair go and by the end there was dancing, singing and big smiles all round (and even a few tentative horns!).

At half time, Terry continued to work the crowd like a pro. Again, he kept plugging the band, reminding the crowd that the second half was still to come and that they didn’t want to miss it.

Part 2 was even more fun. We even got ‘em singing! The first ever local gig for our ace on the bass Pete Kubiak, it was great to see so many of his friends turn out to support him. They were a reet lovely noisy bunch.

It was a great first night. And one of the things that made it great was the way the DJ really worked with us to get the most out of the night.

Both live bands and DJs have one common goal – to make sure everyone in the audience has a bloody good time. Working with Terry really felt like a partnership. And we can’t wait to play the Swan in Bolton again!

Were you at the gig? Let us know in the comments below!

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