I Want to Meet The Bride

When I am providing my services as the concierge at a beautiful country hotel, I often greet brides who are having a meeting with the wedding planners at the hotel, or having a walk round with the photographer to discuss the best photo locations (tip – always ask the concierge!) or, recently, a chat with their florist about table centrepieces, decorations etc.

As you progress through your wedding planning you will visit the dress shop for several fittings, perhaps have a menu tasting, a hair and make-up trial, a rehearsal of the wedding ceremony.

But at what point did you meet with and get to know your evening entertainer?

Yes, “get to know”.  Do they have an understanding of you, your wedding day, how you want it to go? Do you know about them, their style?  Have you discussed your expectations of the day, of the entertainment?  How will they start the evening, end the evening?  Have they understood your expectations, and have they explained to you how they can be met?

I read Facebook pages and trade magazines aimed at DJs, and a frequent topic that comes up is what the DJs describe as demanding brides.  Long music request lists, unrealistic timescales, plans that simply won’t work.  You will have heard the expression “Bridezilla”!

I can genuinely say that in the years since I became a professional wedding DJ rather than just a hobbyist (some 25 years ago!) I have never had a Bridezilla. Not one.  Am I just being nice?  No, I’m being honest.

By meeting with every single bride and groom – in person by preference or by telephone/zoom call if needs must – I make sure that I understand what the vision of the wedding day is.  My meetings will last an hour plus, because I will go through every element of the day – note it, make suggestions if appropriate and ensure I “get it”.  By ensuring that I know the timings of the day I can plan my arrival, set up, even when I get changed. I can tailor my service to your special day, dovetailing with and complementing all the plans and details.

• Too many song requests?  Let’s have a chat about how I can ensure as much of your music as possible gets played (whilst still having freedom to react to your guests).
• Very short turnaround time? We can discuss ways to mitigate that.
• 

I could suggest that too many people attach too little importance to planning the evening entertainment (and indeed, and extras during the day), but sadly that seems to include DJs too.  Even after 32 years, I know that I could not just rock up and DJ your wedding.  Every wedding is different, every wedding is unique.

 

That’s why I always want to Meet The Bride

(with apologies to Elton John!)

Mack The Knife

I’m often asked why I carry a cake knife in my Just In Case – I can’t imagine why I wouldn’t, but it appears that I am the only DJ to do so!

Like everything else in the case, it is there just in case it is needed – I’ve had events where the caterers didn’t bring one, where the hotel’s one hadn’t been put out (for safety reasons) and once where the venue’s knife actually snapped!

There is an actual story of why I bought the knife…

A few years ago, I was DJing a wedding at a golf club in West London.  When it came time to cut the cake, the venue manager brought out a chef’s knife from the kitchen, with a white plastic handle.  Chef’s knives are not designed to look pretty, and certainly have no place in a cake cutting photograph!  I quickly took a white linen napkin and tied it around the handle to disguise the knife – and I decided at that moment that I would never allow one of “my” couples to face that situation again!

Reconstruction photo!

The next day (a Sunday) I went to John Lewis in Kingston and bought a gorgeous and quite contemporary styled cake knife. That knife has now cut many wedding cakes and birthday cakes – to the point that even photographers knew that I would always have it with me!

That’s not the end of the story!  In 2016 I was DJing a wedding at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, along with Event Manager Meli.  One of the groomsmen was a Royal Navy Submariner and the bride and groom used his sword to cut the cake – no need for my knife that day!  We both got sword envy that day (it’s a real thing!) so I decided to add a sword to the collection.  

If you would like something different at your wedding, then the sword is available for you!  It makes great photographs, especially while we are setting up the cake cutting - some brides knight their husband, some threaten a beheading, but rest assured, it isn’t sharp!

The sword has been used at many weddings, the first was a Lord of the Rings themed day so it was the perfect addition, one couple even went all Game Of Thrones on their cake, stabbing it from above!

To me, the cake knife is an obvious thing to carry – my job is to help make every wedding, every event perfect and stress free, so my “Justin Case”, including the knife, is a part of that.  The sword?  Well, that’s just a bit extra!

Ask your potential DJ what extra steps they take…

Let Me Entertain You

What is a DJ? What does a DJ do? What do you think of when you think of a DJ? Is it just a guy (usually) who plays records? Almost a glorified jukebox?  How do you view the “superstar” DJs?

What do DJs think they are?

To me, I’m an entertainer, a performer – whether playing music or acting as a compere.  For me the job goes way beyond playing music, beyond the flashing lights or clever gimmicks.  For me it is about putting on a performance, being part of an event that is then the best that it can be – a memory for all who were there.  Even though I am in a corner, behind the decks that is not where I should stay.  My personality projects out, whether in the choice of programming of music, interaction with the crowd, dancing and showing that I’m having a good time too.

Under our Silverball Country brand we (Francesca and I) work at festivals, managing the second stage – but just like DJing it is more than just naming the act about to walk on stage – we are there to build up the crowd, get the atmosphere bubbling ready for when the band or singer walk on and start to play.  The audience should be ready for that first chord, that first note.  We will play with the crowd, tease them, tell them about the act, not just their name!  It is all about putting on a show and being part of the show.

More than that we will have greeted the artistes, help them load in, set up, sound check, arrange their merchandise, get to know them – and on certain occasions park their van, take them to the toilet and set up the microphone to the right height based on Francesca being as tall as the lead singer!

This holds true for DJing and hosting a wedding or party – liaising with the venue staff, the caterers, the photographer, ensuring the cake is ready, facing the right way – a million and one things that you may never see us do.

I don’t turn up, set up, play and go home.  I want to be sure that I have given my all to your event. I may not be physically making music, but I am making memories, helping you to have a great time, hitting the right tracks at the right time, looking for that moment when someone will shriek with delight at a much loved tune, a song that takes them back.

What am I? 

A performer, an entertainer, a professional

Sweet Talkin' Guy

I received a lovely compliment after a party recently – lovely but slightly confusing for me.  The party was a surprise 70^th, and I did my usual show with introductions, making an event out of the birthday cake, generally trying to entertain the guests.  At the end of the party the couple who booked me came across and said, with the usual thank yous

It was so nice to have a DJ that interacts

Now there was the confusing part. I kind of assumed that all DJs “interact” - I mean, to me that is an essential part of DJing. Without interaction you might as well just put on a playlist.  So obviously this got me curious – so I asked them why that stood out for them.  It turns out that they got married last year and “the DJ for the wedding may as well have been mute”

One of the difficulties of DJing is that you can’t always benchmark your service against others, because I tend to be working rather than attending parties.  More recently I have been working on the other side of events, as a catering manager or butler (all of my work is in events and hospitality, this is not a part-time job for me!) and so I have been taking the opportunity to observe the entertainment.

What I have seen has shocked me, and disappointed me.

DJing is, and should be, both interactive and reactive, especially for a wedding.  Whilst your wedding day (or any party) is in itself a major event, every element of it should also be an event in its own right – and for that you need interaction.

Now, I’m not saying that I become a cheesy Tony Blackburn tribute act, but I talk, and I do more than simply “announce”.  I was at a wedding this weekend, where the DJ made no announcement at all about the cake cutting or even the first dance.

I will organise the cake cutting – gather your guests into position, get everything ready to hand over to the photographer to get that magical photo, and then turn to the crowd, get them involved with a countdown to you actually cutting the cake – imagine the difference with the shouted numbers, the cheering, the excitement as opposed to essentially silence and nobody being sure when you have physically cut the cake! (its very helpful to the venue staff as well so that they can quickly come and remove the cake!)

The first dance is the last formal part of a wedding – and again needs to be properly introduced, with a build-up, once more ensuring that all of your family and friends feel they are part of it.  Once you are dancing, if you are feeling shy and want people to join you there is nothing worse (in my eyes) than seeing a bride and groom frantically waving to people to join them on the dance floor – that’s my job!  After receiving the prearranged signal (normally just a panicked look!) I will re-announce you as husband and wife, and then invite people to join you - usually the wedding party, followed by family, married couples, couples and then all the single people “grab a partner”.  Done in stages (although fairly quickly) you will easily have a full dance floor.

Throughout the party the DJ should be reacting to what people like, what music works, requests and your playlists. If a DJ isn’t doing this, then perhaps they shouldn’t be a wedding DJ – or a party DJ at all!

Perhaps this sounds a little critical, but the DJ is there to bring the party and ensure that everything not only runs smoothly but is presented in the best way possible - even announcing the buffet can be done with humour and professionalism.

Look for videos on my website and facebook for examples – and let’s have a fun, smooth and interactive celebration!

Wait until you see how I end a wedding….

Stop Right Now....Thank you very much!

STOP HIRING CHEAP DJs

There, I said it.  I went there.  The price issue.  Yes, I’ve touched on this before, but it is always a relevant point.

I was in attendance at a wedding event this weekend at a luxury venue where weddings cost upwards of £25,000. A wonderful cake maker was exhibiting, and one of her cakes was on display at £500. Now, I’m not criticising the cake, and I’m sure it is worth the money, but consider the difference between a wedding cake and a wedding DJ.

A good wedding cake will look good, be a centrepiece and taste good – although in reality very few people ever eat it, and the cutting is over quite quickly

A good wedding DJ should also look good, be a focal point during key parts of the day and make sure the party is good

When you compare the two side by side, surely the DJ (who will be part of your wedding for in excess of 5 hours) offers more value – so why would you pay twice as much for your wedding cake as for your DJ?

There is a saying in DJ circles “nobody goes home whistling the flowers” – people mostly remember and talk about the food at the wedding breakfast and the party (and of course the beautiful bride!)

Now, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t have a beautiful wedding cake, you should be making sure that your day is perfect in every detail, and is the day that you dream of, but to scrimp on one of the biggest parts of the day just because you can find a cheap DJ may seem like a short term gain but in the long run it may be one of the biggest regrets when you look back.

You wouldn’t put your faith in a cheap cake, why put your faith in a cheap DJ?

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

I was watching a TV show this evening about a hospital (New Amsterdam on Amazon Prime) – great show, moving, funny, dramatic and I was enjoying getting into it as you do with a new show.

Then, over a fairly tense scene the music started (a cover of Fix You by Coldplay – and I am desperate to find the Artiste) and suddenly the scene became – to my now tear stained eyes – so much more tense, so much more dramatic and so much more moving

And it made me think about how deeply tied to our emotions music is, how one song or a snatch of a song can trigger that emotion, or a memory, or a feeling

It doesn’t have to be a slow song, it doesn’t have to be a sad memory, music can trigger happy memories or even euphoric feelings.  Think about “that” song that always makes you want to dance, or sing, or scream out loud, to call your friend, to share the emotion, share the memory, share the moment…share the song, the feeling, the euphoria

We all have one.  Or two. Or three

Maybe you have one that is sad, one that is happy, one that is bitter sweet.

A lost love, a found love, a never love

A time, a moment, a summer, a party

A person, a friend, a relative, a lover

A love.

A loss.

You’re singing it right now, or you are calling it up on iTunes, on Spotify…and you are also calling up that moment, that person, that love…or that loss

I am privileged that I have the greatest job – I get to play music to people. I am there for some special times, special memories and I can provide the soundtrack to them

If you were able to stand where I stand and watch a newly married couple dancing their first dance to a song that has so much meaning for them, you’d really see what music means.  When a Father proudly takes his newly married daughter onto the dance floor for the Father/daughter dance, usually a song that has poignant lyrics.  When a married couple get to dance to the song that was their first dance.  So much emotion and so much love – all framed by a song

Music is the soundtrack to our everyday lives, the highs and the lows.

Tell me your story. Tell me your memory

Tell me your song

Oh, and that version of the Coldplay song?  I found it. It is by Canyon City.  I’ve got it on repeat now.  Maybe it hit me that bit more because it was played at a dear friend’s funeral.

A time.

A moment

A memory

A friend

A loss

Be Our Guest - Catering for the National TV Awards

Its not just about the discos – when I am not DJing I work freelance through a major hospitality staffing agency, and have done since 2014.  In that time I have been privileged to work in some incredible venues, at amazing events for some wonderful clients

One of my favourite jobs is the National TV Awards (NTAs).  This annual televised event is catered by a client with whom I have worked many times before – and this year was my third time at this event over the past 4 years.  Once again the client requested me specifically for a supervisory role in the team.

The client is a company called GIG, responsible for catering some of the biggest events in the world, but they are a fabulous, friendly team.  At the NTAs GIG provide their service to a variety of areas backstage, with the largest being the pre-show reception/post show party for the nominees.  We provide food and bar to around 500 guests pre show and 800 or more post show – and these guests are the ones that you saw on TV hoping to win, and winning, the coveted awards, voted for by the viewing public.

So – what do I do? With a colleague I am responsible for setting up and running the two bars and two champagne receptions, and then clearing down at the end of the night. Sounds straightforward?  On top of this I am also personally responsible for the Responsible Service of Alcohol as the duty licensee.  Add in staff allocation, briefing and management, ensuring that the right stock and right glassware is in place, that the bars are ready for service and then made ready again for the second party and that the necessary clearing is done across the whole room, and provide support to our amazing Back of House manager. Then of course there is liaison with the event manager from the TV production company, the venue staff and the venue security and medical team.

Just when you might think it sounds simple – I also take responsibility for stopping bar service at exactly 7:15 pm, which gives sufficient time to move 500 guests across to the arena for a live TV broadcast, and then closing two bars at the end of service at 12:30am  Closing a bar is never an easy or popular job, made a bit more challenging when the guests are faces that you may have been seeing on TV for thirty or more years, and many guests with potentially a feeling that they are particularly important…. 

In addition(!) I walked the whole room constantly to keep my manager informed of how the event was running while she was based back of house.

The NTAs is a long day.  I arrived on site at midday on Tuesday, and left the o2 car park at 2:30am Wednesday – a fourteen and a half hour day, but I walked away with my head up knowing that we, as a team, provided a fantastic service to a room full of celebrity guests. The end of a day is a mixture of deep tiredness and absolute elation at a job well done

You Wear It Well

I worked on the "other side" of an event recently, which gave me the opportunity to observe the DJ booked by the event organisers.  The first thing that struck me was the way he was dressed.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not a “Dedicated Follower of Fashion” but it did make me think about this very simple element of presentation. 

Picture your event – your wedding, your special party, everyone dressed up to the nines – surely all the suppliers should be dressed appropriately too?

Having watched a DJ arrive in jeans and a denim shirt, he was essentially “negotiating” whether he’d need to put on a suit when the guests arrived.  A Christmas dinner at over £100 per person?  Why wouldn’t you be in a suit before the first guest walks through the door?

For me, I arrive to set up in a logo’d polo shirt and will normally wear a dinner jacket for weddings/formal events, or a logo’d shirt/polo with smart jeans for a party.  My dinner jacket is a plum colour so that I stand out from the guests/catering staff – I’m happy if you ask me for a request, but not for a drink!  I will vary what I wear dependant on the event - Black tuxedo for a recent James Bond themed event, and always happy to wear fancy dress to match a theme!

I’ve noticed it with other suppliers too – photographers looking scruffy and a live band in ripped t shirts!

So – does it matter?  Well I would say yes.  Every element of your presentation reflects you and the service you are providing – and crucially, it demonstrates how seriously you take your job, your clients and the event.

Its not a fashion show, but it is an important event!

Personal – Passionate – Professional

Ch-Ch-ch-ch-Changes

I passed a major milestone this weekend – I DJ’d a full 4+ hour party without using any CDS. For the first time the disco was 100% laptop driven.  I’ve resisted the switch until recently, but I am finally (almost) a convert.  I say “almost” because until I’m totally comfortable with the reliability of laptops I will continue to have CDs available as a backup

This step made me think about the changes to the equipment I have used since starting out in 1988, as a fresh faced 19 year old.  It all began with a traditional (for the time) “twin decks” console, some traffic lights and a pair of speakers. The speakers are still in my garage, but all the rest is long gone (which is a shame really, I’d love to play with that console again!)

After a few years (I have no recollection how many) I upgraded to a separates system a air of turntables mounted wither side of a proper mixer in a long “coffin case”.  The mixer served me for years, even after moving to CDs.  This set up allowed much better control for mixing scratching and drop-ins.  I can still remember the first (and best) mix – “Joy and Pain” into….”Joy and Pain”.  Two different versions, mixed to perfection - as much by luck as judgement I’m sure, although it was quite achievable using vinyl!

The move to CDs was as gradual as my current move to laptop, and was made quite tough by the lack of flexibility – having to physically balance a domestic style cd player within reach while still using the turntables!

Now it is all easier, even the CD rig is totally flight-cased and easy to use, store, transport and set up, and even the laptops have separate controllers that mimic the kit we have used for years.  Lighting effects to have become far more sophisticated and controllable, using LED allows a huge range of colours, and a whole lighting show can now be controlled from a smartphone

Even the advertising has changed – now I have various social media platforms as well as the website (www.silverball-leisure.co.uk)which is entirely self-built, reflecting the ethos of Silverball Leisure – personal but professional.

Times move on and so do I – but it is fun to look back and what I used to use, and what I used to wear! (man, I LOVED that dress shirt!)

Personal-Passionate -Professional

x

Me Myself and I

When did DJing become so corporate?  Back in the days when I started (1988!) there were no “DJ companies” Sure, there were entertainment agencies who would fill gigs, normally for pubs/restaurants/hotels, but the general birthday party and wedding market was still very personal – you find a DJ and you hire him. Discos back then were individuals, even though we did give ourselves fancy names - Silverball Disco (as it was originally) was named after pinball, my friend named his roadshow after the street he lived in (and lots of people were a “roadshow”). Oh, the 80s…..

There have been many changes in the technology of discos in the thirty years that I have been a DJ – Vinyl gave way to CDs, and now even I am moving to a laptop (with multiple backups). The traditional twin decks have gone, as have the big bulbs an static lighting effects of old, replaced by LED technology and effects that mimic those seen in nightclubs and at concerts! Radio mics, controllers, many things are now available and have changed the physical side of DJing

Back where it all began!

What hasn’t changed, what shouldn’t have changed, is the personal service.  The DJ who you meet, book and who comes to your wedding or your special event.  What I am now seeing more and more is companies, teams of DJs – what used to be a single operator job being replaced by what feel like huge conglomerates!  Ok, maybe not quite, but when I see a website listing “all our DJs” I just wonder where the personal service is, where the specialisms are….  Who turns up to your show?  Will s/he have a different level of experience, a totally different style?

From a personal point of view, it feels like these companies/agencies/teams can squeeze out other DJs which may lessen the choice for anyone looking for a DJ.  Venues use these companies and will steer clients to them, or even insist on you using them which again reduces your choice for your special day.

Even if you hear me say “we”, Silverball Leisure has always been a single operator disco, (although we can call on experienced specialists as and when required), and that is how it will always be.

Personal – Passionate – Professional