RNS Mobile Disco Gig Blog - The Red Cow Inn, Fishtoft.
So, the time has finally come for me to do my first show under RNS Mobile Disco, The Red Cow Inn, Fishtoft near Boston.
The owners Andy & Tracy asked me to perform a load of rock and old classics, with a couple of newer songs in the mix. Thankfully, I am pretty well suited for this gig because rock is one of my favourite genres. Although I listen to all kinds of music, I grew up with my mum playing the old rock songs.
The gig is set up for bank holiday Sunday, so it should be busy and I would think there would be a very mixed audience. The good thing about performing on a bank holiday is that you know people are there to have fun, so hopefully I can provide the entertainment people want on a bank holiday.
I prepared for this gig by setting my playlists up, old school rock, new rock, current rock with a load of indie in there too. I made a separate folder for your average party songs so that I can play them further down the line. I am also covering the break of a singer, so I have done my research on the singer to see what kind of music she plays. This allows me to keep the same tempo of the crowd whilst she takes a well earned break.
The day has finally arrived and it's currently 10am, I am going through my last prep and ticking all of my equipment off on my list. Due to the fact this gig is in an outside beer garden, I'm not required to do a full disco, so my lights and added extras are not needed. This means set up and the process of packing the car up is easy and fast.
So here goes, my first gig blog.
Upon arriving at the venue, I was asked to set up in the corner of the decking. Thankfully there was plugs just behind me so I was able to set up as planned without having wires around the venue, this wouldn't be too good! Once I had set up myself and my wife had our lunch, I went for the classic homemade chicken curry and my wife had the scampi. I would very highly recommend the pub food, it is delicious!! I'm also a fan of the homemade chips and the steak pie!!! If the pub was closer I would probably go for dinner there every day, the food is literally THAT good. All business meetings will take place here, so I have an excuse for some food!
I've gone for a very mobile disco set up, as seen above, so let's have a closer look. Firstly, behind my facade I have gone for my usual Gorilla DJ Booth. Due to the not needing my lights I have taken the extra poles out and don't need my lights bar that goes overhead. To cover my booth I have gone for a White Gorilla DJ Facade, this allows me to have the 'mobile disco' look but also have my own space to keep with covid rules that are currently in place. The white facade completes the look, I see a lot of DJs performing on tables at pub events but I believe I should always try to make my set up look as professional as possible, regardless of the venue. My speakers that only just fit under the covering, are Alto speakers placed on top of Gorilla DJ speaker stands. Not on show are my MacBook and my Numark Mixtrack Platinum, whilst I use my Beats headphones.
Unfortunately, due to the weather I'm unable to put my business stand up and I'm unable to move one of my speakers into the beer garden. Hopefully the next time I am due to perform here I can get it all fully set up so I am able to promote my business and have a speaker in the garden itself.
As the event started my mix track actually stopped working, due to the heat and being under the plastic. Thankfully the landlord, Andy, was able to put a rug up on the roof which allowed me to be in some sort of shade. Unfortunately I had to finish the rest of the gig (after just 2 songs) without using my mixtrack, so I was unable to actually mix anything. I was there from 2pm - 8pm, so I had to manually load songs.
During the afternoon a singer named Charlotte came to perform 2 45 minute sets, with myself covering her break. Charlotte performed loads of songs from different genres from Beyonce to AC/DC. You can find Charlotte on Facebook under Charlotte-Louise Music UK. During her set I noted down songs she sung so I could make sure I didn't play them for a while, I also took note of the genre she was playing so I could continue that during her break. I went for 'Shot Gun' and 'Watermelon Sugar' to keep the dancing going.
The gig itself went really well and I was complimented by a lot of people which really does help. There was always people singing along to songs, which is a really great sign. I got some party classics in there and finished it with a run in of loads of classic indie singalongs. I was so excited to see how peoples reactions would be to certain songs, especially 'A Little Respect' by Wheatus, because I'm constantly singing it.
I must have done something right because I have been invited back for the August Bank Holiday weekend, this time performing on the Saturday.
As promised I donated towards my Remembering Ruth page, in memory of my mum, to celebrate my first gig.
I would like to thank Andy & Tracy for allowing me to perform, all the punters for singing along and making me feel welcome and my family & friends that came to watch my very first gig under RNS Mobile Disco.
I have created a Spotify playlist of all the indie & rock throwback songs I played on the day, for everyone to listen to. Please find the link below and let me know if I should add any for the next gig.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0TNc5laWtpXYsTJFT6A5eH?si=878ecc15496e4f90
As ever, thank you for reading. I'm so happy to be up and running, see you all again soon.
Jayde x