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ARTICLE
Writing this in the midst of the Christmas silly season, and ahead of my favourite weekend festival gig of the year, I am reminded of the many times that I have worked alongside bands. These countless experiences have ranged from what I do now, DJing and hosting Absolute Radio ‘80s weekends at Butlins sites, to venue residencies and mobile gigs. In this article, I’ll share some of these experiences, and also offer a few tips for getting the most out of the experience when you’re booked to play alongside live musicians.

I consider myself very lucky in my current work, as we have a full sound and tech team. But at mobile gigs, as I’m sure most readers can relate, it simply came down to bands setting up, line-checking and me trying to compensate my sound to complement theirs. At private functions (everything from weddings through to corporate awards ceremonies), I have been lucky enough to have worked with some incredibly talented bands. They really complement the night, though sadly (like some DJs) don’t always uphold the standards that we should all aspire to.

Then there is the disparity in fees. Whilst I appreciate that there are several people involved in a band, is the huge difference between the going rate for a DJ and a band really fair? Like the DJ, they have to arrive early, they have to sound check, they then play (usually) a couple of 45 minute sets, pack down and go home. However, our hero the DJ has to remain on-site for the duration, until long after the guests have sauntered off into the sunset.

So when you find yourself booked to work an event alongside a band, how do you approach the evening? Who has prominence? Is it an even billing? Most importantly, how do you structure your night to work together to give the best experience possible to your mutual client?

IS THE BAND YOUR FRIEND OR YOUR COMPETITION?

Whilst the idea of booking a band to perform at a function is a great one, a fantastic focal point of the evening, how do we as DJs view bands? Some (in my experience, most) bands are happy to work with a DJ to make the night a success, good communication being the key, but before we get all loved up with mutual musical synergy, take a step back. Could the band be your competition?

Let’s face facts here, there’s a huge difference in what bands charge for a function when compared to a DJ (especially ‘plug & play’ DJs like me). The client has the idea of the band, it’s almost a statement of the grand level of their function, then they see the prices that the band charge. You can almost hear the words “Ooh, I wasn’t expecting it to be that much!”, falling from their lips. Then the bomb drops… “We can supply a DJ too for a small extra charge”. BOOM! Of course this is appealing to the client: a single source of supply for the evening’s entertainment. They believe that they are onto a winner here! Now, of course, if the band has an arrangement with a professional DJ then, as Delboy would say, “Lovely Jubbly”! However, unfortunately, it is not uncommon for a friend of the band to simply whip out his laptop and play a few party tunes to close the night out. There’s no interaction on the microphone, no forethought of what will work well, just a guy playing a ‘NOW’ CD or sticking on a Spotify playlist. In those cases, the DJ is the afterthought, and can really ruin a night.
The full review can be found in Pro Mobile Issue 99, Pages 54-58.
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BY DAVID ABBOTT

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