Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting

Last month I was fortunate to be asked to provide the music and lights at Fight Knights Boxing Evening. Organised by the enthusiastic Dean Knight, and kept in check by the efficient Sarah Knight, the evening consisted of eight bouts.

Photos courtesy of Andrew Smith Photography

As with all great sporting occasions, music plays an important part to add to the atmosphere. As well as providing the music for between the rounds and during the interval, I also had to play the individual boxer’s entrance music. Having the perfect inspirational tune to enter the ring to is a vital part of a fighter’s preparation. However, trying to get them all to agree upon their final choice is sometimes a challenge!  The threat of playing “Dancing Queen” is usually enough to make their minds up!

Here are the tunes the boxers chose that evening… and as you will see, it wasn’t all “Eye Of The Tiger”!!

CJ Knibbs:  “Iron” – Wood Kid

Gagen Atwal: “Ima Boss” – Meek Mill

Sam Clark: “Get It On The Floor” – DMX

Matt Irving: “Fuckin’ In The Bushes” – Oasis

Helen Walking: “Fields Of Fire” – Big Country

Jo Millar: “Wearing My Rolex” – Wiley

Luke Pajor: “Firestarter” – The Prodigy

Alan Denyer: “Jungle” – Professor Green

Luke Crabb: “My Time” – K.Koke

Matt Roe: “The Best” – Tina Turner

Mike Barks: “Omen” – The Prodigy

Michael Kozlowsky: “Stronger” – Kanye West

Barry Horsnell: “I To Move It” – Reel 2 Real

Pascal Davis: “London Calling” – The Clash

Manny Cooper: “Mr Brightside” – The Killers

Bady Touray: “Mr Blobby” – Mr Blobby

Pretty inspirational stuff! Although, I’m guessing the last one was a weird joke played by Dean on Bady… but it didn’t seem to affect his performance…  the bout was over in the first round!

I’m looking forward to the next Boxing Evening on 22^nd November, and finding out what all you boxers will be entering the ring to. So if you don’t want it to be “Dancing Queen”, go and like my Facebook page and I’ll play your tune!!!

https://www.facebook.com/SskEntertainment

If you’re looking for a mobile DJ for your event, please contact David via

www.sskdisco.co.uk

You’ve got to love a wedding reception!

Saturday 6th April, 2013

Weddings! You can never be too sure what you’re going to be asked to play! Despite having a fairly comprehensive playlist for the bride and groom, the inevitable mix of ages invariably results in some eclectic song requests. One minute you’re playing One Direction for the kids, next you’re mixing in some Swedish House Mafia for the bride and her friends. Then some Motown for the bride’s mother, and some Elvis to keep Uncle Pete happy!

I was DJing at Dawn and Ben’s wedding reception last Saturday at the lovely Coulsdon Manor Hotel. Dawn is very much a Garage kind of a girl... the playlist she gave me included Sweet Female Attitude, Artful Dodger, Craig David, Wideboys... Ben seemed to prefer Kings of Leon, Killers, Kaiser Chiefs etc.  Then she adds at the end of the list... “The kids have asked for things like Gangnam Style, and Ben suggested maybe some Lionel Ritchie... I have an Aunt who loves Elvis, a bit of Diana Ross for my Nan, maybe some Queen.”  Love it! Now it’s just a matter of juggling so that everybody is happy!!

Obviously it doesn’t work out that way! Dawn’s friends would really prefer to dance to R’n’B all evening, Dawn’s Nan likes Diana Ross, but also would like some Eagles, there’s a friendly guy who would love some jazz funk or some reggae, and one little lad who keeps asking for more Girls Aloud!
Just when I think I have gauged the room right, Dawn’s Aunty asks for Some Girls by Racey. I surprise myself to find I have it on my hard drive. That’s something I don’t think I’ve played since 1979!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNwYwavVnas

[Which leads me on to a slight bug bear... back in the day when I lugged boxes of 45s around to gigs, I don’t recall a huge problem if I had a request for a track I didn’t have with me. It was quite simple... if I didn’t have it I couldn’t play it! These days, with computers and hard drives, there’s an assumption that I should have anything and everything. Sure, with mobile internet connections I could spend the evening finding and downloading missing songs from my pretty comprehensive music collection, but nine times out of ten it would be an obscure track that I, and most of my audience, have never heard before. There’s nothing worse than clearing a packed dance floor for the sake of one person.

Ok rant over!]

This was something I’ve been meaning to get off my chest, and is certainly not a reflection of Dawn and Ben’s guests, who were very happy to party on down to the wide selection of music on offer that evening. Towards the end I even had them sitting on the dance floor for an obligatory Oops Upside Your Head - I’m so glad some things haven’t changed!!

Licensed to thrill

Saturday, 23rd March

It was snowing as I loaded the car and left Surrey to head down to Brighton. An evening of style, murder, suspense and humour awaited me. A normal combination for a Saturday night!

I was doing the after-dinner disco at a Murder Mystery Evening at the Ship Inn Hotel on Brighton’s seafront. The theme was 007 Secret Agent. As I finished setting up the equipment, the guests started arriving. There was a mixed bag, including a group of young 20-year-old girls celebrating a birthday, a couple of smaller groups of more elderly guests and a large party of ladies, who had made a particular effort with their “costumes” that evening - one in gold lamé (Goldfinger?), one in a Spanish gypsy dress (From Russia With Love?) and a couple in clown outfits (Octopussy?).

They were greeted by three actors playing various roles including James Pond, Pussy Allure, Oldfinger and Miss Bunny-Penny. Between the courses of their three-course dinner, the plot was played out, with various characters being murdered, the suspicion cast on all the others, and a lot of Pussy jokes!  The guests then had to decide who was the murderer and list the reasons for their actions. The team who uncovered the correct assailant and the best motives won.

Surprisingly, because they hadn’t looked like they were really getting into the evening, the team of younger girls were the winners and received their bottles of Champagne.

Throughout the meal I had played some appropriate 60s lounge music, with some Bond themes thrown in for good measure. But now the disco started properly. With the large mix of ages amongst the guests, I wasn’t too sure how to pitch the music. I started with a couple of recent releases to gauge the room. Quite soon a representative from the fancy-dress table approached me and asked for some Motown. As soon as I obliged with the Isley Brothers’ This Old Heart of Mine, that group was up on the dance floor. Since I wasn’t getting any requests from the other tables, who seemed quite content to remain at their tables and continue drinking, I pandered to the desires of the much more lively, costumed ladies. They remained dancing through a variety of soul, Motown and 70s disco classics.

I tried to lure the 20-year olds up with a couple of club tracks, but they clearly felt uncomfortable dancing with ladies dressed as clowns and gold lamé catsuits!  Around 11.30 they left no doubt looking for more youthful entertainment that could be easily found in Brighton on a Saturday night.

As they left, one of the men from another table came up to me and said... “I’ve got to drive home soon, and I need to wake up. Have you got Ace of Spades?”  Fortunately at that point the dancing queens had retreated to their table for some refreshments, so I explained over the mic their fellow guest’s predicament and with an apology allowed Lemmy’s dulcet tones to blast out. (Don’t get me wrong, I love Motörhead, but there is a time and place!) Still, it seemed to work in waking him up, as he and his wife then danced most energetically to the B52s Love Shack.

The evening finished at midnight, and I was left, as always :(, dismantling my equipment, as the remaining revellers departed into the chilly night.

All in all a most entertaining evening. Congratulations to Murder Mystery Events and their talented actors for organising the event.  Check out their website... they’re dying to please!
http://www.murdermysteryevents.com/

Quiz Night

Saturday 16th March

Thirteen teams assembled in the Scout hut in Fortyfoot Road, Leatherhead to help Chloe and James raise money for the St.Helier and Epsom Neonatal units, who had looked after their baby Ewan.

I had prepared eight rounds plus a bonus “lateral thinking” round for the evening.

With rounds on such subjects as Film, TV, James Bond and cartoon characters, a lively evening ensued. After an early lead by the Red Army team, and a promising challenge from Tiger Bomb (Says Oscar), the eventual winners were the Cockney Rejects with a convincing win.

Alongside the Quiz, there was a raffle and a Silent Auction. Chloe had successfully managed to secure an impressive number of raffle prizes and had persuaded local businesses to contribute to the Auction.

The quizzers generously entered into side games such as Heads n Tails, and all in all the evening raised a fabulous £1,023.

Chloe continues to raise money through her Facebook page

www.facebook.com/silentauctionneonatalfundraiser

Room With A View

9th March 2013

It’s my twin sisters, Jenny and Sue’s, 50th birthday.

Sue is having a party and has asked me to provide the music. It’s a black tie do, at the Grange City Hotel, near the Tower of London. I’ve been advised that the Presidential Suite which she’s hired has it’s own sound system, so I decide to just bring along my mixing deck which I can plug into their equipment. Sue wants a few lights to add atmosphere, but as there won’t be much space I bring along a simple four par can setup on a tripod t-bar stand.

Jacqui and I get there with an hour to spare before Sue’s guests arrive. The room on the 12th floor is a very stylish hotel room, complete with a bar, two bathrooms and magnificent views over the Tower of London, with the river and Tower Bridge behind. The sound system turns out to be a Bose home system, with small speakers dotted around the rooms, including in the bathrooms. Hooking up to this proves very simple, but there isn’t a dance-floor as such, just an area clear of sofas, tables etc. The whole room is carpeted - not very conducive to dancing! Sue also tells me that the hotel is concerned that loud music later in the evening may upset their other guests! This could be interesting...

I start off playing some vintage lounge tracks (Frank, Dean, Nat, Ella) interspersed with more contemporary music (Adele, Ed Sheeran, Paloma etc) - this seems to fit the mood of the evening, as the guests in their cocktail dresses and dinner jackets, begin to arrive. I leave my lights off for the time being, just using the dimmed hotel room lights. Bowl food (a new but effective concept for me) is handed out by the efficient hotel staff.

I’ve brought along a retro 50s style microphone, which again fits in with the ambience of the evening, and I use it to introduce the amusing and heart-felt speeches, firstly from Derek, Sue’s (and my) dad, then Sue’s daughter, Becky and finally Sue’s BFF, Fiona. Then Sue herself responds with another lovely speech.

Speeches over I risk turning on my lights and turning up the volume. I’m still not convinced that anyone will dance. How wrong can I be!! I forgot that the mix of flowing wine and a group of parents free from the critical gaze of teenage children equals an opportunity to throw caution to the wind and enjoy yourself! I soon have a full (carpeted) dance floor enjoying a mix of current chart and 80s tunes, with a few Motown classics thrown in for good measure.

I was only once asked to turn the volume down a bit by a hotel manager, and that was at 11.40. The evening was to finish at midnight, so I reckoned we’d done pretty well, and hopefully hadn’t kept the other guests awake... it was a Saturday night, after all!



All in all a most enjoyable evening.  Now looking forward to Jenny’s birthday lunch celebrations next week....