The Most Un-dj Friendly Venue In Kent

[phil w 0]

If anyone here gets offered a job at The Sterling Centre in Rochester, Kent, for your own sake, please check out the venue before quoting or even agreeing to play there. I vowed to myself several times after Friday night that i will not ever go there again.

 

Yes, i should of checked it out first i know, but i took my clients word on a lot of it as it was a short notice booking.

 

First and foremost, its a joint 18th with 150 guests, so i went armed full of scanners, smoke machine, strobe etc.

I turn up. After walking into the foyer of this leisure club, i am directed in the direction of a lift :damn:

Iv turned up with 4 subs and 2 wharfedale evpx215 because ive been told the venue is huge. The venue was in fact an L shape with a small dancefloor area and the wharfedales on their own would have done the job.

After lugging the ice machine into position, 1 of the 8 staff (who appear to be doing very little except watching me shed a stone in sweat) tells me "We dont allow those here, the smoke alarms are a bit old and dodgy"

 

Next. I am 6ft, the ceiling height was about 6 and a half foot, so no chance of the 4 scanners that iv carried in.

 

So, i eventually erect a very low looking trussing with some lights that i originally had no intention of using, next to 2 subs that i didnt need and by now 2 full buckets of my hard earned sweat.

The musics up and running then, hey presto, pop, all the sound and lights go 15 mins before the first guests are due, and im still in my shorts and vest....The barman then informs me that the electrics are very dodgy and its a regular occurence for music to go off during a gig as the fuse trips. At this point i retrieve my second cable reel from the van, split the plugs between the two cable reels and insist that the power goes into the kitchen, to which the kitchen assistant very kindly says i may use, but only after she has spent the next 10 minutes using the microwave.

Anyway, after a quick change and a few stiff drinks the night went really well and nobody knew any different except Mr DJ.

 

[Award Entertainment 0]

Wow Phil, that sounds like the sort of venue where my set-up would be absolutely perfect. 20 minutes to load in and set up, virtually no sweating and a pleasure to play. The dodgy power is a bit of a worry though. Is there an electrical watchdog agency who check safety compliance for places like that?

[Secret Disco 0]

Poor phil

I'm just as guilty as the next man in not checking out gigs ,although in our booking form we ask a load of questions about the place without the customer feeling un-easy.

After all that we still arrive at a gig where you want to cry after humping all your gear up 4 flights of stairs, the acoustics are :poo: , the limiter goes off if you pass wind and the un helpful and miserable bar staff telling you things you really dont want to hear.

Then people ask why we charge so much!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited July 2, 2007 by EdBray

[Welsh Audio Man 21 0]

im glad its not just me who gets the worlds worst venues then! tongue out icon

 

I recall doing a venue, where i had to set up, in a space that was about the 4sq ft, and also had to fit a 5 peice band in there too. There was one socket (for band and me), which was marked 5amp, and was running the tv. If it wasn't for the high wage packet i recieved for the job, i think i would have just walked out. Once again, my own fault for not checking the venue!

[NiM 0]

All makes life a bit more interesting though, doesnt it? :)

[gunslinger757 0]

Is there an electrical watchdog agency who check safety compliance for places like that?

 

Yes, they're called the HSE.

[Swingcats 0]

Yes, they're called the HSE.

 

I can relate to that, After spreading my wigs from just doing swing nights to full blown weddings I have done 4 weddings to date and one swing night.

 

1. Grooms father was abusive drunk who wanted Cilla Black, when I played it he screamed across the dance floor, not that one, I wanted Alfie! :ouch:

 

2. Had to carry speakers, very heavy amp up four flights of stairs ;thumbdown:

 

3. Sound limitor turned me off in third track, (Pink, Get the party started,) Full floor, The whole thing went dead. :blameless: Bride had a paddy on cos she said I did not mix first and second tracks right, Beats per minute were way off each other. :hphone: Then hurt my leg dancing up and down to madness and spent 1.30am-4.am in Dorchester hospital. :lame:

 

4. Only 30 people to start and after the buffett this dropped to 5!!! They just disappered? I was playing to the rather nice young lady behind the bar, who thankfully liked to shake her rude box for me. :zzz:

 

5. Swing night in Exeter, got flashed by a small speed camera on way home, it was in the middle of nowhere in pitch black , rain. :nono:

 

So whats next I ask myself? :scared: :rant:

[andyw 0]

all speed camera's around exeter are set extra sensitive to catch any wanna be argylle supporters. :bouncy: next time your in exeter send me a pm will try to meet up with you

[Swingcats 0]

all speed camera's around exeter are set extra sensitive to catch any wanna be argylle supporters. :bouncy: next time your in exeter send me a pm will try to meet up with you

 

 

I DON'T SUPPORT ARGYLLE !!! :poo: its gone very quiet???? :cense: :chad: :cheers:

[Secret Disco 0]

I DON'T SUPPORT ARGYLLE !!! :poo: its gone very quiet???? :cense: :chad: :cheers:

 

Hey Swingcat

I think "andyW" is offering a hand of friendship big chap!!!!!!!!

No matter what team you support

As BT used to say......."Its good to talk" :thanks:

[D.X 0]

got flashed by a small speed camera on way home, it was in the middle of nowhere in pitch black , rain. :nono:

 

 

Middle of nowhere, pitch black, rain ?

 

All the more reason to slow down surely

tongue out icon

 

 

What was the difference between BPMs on the mix that bridey complained about ?

[Swingcats 0]

Middle of nowhere, pitch black, rain ?

 

All the more reason to slow down surely

tongue out icon

What was the difference between BPMs on the mix that bridey complained about ?

 

 

A valid point, I was in that twilight zone that DJ's get driving home from late gigs, ie brain in neutral, new york new york and the cha cha slide humming in my head and doing about 60mph when suddenly 50mph zone out of nowhere, :poo: happens.

 

As to Andy, its an on going joke between us about the greens, and yes I'll be accepting the big hand of friendship, no worries. smile icon

[Mattaious 0]

Sounds like you had fun there Phil,

 

I suppose we all learn by our mistakes.

 

Never let the buggers grind ya down!

 

 

[andyw 0]

 

 

As to Andy, its an on going joke between us about the greens, and yes I'll be accepting the big hand of friendship, no worries. smile icon

dont know about big hand of friendship.a pint will do.got a ticket myself today as well ,£60 fine doh :paula:

[phil w 0]

I'll be looking out for the cameras on my way to Home Park next season, now Charlton are going to have a brief spell away from the big boys. We could do with a break from watching the overpaid prima donnas for a season. I went to Plymouth about 15 years ago and didnt like it then..

[Swingcats 0]

I'll be looking out for the cameras on my way to Home Park next season, now Charlton are going to have a brief spell away from the big boys. We could do with a break from watching the overpaid prima donnas for a season. I went to Plymouth about 15 years ago and didnt like it then..

 

I spent three years in Plymouth at Polytechneic in the 80's, three words come to mind COLD WET GREY.

 

That said I remember the first laser light show in Britain at the Acadamy night club in down town Union Street about 1983ish. Them were days

 

we digress

[jamminroadshow 0]

The amount of venues that have misable staff is amazing and they all think that you are taking your time just to upset them at the end of the night as we all love being there and do not want to go home.

 

Smoke machines are a pain as venues keep saying that you can not use it "because of the fire alarms". Not always sure they do (one venue burnt down that told me about the fire alarm so there alarm only seems to work for smoke machines)

 

I have often been told to turn it down then get complaints that people at the back can not hear. they put a sound limiter on the inside when it is the people on the outside that do not like the music.

 

and one final point i went to a venue with a lift but they said i could not use it as it is only for disabled people and i could not use it even though the people booking said that they had checked and i could use it

[scdj 0]

[poor you we were asked to do one there last month but due to another booking had to turn it down, but know now fom your info it probarly would'nt be the best place for us anyway, as our rig is huge and with 4 irock barrels and scanners,big uv box and smoke bubble machines etc we would have been pulling our hair out too, although the ceiling height would have been fine for my roadie/wife/ boss as she is 5ft nothing tongue out icon :Thumbup: