Back at The Smugglers on Saturday to dj for a school reunion. I was tasked with playing a Seventies and Eighties evening. Not my favourite stuff to play, I have to confess. After spending a few nights digging out the old tunes, listening to them with a fake enthusiasm and then consigning most of them to the delete button, my feelings remained a little south of luke warm. But djing is about playing to the crowd and not for yourself. This is a good thing as otherwise it would just be me and the barmaid in the pub but what a soundtrack it would have.
Seventies and Eighties is a euphemism for the most popular tosh that was thrown at the walls of consumerdom in the dark days before choice exploded with the t'internet. This is what is expected. My 70s/80s would journey from Prog Rock, through Punk, Post-Punk into the Manchester sound then some early rave. This is not what is considered to be the essentials for a successful pub nostalgia fest.
Dj Stu likes playing this stuff. I was surprised he wasn't asked to do it. I think, because I am officially very old and remember a time when The Wombles rocked our world, it is assumed that I have some kind of appreciation for this kind of thing. My Dad fought in the Second World War but he never felt like invading France every Summer. Nuking it, perhaps but that's another story.
Anyway, I gave it my best shot and it all turned out ok on the night. This just raises my fears that it will now become a regular function.
Tracklist here.
1 Miss You - The Rolling Stones
2 Oh La La - Rod Stewart
3 The Whole Of The Moon The Waterboys
4 The Blues Are Still Blue Belle & Sebastian
5 There She Goes The Las
6 She's A Star James
7 Is There Something I Should Know Duran Duran
8 Communication Spandau Ballet
9 The Edge Of Heaven Wham!
10 Sowing The Seeds Of Love Tears For Fears
11 Baker Street Gerry Rafferty
12 Romeo + Juliet Dire Straits
13 Dancing In The Dark Bruce Springsteen
14 Living In America James Brown
15 Let's Go Crazy Prince
16 Too Busy (Black Tiger Refix) Marvin Gaye
17 Never Never Gonna Give You Up (Remix) Barry White
18 Superstition Stevie Wonder
19 Hot Love T Rex
20 Suffragette City Bowie
21 Do The Strand Roxy Music
22 Let's Stay Together Tina Turner
23 How Will I Know Whitney Houston
24 If I Cant Have You (The Disco Boys Remix) Bee Gees
25 Beat It Michael Jackson
26 Theme From S-Express S'express
27 Rhythm Is A Dancer Snap
28 Temptation Heaven 17
29 Don't You Want Me The Human League
30 Blue Monday New Order
31 Stomp The Brothers Johnston
32 Ain't Nobody Rufus
33 Mama Told Me Not To Come Tom Jones
34 It's Magic Pilot
35 Shang-A -Lang Bay City Rollers
36 SOS Abba
37 Living On A Prayer Bon Jovi
38 Why Can't This Be Love Van Halen
39 A Kind Of Magic Queen
40 Just Can't Get Enough Depeche Mode
41 A Town Called Malice The Jam
42 Rock This Town Stray Cats
43 One Step Beyond Madness
44 Too Much Too Young Special Aka
45 Greased Lightnin' John Travolta
46 Proud Mary Tina Turner
47 Nutbush City Limits Ike & Tina Turner
48 Stayin' Alive ( 12" Version) The Bee Gees
49 Boogie Wonderland Ewf
50 Street Life The Crusaders
51 Ain't No Mountain High Enough Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
52 Baby Love (Halfby More Shambles Remix) The Supremes
53 Never Gonna Give You Up Rick Astley
54 Take On Me A-Ha
55 Girls On Film Duran Duran
56 Easy Lover Philip Bailey With Phil Collins
57 You’re The First, The Last, My Everything Barry White
58 Laid James
59 Oh Pretty Woman Roy Orbison
60 Sweet Caroline (Live) Neil Diamond
61 Hi Ho Silver Lining Jeff Beck
62 I Love To Boogie T Rex
63 I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Hot Tracks Mix) Whitney Houston
64 Chain Reaction Diana Ross & The Supremes
65 Walking On Sunshine Katrina And The Waves
You'll know all the songs so you will easily see how it all fits together.
Oh Belle and Sebastian was to keep Andy happy before the evening disintegrated in front of his empty Jack Daniels glass.
Only one I wouldn't play again was Van Halen, surprisingly, as it sounded more dirgey than I remembered.
Shang-a-Lang was a request obviously.
Do you think that in 2047 djs will be cueing up Take That songs for the masses?
1.Runaway 
Festivals, Schmestivals! My idea to make going to festivals fun again is simple. Have it somewhere where it is unlikely to rain, remove all the tired pop bands that fill up so much of the dead time while you wait for the one headliner you may wish to see, fill the days with a mix of up and coming indie and established acts, keep it away from the T in the Park clientelle. My last thought was to make it cheaper than your average UK festibore. 
Bands we went planning to see were Bis, The Fall, , Wilco my heroes who I have never caught before. Pavement, Pixies, The Drums, Yeasayer, Roddy Frame and The XX. Also caught The Charlatans, Health, Shellac, Wild Beasts, Japandroids, Marc Almond, Dum Dum Girls amongst others. 
Back at The Smugglers on Saturday to dj for a school reunion. I was tasked with playing a Seventies and Eighties evening. Not my favourite stuff to play, I have to confess. After spending a few nights digging out the old tunes, listening to them with a fake enthusiasm and then consigning most of them to the delete button, my feelings remained a little south of luke warm. But djing is about playing to the crowd and not for yourself. This is a good thing as otherwise it would just be me and the barmaid in the pub but what a soundtrack it would have. 