Filed under: Birthday, Corporate DJ, Disco, DJ, Random Benny Thought, Wedding DJ
I don’t often get the time to sit down and reflect on anything these days. I think that may have something to do with the fact that I have been running around like a headless chicken performing at events.
2013 has taken me to a variety of glorious venues, such as Somerford Hall, Ardencote Manor, Wroxall Abbey, Hampton Manor, Shustoke Farm Barns, Hogarths, Nuthurst Grange, Redhouse Barn, Moxhull Hall, Highbury Hall…and those are the ones I can riff off from the top of my head. It’s great being this busy, but it has all been a bit of a blur!
So after a break to Majorca where I caught up on my reading (or at least some of it), I am now back, fully recharged, sunburned like a prat and raring to go! It’s just a crying shame that I had to leave behind a friend I made on holiday. 😦
If you would like to a professional DJ, event host and broadcaster at your event who is at one with the animals and is currently covered in aloe vera, click here to hire Benny Smyth.
There’s a question I get asked quite a lot when I get enquiries: I’ve just got a quote from a guy in the Yellow Pages to work my wedding for £90. Can you beat that?
I love that question and I hear it so often, I already know how to reply. I tell them that it depends on what they’re asking. If you’re asking me whether I can beat the level of talent, the quality of the lighting, clarity of the sound and the level of overall service you will receive, then I dare say that I will beat it and rather comfortably too. If you’re asking me if I can beat the price, the answer will be no.
A wise man once told me that when it comes to hiring a DJ, you should use what he called the ‘Buffet Rule’. Let’s say you’re getting married and you’ve hired a DJ to entertain you and your (for argument’s sake) 100 guests. You’d be happy to pay anywhere between £7 – £12 a head for your buffet but if you took advantage of the quote I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, that means your DJ will be charging 90p a head.
Just let that sink in for a second. 90 pence a head. Now think back to all the weddings and events you have been to. Do you remember the buffet? Of course you don’t but I bet that you do remember the DJ – be it for positive or negative reasons.
Just purely out of curiosity, I asked who provided the quote and did a quick Google search. This was a picture from their own website.
Now scroll down and look at the pictures that I have taken of my lighting and sound system in previous blogs. It may very well be egotistical to say, but it certainly brings perspective to things, doesn’t it?
Last month, I was delighted to provide the entertainment for Simone’s 18th birthday party in Minworth. Normally I wouldn’t combine a blog about a gig with what I have already said, but when I sat down with Simone and her dad, Simon for the consultation, Simon told me something that is so apt. He said that he wanted to pay that little bit extra because a few weeks beforehand, the family attended a birthday party and the DJ had awful equipment and was not able read the room.
It was an investment that paid off, and it paid of big. Simone and all her guests had a storming night, they had that dancefloor filled all night and with my mobile nightclub, we made that room look and sound amazing. Happy 18th, Simone! I hope to be there for your 21st. 😉
The lady who made the enquiry that prompted this blog told me that she was going to go with the guy in the Yellow Pages. I hope for her sake that there is a drastic investment in the sound and lighting by the DJ because I would not want to be there at the very moment she walks into the room and is greeted by the above.
Professional DJ, Benny Smyth is available to make your night memorable, and for all the right reasons. Click here to get in touch.
Filed under: Blogging, Disco, DJ, Random Benny Thought, Somerford Hall, Wedding DJ | Tags: dj, mobile disco, professional dj, somerford hall, wedding dj
As you can see over the last couple of blogs, I have been talking about the investment in my rig. Well, I think I have gotten to a place where I am very happy with what I’ve got. Take a look:
That photo was taken right before I provided the entertainment for Tori and Jack’s wedding at Somerford Hall last night, and what a night it was! From the first dance all the way until the end, that dancefloor was filled with guests having a great time to celebrate the union of the newlyweds.
(Fancy a guess what song was playing when the above pic was taken?)
Ensure that your night is as amazing as Tori’s & Jack’s was, and the best way to do this is to not take a chance with average entertainment. Contact Benny Smyth by clicking here and book your amazing night with a professional DJ.
Filed under: Blogging, Disco, DJ, Random Benny Thought | Tags: dj, lighting, lights, professional dj, professional lighting
I admitted in the last entry that I am a big kid when it comes to lighting. Well, following on from that, I have bought more lighting and it is very much an upgrade to what was already an impressive light show.
Most of my lighting now consists of moving head technology, which is the same sort of lighting you see on Britain’s Got X-Factor Whilst Dancing On Ice With The Stars (at least, that’s what I think the TV show is called!), but what does that mean? What it means is that any event I am providing the entertainment for will have that added ‘WOW’ factor to help make your night memorable. Let’s say you’re getting married and your colour scheme is Cadbury purple; can you imagine how amazing it would be to walk into the room where you will be holding your reception, and the room is washed with Cadbury purple? That is only a tiny taste of what I can do with my new toys.
Somebody, however, isn’t so happy with my new lights. Let’s call her ‘the lady I’m living with’ (remaining anonymous, and all that 😉 ). She was a bit annoyed when she came home from work and the living room was filled with empty boxes and polystyrene. She was even less pleased when she came home the next day to see that I had re-arranged the living room so I could set up the 4-metre trussing and put these lights up so I can programme scenes into my computer. To be brutally honest, I don’t think the smoke machine helped the situation either.
And, in hindsight, I should imagine it looked like quite the rave through the window from outside.
Still, all in a days work, eh?
If you want a hire a professional DJ with a new set of toys, then get in touch: benny@bsentertainments.co.uk
It’s always busy this time of year. The ‘wedding season’ (if there is such a thing) kicks off about now and of course there are other events to cater for.
For example, I was delighted to provide the entertainment for two birthday party’s so far this month. Firstly, there was Becky & Will who both celebrated their 39th birthdays and what a great night it was! The theme of the night was ‘Live Fast, Die Young’ so there were lots of Freddie Mercury’s and Amy Whinehouse’s and on top of that, it was a night where early 90’s indie took precedent. Just look at how we ended the evening (note: please excuse the shaky cam!):
After that, we made our way to Hogarth’s Hotel to provide entertainment for Andy & Alex’s joint 50th and 21st birthday bash (doesn’t anyone celebrate birthdays on their own anymore, or it that me being selfish because I want to double my income? 😉 ).
Another night of great fun there at a fantastic venue and best of all, Aston Villa legend Gary Shaw was there! I even got to meet him, though I may have giggled like a schoolgirl in the process.
As with any show, we use professional sound and lighting to make the venues look even more amazing then they already are. Professional DJs are a world apart from the standard ‘mobile disco’ and you need to bear this in mind when booking entertainment. When your event has to look and sound amazing then we’re here to help.
Drop us an email if you’re interested in having a professional at your event (even if you’re sharing a birthday!): info@bennysmyth.com
I own an S reg Renault Scenic. It loves petrol. In fact, it loves the stuff so much, it goes through it almost as quickly as I put the damn stuff into the car. I hate spending so much on petrol, so I was not best pleased with a conversation I had mere moments ago:
Attendant: That’s £67.41. Do you have a Shell card?
Me: No.
Attendant: Would you like to buy some drinks? Two for £2.
Me: Are you kidding me? In any other store in the world, I can get those same drinks at a considerably cheaper rate. Was shafting me for £70 not enough for you?
You would at least expect them to have some KY Jelly to help make the experience less painful.
Filed under: Birthday, Blogging, Disco, DJ, Random Benny Thought | Tags: birthday party, dj, mobile disco, professional dj
18th birthday parties are always great fun, and I was delighted to provide the entertainment for Josh and co to celebrate his 18th birthday.
I was given a list of all the songs that Josh and his friends loves. It included the hardest of dubstep, the darkest of RnB and the coolest of remixes, but what was everyone singing and dancing to come then end of the night? One Direction and Carly Ray Jepson!
That’s one thing a lot of people don’t understand when they hire a disco: will your guests enjoy your type of music? That’s why I like to spend time with my clients to talk through what they want and help them decide if their guests would appreciate the same style of music. I know from experience that if I played your favourite songs all night, but nobody danced, then you wouldn’t enjoy yourself. Now if I played your favourite music along with some tracks that may not be your favourite, but got everybody going, then I know for a fact that you would have an amazing night!
If you want to hire a professional DJ who will give you top notch pre and post disco care for your wedding, birthday or any other event, then get in touch: info@bennysmyth.com
Filed under: Blogging, Disco, DJ, Random Benny Thought, Wedding DJ | Tags: Radio
So it’s about time I broke out those shocky thingies and bought this blog back to life.
I’ll continue to throw in my Perspectively Different view on things, but I think I’ll start talking more about my DJ and Radio work.
So consider yourself notified: Benny Smyth is back, and slightly odder than ever.
Quoting the story from the BBC:
“One of the mysteries about the outbreak of the particularly vicious strain of E. coli is that most of the victims have been women….
…Scientists simply do not know why.”
I may have a theory on that, if anyone is interested?
Dear White Van Man,
You may remember me from this morning. You see, you and I came into close contact at a mini roundabout in New Cross (thats down in Laaaaandan, if you were unsure). Because of this near miss, I though I would write this open letter to you to make something clear.
On a mini roundabout (or any roundabout, in fact), it is the driver coming from your right who has right of way. If you were to use the eyes in your, quite clearly, vacant head, you would see that I had my right indicator on, which suggests that I am about to turn right.
What you did, however, was drive aimlessly onto the roundabout (I’m assuming with your eyes closed and your hands covering your eyes just to make double sure nothing gets through) and if it were not for my quick reactions, you would have had a Renault Scenic shaped dent in your white van.
May I take this time to suggest that you re-start your lessons, and in closing I would like to express my feelings on the incident. I was going to use expletives, but I have taken a lot of time to calm down, and thoroughly think through what I want to say. As a result, my well thought through, highly educated opinion on the incident (with the help of a thesaurus) is this: you’re a prat.
Kindest regards,
Benny Smyth
B.S. Entertainments 