Wedding DJ from Band Lead Singer / Guitarist

Wedding DJs have been looked down upon by musicians for a very long time. It’s really just ridiculous rivalry that exists between these two music service providers. The musicians will all mock being a wedding DJ as being button pushers and the Wedding DJs will say that the bands are playing music that no one cares about anymore. Five years ago, I made the decision to start doing Wedding DJ work. I wasn’t convinced that it was such an easy job and when I heard famous music Producer, Mark Ronson, talking about how he was a New York DJ I was sold. In this article I’d like to communicate my experiences of being in both roles. I have great respect for the skills and complexities needed to do a good job as a wedding DJ and live performer. Hopefully this article sheds some light on the reality of the differences.

Wedding DJ work is definitely not easy or glamorous. The first thing that I noticed when I started doing the DJ work is that people weren’t as respectful. They would demand that I play tracks and would be more aggressive about the tunes that they request. I think they assumed that because I’m a wedding DJ, and I’ll have access to streaming services like Spotify, tidal, and apple music, that I’d be able to play anything that they request. The opinions of people about what they thought would work best on the dancefloor was much stronger and more aggressive. This hasn’t been as much the case with the band work that I do.

Wedding DJ work stands in contrast to band work visually. The bands are much more impressive to watch visually and I think people are more in awe of what they’re seeing. In this day and age is much rarer to see a live band playing. Furthermore, the sound of a live band is completely different to a wedding DJ. People are hearing real guitars, basses, drums and singing, and as a result, they’re less likely to come up and start making aggressive demands. There’s more respect. That’s not to diminish the role of the wedding DJ, it’s just a note on what I’ve experienced as a service provider.

Wedding DJ work isn’t simple. It’s complex. It’s easy to say something is simple when you don’t really know much about it. That’s also called ignorance. I was ignorant of the skills and nuances that were required to make the DJ sets work well. Smooth transitions, choosing the right next song, reading the room, getting a good idea of crowd style choice prior to the day. These are all parts of the process and job that make being a Wedding DJ not a simple gig.

Wedding DJ work, after playing acoustic sets from ceremony to reception, was generally impressive to people. It’s very common for me to get booked as a solo artist who plays acoustic guitar and sings the bride down the aisle. I’ll then play the canapes set and two dinner sets. Finally, I’ll finish the night off with two or three wedding DJ sets. People are usually really impressed that I do both. Sometimes I think that I’m being a bit audacious trying to do both but I seem to be getting good results and the lucky couple save money with me so why not!?

If you’re interested in learning more about my work as a wedding DJ and an acoustic musician please contact info@bigthanksband.com.au or call me directly on 0408 300 402.

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