2009-05-31 Sun - Bright Times Vol 1. Bar Story SE15 4QL 4 til Late

Nice to meet miss Slain, get better soon.

Jacqui were you there, I haven't seen you for months.

despite me not being there, some advice on the equipment side: Bringing stuff yourself is the only way really.

If you're ever doing something in SE15 again, pm me and I'll happily donate decks and mixer and a monitor for the night ... just catching dust here anyway. Will need help to carry it though, my back is fucked!

Edit: How about the Montague Arms? Now that would be really close! Could even manage with a broken spine.

Yeah, shame about the music/people/separate places issue. Lovely to see everyone though. My head's a bit broken today.

easy now, yup - the indoors/outdoors thing and zealous volume control was not ideal BUT…

what a crackin day - loads of peeps, sun, drinks, tongan, chats and giggles

MGrooves settin the tone with a juicy afternoon set, Markyboy dropping some 'smilers' on the decks, SNS with his trademark smooth flow [despite the dodgy faders] and JimJams making me grin and bounce as always

Bright Times - deffo

Great evening, capping a fine weekend.

Good to see everyone.

If we do this again can it be in a place where the people who are supposed to be there for the music are in the same room as the music....and where there isn't volume limits...and where the right speaker doesn't cut out...and where the crossfader fades and isn't just a switch.

Nothing worse than playing on a shit system, with parts not working properly, with people not arsed about the music, with management asking to lower the volume/equalisers.....

Corsica Studios in Elephant and Castle has a great sound system and a small outside area.

The main problem would be bike parking facilities although they do have a couple of burly bouncers on the door all night.

They're pretty helpful with organisation and in the past have been pretty flexible on taking a cut of the door/bar. Forum fundraiser?

Shall put my thinking cap on and see if there are any other more suitable venues.

Brightest Times

Lovely to see so many active forum members showing up, and some new faces too.

Thanks to all involved for lifting my day greatly.

I agree it would have been better to have people closer to the music/DJ's- though it sounded much better out back than in the front garden.

Perfect selection from the DJ's, proper summery business.

what a crackin day - loads of peeps, sun, drinks, tongan, chats and giggles

My point is though that we have that at every forum gathering, be it regular drinks or rides.
The whole bright times thread has been based on music, and nothing but...last night the music seemed to be merely background noise to the chatting with friends in the sun part.
We could have just as easily arranged a big forum gathering in a park somewhere and invited everyone to come along and drink beer, chat, and have a laugh and put the bright times mixes on a ghetto blaster and it would have been the same thing as last night....with more people probably too.
The fact that it was classed as a bright times gig meant that anybody who wasn't following the bright times thread wasn't likely to come because they probably thought it was gonna be quite a specific night out based solely on the music side of things....when really it could have just been classed as a fun forum drinks in the sun with some forum members playing music.

Sorry if i'm sounding like a dick about it all..i'm not trying to put down the work that went into organising it...i agree that it was fun to sit chatting with everyone in the sun....it just wasn't quite what i was expecting.

I would like to echo waynes love for the vinyl meisters. Cheers to you all for great service.

I think the venue is pretty damned perfect for us in some ways, it has to be said. Low key, bar staff not snotty, plenty of tolerance of bikes, lots of room. But Scott's right that its shit if they're telling you to turn it down all the bloody time - the mark of shit sound quality really, oooh it hurts my ears, that sort of thing. Maybe that venue would work for a regular thing if we could get the sound side of things a bit more sorted.

My fucking funny moments:

I particularly liked standing at a 'bar' for about an hour, only to be informed that where I was standing wasn't a 'bar', even though I'd just seen someone being sold (or pehaps given?) drinks right at that spot.

I also liked it when the proprietor shoted 'don't TOUCH that speaker!!' at Max and Chris, who were just trying to find out if it was working, and he then five minutes later completely trashed the needle on a record that was being played whilst collecting a glass from near the decks.

Hilarious.

And Shootthebreeze, behind me and Katt, just turning another way from us right at the bottom of Rye Lane (?) then not waiting while turned about we tried to catch him, the fast fucker. Nice to have your company kattt!

Well done Corny and MultiG and the selectors for giving us decent start to something more permanent. And to those who came along.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8458973@N04/sets/72157619086845354/

I know what you're saying Scott but given the layout of the bar and equipment and the fact that it was a sunny day then there was no way that peeps were going to stay inside. However, a load of us were deffo listening quite intently to what was being played and there were lots of nods and 'oh yes, toon' being exchanged. Ironically the best place to listen was out the back of the bar as we were so close to the speakers

and on the plus side, if we had all been inside then we would have had to watch Corny shaking his big black ass all night, and nobody wants to see that…

Corny has a large donkey, and he shakes it? This I would pay money to see.

I thought it was a great day... Not really fussed if people were listening or not, the place was empty when I played my set... No biggy... Good work everyone... :]
PS That wasn't Mrs Slain, Fiddy... I was chaperoning Sister of Mrs Slain...
PPS Great to have skoota, jonny and BRM turn up too... That made my night!

love the picts, rob

I'm sorry I missed this one, it does indeed sound like bright times.

On another note;

And Shootthebreeze, behind me and Katt, just turning another way from us right at the bottom of Rye Lane (?) then not waiting while turned about we tried to catch him, the fast fucker. Nice to have your company kattt!

this seems to be a case of the pot calling the kettle black (racist), remember Wests birthday?

PPS Great to have skoota, jonny and BRM turn up too... That made my night!

where the hell was Big Red??????
i think those Mojito's must have got the better of me...... who'd a thunk it?

okay, my tuppence worth.

Bright Times is all about the music, but its also about the people who are into it. We are Bright Times and we should be able to be anywhere with the good tunes playing and feel it. No the venue's not ideal, but for my mind, for this point in time its excellent. You can't force smokers to sit inside, and you can't tell people to come and dance inside if its still warm and balmy outside. Personally I'd rather get them dancing somewhere/anywhere in the venue than try and force them into a space where they don't want to be.

There's a first time for everything, and if we want this to grow and continue, then we need to adapt, and overcome the obstacles put in our way. We need to pull as many people from our little cycling world into it, and drag in as many people outside of our cycling world as possible, so that the Bright Times ethos continues.

With any venue a certain amount of give and take is necessary, if we continue at bar story, then hopefully we can push the boundaries of what we can and can't do and adapt that space and environment to suit us for the time that we are there, rearrange the tables and chairs inside, maybe put a couple of smaller speakers out the front, that sort of thing. To make it more of a come listen to tunes, dance alot and enjoy yourself even more.

If people know of venues which they think might be more suitable, musically welcoming, let the people know and we'll investigate. Chris, I've been to Corsica Studios and I'm not the biggest fan, but I'm open to all things.

On a personal note I had a great time, big tunes playing, good people around me, and plenty of jokes to be had. Roll on the next one, June/July Date TBC...

Not really fussed if people were listening or not

On that note i'm done...What's the point in putting in all the work on a night which has been based on a thread which is 100% solely about the music if nobody cares if anybody is even listening to the music?

chill out ladies!

i had an awesome time for what it's worth.... thanks to all involved.

and i though that the venue was good.... it's a nice change to have a night put on that isn't in freakin Shoreditch.

Lovely night and a sweet end to a hot weekend.
Great tunes and really loved the venue but it needed a bit of a shuffle to get people dancing and whip that bright times vibe brighter.
I think the decks would have been better placed opposite the bar (not down one end) and some of those tables moved to make space for people to gather.. then shake it down!

far too many big tables, DJ pushed down one end and school night after a hot day were going against it... BUT it was still a lovely night. just think at what it could be like when the formula is right!
All these ventures start with flaws and just get better.. heres to "Bright Times Le Returnez"

Good to see J man rock in late. William Gallas... cheese eating surrender monkey

On that note i'm done...What's the point in putting in all the work on a night which has been based on a thread which is 100% solely about the music if nobody cares if anybody is even listening to the music?

I do hear what you're saying, Scott... However, isn't it enough that everyone had a great time? Great music + great people = bright times indeed! Job done... :]

Chris, I've been to Corsica Studios and I'm not the biggest fan, but I'm open to all things.

Hmm, I know what you're saying maybe we just need to convince matey boy to let us rig up some active speakers (nice pair of Mackies) in the front garden and that way smokers/non smokers/sun worshipers etc can enjoy it, non?

What about upstairs at the sun&doves?

nice night, nice night..

+1 to pretty much everything of what scott's been saying to be honest - it's a different deal for people djing and yeah it was supposed to be about the music. I think what people don't realise is that bringing records across town (on your bike!) then playing them does actually involve effort and can feel like a thankless task sometimes, especially if no-one you came to play for is even in the room and the owner waves his hands in your direction to turn down every single tune you drop.. it's great when a joint is jumping and you're moonwalking through the crowds hi-fiveing everyone but if it's empty and you start playing Status Quo and no-one notices then you're just missing out on the conversation and good times everyone else is having. (I didn't really play Status Quo).

But back to the night as a whole - it was terrific to roll up and see such a turnout and to me it didn't feel like just another lfgss drinks, there were plenty of people I never see out usually and it didn't feel as bike-centric / geeky as it sometimes can. Great to talk to Tom for a good while at the beginning, great to see Max for the first time in ages, great to see Johnny appear back from his travels and fantastic to realise Mashton was suddenly in front of me, much later into the night, when I was frankly battered...

it's got the makings of a good night - in the words of the Mavis Staples, from the Curtis-produced soundtrack of the same name - let's do it again...