The other topic about favourite functions got me thinking about some of the strange ones I've done over the years.

I did a funeral at a huge church in St Johns Wood once
A very old lady had passed away, and had requested in her will that 2 pieces of classical music be played at the church, 1 as the body entered and the other on departure.
So I was paid to set up all my sound eqpt (funnily enough they didn't want lights ) at 10am on a Tuesday morning, and then play 1 song, sit and listen to the rest of the funeral, then an hour later play 1 more piece of music, and then pack up and go home!

Another strange one was the opening of a branch of the Abbey National inside a safeways store in Queensbury. I had to setup my gear at the entrance of the supermarket, and playing music and making announcements about the new Abbey National as people went into the supermarket at 1 in the afternoon for 5 hours!
It was quite funny though, as I had old dears dancing to some old cockney tunes, and some Indian blokes gave me a cd of some bhangra stuff and they were all dancing, then an old Jamaican bloke asked for some reggae so I had him and his mates dancing around the car park

Also did a disco inside Debenhams Oxford St, jeez, that was a nightmare parking and gettin the gear in to the store

i used to do food giant radio, or should i say put a mobile disco on the customer services desk and play 60's music.

saying that i got to work with a great laurel and hardy lookalikey and clown dolfeni lol .....

using those great radio sayings....." boxes to the packing bay...."

the things we do for money.

Lesbian Wedding - they got married in the hall very bizarre
Radio Rentals
Mobile phone shops
Debenhams
MFI

loads more that I'll remember later

I did a furniture store last year & set-up in one of the kitchens. It was a re-opening after a revamp only problem was no-one seemed to know about it. They'd brought in extra staff from surrounding stores & there were more staff than customers. To say it was an easy gig would be an understatement - but it's the only time I've set up in a kitchen
Paul S

A large motorcycle shop which was re-opening, except no-one knew so played for 8 hours on a Saturday and 6 hours on a Sunday to the staff !!

i did burtons and dorothy perkins in ramsgate kent and the manager was doind some breakdancing to RUN DMC - iTS LIKE THAT lol which was very interesting. Ive also 2 worked for debenhams, Lloyds TSB, Box Clever (Radio Rentals), BHS, VARIOUS PUBS (mmm beeer), Ashford International Hotel (OOOOHHH POSH lol) and a gd old shop called Richards Records in Canterbury. Oh yeah i forgot to mention Clarks Shoe Shop Canterbury lol.




LeeroyF

KEEP THE BEATZ GOING

A disco in the cellar of a spooky old Castle once, it had been done up (not very well) to be a small function room. The Suits or Armour and old oil paintings gave me the creeps,

Highlight of the night was my roadie hiding behind the curtain next to one of the large old suits of Armour and scaring the Youngsters! . I bet those poor kids still have nightmares, about the empty suit of armour which "talked" to them . Hmmm, the things we do to pass the time!.

Most unusual function: Well, up until a few weeks ago, I would have said that the couple of Wake/Funeral disco's that I'd done were the wierdest...however...

How about this..."A Death Disco". A 50 year old chap is given a month to live by his Doctor. So, he books a Disco for all his friends/Family etc...

I'd been thinking for several days between the booking of the function, and the gig itself about what NOT to play...(Spirit in the sky, Living in a box, real dead ringer for love, Seasons in the sun, American Pie, etc)...but I got within 30 seconds of playing "Land of the living" but luckily all the other hits by the same group are identical except for the lyrics...so "Walk on Water" fitted in just fine...The same request slip that asked for "Land of the living" featured two other unsuitable requests, so someone was trying to stitch me up...


As for most unusual locations: Barclays Bank after it closed for the night...to the point I had my CD/record boxes lined up along the counters...("Cashier Number 5 please")...Anglican Windows....("I love the sound of breaking Glass")...various carnival floats, A tent in the middle of the muddiest part of Salisbury plain, and an RAF aircraft hanger, with the aircraft still in it...("I believe I can fly...")