Professional Party People

These days, everyone's a DJ....

2010-06-22T18:14:00.002+01:00

These days, it seems having a set of dusty C.Ds and merely talking about them, amounts to being a DJ.

Everybody's hopping on this illustrious bandwagon, which in my own opinion, actually takes talent to be a good one. Not everyone on the Dublin scene these days would be my own particular cup of tea but at the same time, Dublin is home to some of the absolute best.

But can anyone REALLY be a DJ? The thought first occurred to me a couple of weeks back when I went out for a friends birthday, his activity of choice being a Boy George gig followed by a DJ set. I knew George DJed, but was surprised when the people who attended seemed quite lax about the gig itself ( where he played a Culture Club classic or two), as long as they were there for the DJ set. The place seemed to fill, and Boy George looked even more at home as a DJ behind the decks compared to a singer behind a mic.

We were invited backstage for a brief period, and I could see in it's fullness, the hype around Boy George and the music he delivers as a DJ. Admittedly, unknownst to myself, the extent of which he is fully immersed in the thriving dance scene, it's was refreshing to see the hype he causes amongst his fans, some of whom I spoke to, not necessarily Culture Club fans.

Boy George clearly has "the talent" I think a good DJ should possess. So much so, he successfully made the transition from 80s pop band to successful world renowned DJ, remixing songs here and there, comfortably being able to throw out tunes from reggae to techno. He's has his controversies in the past but kudos to George O'Dowd. :)

That being said, I came across this article that says it's easy to go from zero to hero in the DJ community when you stick to her 3 easy tips.... So can anyone do it?! I guess everyone will have their own opinions but here's the article below for your viewing pleasure.

Much love,
PJ xx

" I am one of the best professional DJs in my entire town and surrounding area. I have people call me every single weekend asking me, even begging me, to come spin at their parties and clubs. And I must get at least three musicians every month pleading with me to remix and dub their latest albums. But it wasn't always this way. I remember when I first got into music. I thought it was really cool how people were able to take a track, spin it, and remix it, therefore kind of making it their own. I always saw the DJs and spinners in clubs and parties as being the "life blood" of the whole event, and believed that they deserve most of the respect for making it a really hot show or promotion.

That being said, the first time I ever touched my first Denon DJ equipment, I almost broke it. I was the absolute worst at controlling the programming, and I even had just a really poor taste in music. I got made fun of all the time by people around me, calling me a clown, asking me "who I thought I was trying to be sir mix-a-lot" or something. I didn't get any respect. I even once had a group of guys kick me out of their party because they thought I was ruining it for everybody. They didn't even pay me for that gig.

But then, through long term trial and effort, and a lot more humiliation, I discovered a few really important tricks that go along with spinning records and programming tracks that have completely changed the way I control and make music.

The Three Keys To Hot DJ Skills:

The music you choose to play must suit the audience, not necessarily your taste!
To know music, you must make music. Create your own electronic beats!
Always stay on top of what is hot by studying the industry!

These three tips alone, have completely changed my game from chump to professional. Like I said, after a long time of guessing and testing, I finally landed and found my path in the right direction. I've "got it".

Now I have all my old friends apologizing to me, admitting they were mean, but genuinely wanting to be cool again. I get far more respect when I walk in the club or part, and people always are giving me VIP treatment and passes to different events. Not to mention, I want to get sponsored by the Denon DJ equipment company. And best of all, I get to enjoy spinning, mixing, and making really cool interesting music for own listening pleasure. Being the best DJ definitely has its perks!"

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kristen_Lumbato

Sweet Jane 'Blackeyes" Music Video Trailer :)

2010-05-05T15:40:00.002+01:00

We here at the PPP are very excited about Sweet Jane's upcoming album "Sugar For My Soul", their debut single "Blackeyes" is an absolute belter, here's a lil peek at the upcoming music video, put together by the very talented Cashmere Media... We can't wait for the rest! ♥

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scllzQlsB50

www.myspace.com/officialsweetjane
www.cashmeremedia.ie

Foals and Rolo Tomassi - The infamous lost photos!

2010-02-16T20:00:00.005Z

So over a year later, the infamous photos from the smoking area of Whelans have finally been unearthed from the depths of Miss Eimears computer, and here is the lovely result!
See the following blog for the gripping tale accompanying these photos :) .......
http://professionalpartypeople.blogspot.com/2009/03/foalsrolo-tomassi-ambassador-27th.html

Anywho, you may have noticed that things are a little quiet on the PPP front, due to a number of factors... namely a lack of gigs but let's just jump on the bandwagon and blame the oul recession for keeping the PPP down.

Since things are slow, I've decided to add a new dimension to the PPP blog in a way that still continues to keep the reader in the loop with the Dublin music scene socially and party - time wise, but also in a personal and more musical way. Expect to hear more from the PPP, from simply what's tickling our fancy at the moment, whether it be a new album or the new fashion fads of the music community, to reviews of gigs of up and coming and also well established Dublin/Irish bands.

We have the Queen herself, Lady Gaga AND the very talented Maccabees to attend over the coming weekend.... Hope you enjoy what's yet to come!

Love love loooove,

PJ Lang xxxxx

PJ and Yannis, lead singer, FOALS.

PJ and James of Rolo Tomassi fame.

Sessioning with Glasvegas, Round 2 :)

2009-07-30T05:03:00.008+01:00

"I'm sorry, I know you girls are used to champagne but I don't have any...." James Allan to the PPP upon our arrival at The Croke Park Hotel... He knows us so well.

To be right up in the very front row, crushed against the railings for the Glasvegas set at Oxegen 2009 stirred varied emotions in the PPP. Blissful but at the same time, a tad sorrowful. Glasvegas always put on an amazing show and purely to experience it even once, is amazing but at the same time, we couldn't help but feel a little sad :( And the fact that Audrey and Sarah were stood beside us welling up during "Geraldine" didn't help!

James Allan stood on stage, and despite the talent he possesses, it was still easy to read the disbelief on his face as a tent packed to the brim sang "Daddy's Gone" back to him, word for word. Looking around and seeing the awe on peoples faces as Glasvegas busted out tune after tune with perfection made Annie and I so grateful that we got to spend that one night with them sessioning on their tourbus. (See Glasvegas @ The Academy post) We didn't doubt that everyone in that tent on that Sunday night would've given anything for such an experience but at the same time, seeing him up on stage, in person again made us quite nostalgic and in a way, sad that it would never happen again. Or so we thought...

Following some correspondence with James last week via email, I lightheartedly mentioned that I'd noticed they were gonna be back in Ireland to support U2 on July 24th. Since Paul (the bass player) had told me last time they attempted a night out in Dublin they ended up in Copper Face Jacks, I offered the PPPs services in a tour guide sense if it was needed. James got back to us, and following some reminiscing about that fateful tour bus night said that yes, session number 2 was needed and that he'd give me a call after the gig on Friday.

So along came Friday night, we were bopping away in No Disko at the Academy... I'd told Annie that I'd been talking to James but it would still remain to be seen if he'd actually call us, no doubt supporting U2 is a tiring thing. :) But lo and behold, my phone rang and there it was, that unmistakable Scottish accent at the end of the other line. He informed us that everyone else was wrecked but he was up for a few drinks if we wanted to go back to back there for a few, an offer that couldn't be refused!

And that was it really... Despite the lack of champagne, James ordered us some Bulmers from the bar, Annie DJed the sh*t outta it via James' laptop and we sat there till the wee hours catching up, like old friends who hadn't seen each other in years :) Was really great to see him again and we already have next time planned, bring on reunion session number three!

Despite the lack of sleep, James had to head off to the States at 8am the next day and fair play to him, he didn't even kick us out, after hastily gathering up his things (at least THREE leather jackets) he gave us hugs and told us to feel free to stay till check out at 12. So Annie and I settled in the plush bed for a few hours before making that awful hungover trek home.... and we thanked God we hadn't gone as far as Belfast this time....

Pic 1 - Glasvegas at Oxegen Festival 2009.
Pic 2 - James Allan of Glasvegas at Oxegen Festival, 2009.
Pic 3 - Pj Lang and James getting hugsies in.
Pic 4 - Annie Lang DJing via laptop, James looking impressed!
Pic 5 - Pj Lang and James Allan, black and whiiite :)

PS - PPP shall be hitting the Electric Picnic in Stadbally, County Laois, 4th 5th and 6th of September this year in a major way! If there's any bands you think we should check out/review please let us know via email: professionalpartypeople00@gmail.com. Best festival in Ireland, not one to be missed, check out www.electricpicnic.ie for full details/line up/etc. Tickets are still available from Ticketmaster.ie, get on it!

Update from the PPP camp

2009-05-20T20:47:00.003+01:00

Hey y'all,

Just a quick update from us to let you know what we've got in our coming up in our calendar over the next few weeks..... hopefully lots o shenanigans will go down and we'll have lots to report blog wise. :) If you hear of anything through the grapevine, or have a band/event to recommend to us that you think would be worth our while checking out, please let us know :) We shall most surely be looking to add to the list below.

1) First off - After missing Rolo Tomassis headlining gig at Academy 2 last month, they've kindly put us on the guest list for next Tuesday, they'll be back in town to support Gallows in The Academy.
Gallows w/ Rolo Tomassi @The Academy, Dublin. 26th June.

2) Next on the list is our beloved Sweet Jane. In fact, we'll have to take it relatively easy with the Rolo Tomassi crew as we fly to London the next day to see Sweet Jane and St. Deluxe in Notting Hill Arts Club. We'll be reunited with our oul mate Alan McGee, hopefully he shall delight us with more Libertines and Glasvegas as he DJs at the event alongside resident Danny Watson.
Sweet Jane w/ St Deluxe @ DEATH DISCO - Notting Hill Arts Club, London. 27th May.

3) We'll then be keeping the Sweet Jane/Death Disco buzz going as Death Disco, and our dear Beep returns to Dublin after their Paddys Day Eve triumph. Buck Whaleys shall this time be graced with Sweet Jane and the wonderful Craig Walker (ex Power Of Dreams).... BP Fallon returns from New York with Bonehead (ex Oasis) in hand this time to DJ.
Sweet Jane/Craig Walker, DJs BP Fallon & Bonehead - Buck Whaleys, Dublin. 31st May.

4) Next on the agenda, PPP will be hitting Listen & Obey @ The Thomas House to check out the Funeral Suits who have just released their second E.P, entitled "Eye Spy." Our good mate Flavo will be there to spin the choons till you can dance no more!
Funeral Suits, Dj Flavo @Listen & Obey, The Thomas House, Dublin. 5th June.

5) This one is going to be absolutely AWESOME. A relatively all day event, kicking off at 2pm on Saturday, 13th June, Psycho Fest hits Twisted Pepper with style this year! Showcasing some of the best talent that Dublin and Ireland has to offer, this is not one to be missed. Performances from New Amusement / Humanzi / the Brothers Movement / Cheap Freaks / 202s / Boom Jackson / House of Dolls / The Hot Sprockets / Wounds / Sickboy / Hassle Merchants / Howlin’ Dowlin / Percolator / The Mighty Stef / Funeral Suits. with DJ’s Dandelion / Gib U:MACK / Ray (Sounds & Pressure)..... Tickets available from www.bodytonicmusic.com/store. Visit www.myspace.com/clubpsychoticreaction for more details.
Psycho Fest @ Twisted Pepper, Dublin. 13th June.

6) The PPP will be out in full force and high spirits to support a glorious cause on June 27th. Our friends, Neon Stars are having an E.P fundraiser in THINK TANK (formally the Hub, Temple Bar). If you're free, come down and give em a hand, guaranteed to be a whopper night with awesome support bands :)
Neon Stars @ THINK TANK, Dublin. 27th June.

Check out any of the above bands of www.myspace.com and hopefully we'll see you there for a dancie and a drink.

Much Love,

Pj Lang xxxxxxxxx

Howlin' Dowlin', Neon Stars, Rolo Tomassi session & The Mighty Stef

2009-05-02T23:22:00.008+01:00

Greetings!:)

As the PPP are staying in this weekend (much to our disgust) I thought it was high time the blog was updated. We've had a few bits and bobs going on, namely last weekend so I shall condense it all into one!

Firstly let me start off with a bit of fab news, the amazing Sweet Jane have hired me as their merch girl so no doubt that'll add a bit of extra sugar and spice to the adventures we share here. Anyway, come along to Sweet Jane gigs in the future and we'll get the chats in while you buy a tshirt.....:)

So let me get started on last weekend! In our Mystery Jets blog you may remember us mentioning that the theme tune of the weekend was "A Stitch in Time" by Howlin' Dowlin' (officially the most played song on my iPod).... Well delighted to say they've now got their MySpace up and running, check them out at www.myspace.com/howlindowlin1. We popped along to see them play Psychotic Reaction in Crawdaddy on April 24th, absolutely whopper gig, we bopped away right up the front and even had a song dedicated to us :) Sadly the PPPs camera just wouldn't cooperate with us so the photo of them I'm putting up is one of a gig they played supporting The Mighty Stef in Crawdaddy on Valentines night of this year. Make sure you check them out on MySpace, such catchy indieness, you won't be able to NOT like it.

The following night we headed to see our oul pals Neon Stars in Think Tank, formally The Hub. This one was not to be missed as The Hub used to be a regular haunt for the PPP and Neon Stars most Friday nights so we had to pop along to see if we could relive that old Hub feeling of getting blotto and dancing to quality choonage. Well let us just say we got a shock, long gone is the musty, dingey, crumbling Hub we knew and loved..... Visually, it's amazing. Plush leather couches, stunning artwork adorning the walls, the kind of stuff that looks like a cross between manga drawings and an emo album cover and the stage lighting is superb. The lads played a great gig and afterwards a DJ came on. I suppose this was the only disappointment of the night. Although we still all got blotto in true Hub fashion and danced to whatever music is was that was playing, the DJ did look at me like I had three heads when I requested The Smiths and promptly informed me he would be playing nothing but house and electro with a bit of R n' B. It was at that point that we really started reminiscing, and decided the sticky floors and odd smells of the old school Hub weren't so bad after all......:)

The following night we were due to go to see Rolo Tomassi in The Academy. We'd kept in touch with them since we met them in Whelans the previous November after they supported Foals in The Ambassador. We'd such great craic with them that night and we were delighted when they told us they were coming back to play a gig of their own. Sadly, we were unable to make it to the gig as a funeral fell on the same day but we needn't have feared! One of the guys from the band texted us and let us know they were staying in Ireland Monday night also and invited us to a session round their hotel in Tallaght. So we rolled up with some Bulmers, half a bottle of vodka and merriment ensued! Highlights included giggling over the 40 Year Old Virgin when tipsy, balcony smoking, mocking eachothers accents and teaching the lads a whole new vocabulary featuring the likes of: lob the gob, yoke, and of course, gee. :) :) The band return next month to support Gallows at The Academy so roll on May 26th.

Thursday past we went to see The Mighty Stef perform an acoustic set at Club Odessa. As huge fans of The Mighty it was an occasion we very much looked forward to as we had not seen him in action since Valentines Night before he went on tour in America. Club Odessa is normally a members club but it's opened it's doors over the past few weeks to non members who were interested in seeing bands they had booked there. Other artists who've performed there over the past few weeks include Sweet Jane and Heritage Centre. When we first arrived we weren't quite sure how it was gonna go down, it looked like someones sitting room and you could pick the club members out a mile away, most of them sitting up the front though it was quite possibly the first time they'd had the pleasure of being at a Stef gig but fair play to them, they really got into the swing of things and it wasn't long before Stef had the whole room in high spirits, singing and dancing a plenty. Playing a mix of songs from both albums "The Sins of Sainte Catherine" and the more recent "100 Midnights", Stef returned to the gig scene in Dublin with a bang.

Things may be quiet on the PPP front for the next few weeks as we desperately attempt to be good and stay indoors in order to save for Sweet Janes gig at Death Disco on May 27th in London. Stay tuned, it's gonna be whopper :)

Peace and love,

Pj Lang xx

Notes: www.myspace.com/howlindowlin1
www.myspace.com/theneonstars
www.myspace.com/rolotomassi
www.myspace.com/themightystefband
www.myspace.com/officialsweetjane
Photo 1: Howlin' Dowlin'@ Crawdaddy by Pj Lang
Photo 2: Neon Stars @ Think Tank by Pj Lang
Photo 3: Rolo Tomassi backstage pass by Pj Lang
Photo 4: PPP with Joe of Rolo Tomassi, by James of Rolo Tomassi
Photo 5: The Mighty Stef @ Club Odessa by Pj Lang

Sweet Jane @ Psychotic Reaction, Dublin 27/03/09

2009-04-06T23:21:00.011+01:00

Sweet Jane AKA "Operation Cannot Possibly Fail"........

That's my new name for this Dublin band, because let's face it, they simply CANNOT possibly fail, these cats are gonna be huge. The Dublin music scene is what it is and being very big fish in a small pond will most certainly not be the extent of what Sweet Jane become. Sweet Jane are not afraid to branch out of the usual comfort zone and have already supported the likes of our beloved Glasvegas and A Place To Bury Strangers and PPP just know that more greatness awaits them :)

Don't merely go on to their My Space and trawl through their pictures and listen to a song or two, BUY their EP, SEE them live and you'll get the full, delicious Sweet Jane picture. The upkeep of this blog has involved PPP heading to alot o gigs and we've seen most of the big Dublin based bands but Sweet Jane are different on alot of levels. It's more than just a music thing.... I'm not going to go down the road of comparing them to other well known bands, just let me say their sound is unique, brassy, and full of general awesomeness. Visually, Sweet Jane have a lot to offer, being fronted by the vivacious Lydia Des Dolles, a completely enthralling blonde who just draws you in..... tis inevitable but to look at her as sways about the stage. Believe me when I say, this is a band you HAVE to see live. If you're in Dublin and you want to be completely immersed in rock and roll in a completely hypnotic way, Sweet Jane are the band to see.

PPP have seen Sweet Jane numerous times, and despite them having to compete with some unz unz unz electro DJ a few doors up, it was potentially the best gig I've seen them play, even though Lydia herself was worried that her voice would still be AWOL on the actual night. Annie and I potentially had had one or 2 vodkas too many though, we honestly danced like it's 1999. And why not?! Sweet Jane rocked Crawdaddy :) My highlight was "Where's Your Money Gone?" and of course I had to bop around in front of the stage on my own for that one, Annie picks the most inconvenient times to pop to the bar!

Not only are Sweet Jane da shiz professionally, personally, you couldn't meet a nicer group of people. Refreshingly so. No airs and graces about them at all, Lydia even put us on the guest list..... She's the sweetest thing to happen to Irish music in years dudes! Watch this space. So we bopped away to the calming, soothing tunes of Talulah Does The Hula, having an oul drinkie or two when we ran into our old friend BP Fallon who was out to support the Sweet Jane cause. He took a few photos of us (which we're scared to see cause we'd had a few, fair play!) and then we headed back in to see Sweet Jane, where BP was almost as snap happy as me. :)

Afterwards, we hung around backstage for a while, caught up with some old friends, chatted with BP a bit more, Annie almost broke her back....the usual :) Then Annie and I headed back to Ruairi from Sweet Janes place in BPs little Clio. More drinking, chats and general tomofoolery ensued. Let it also be noted, they probably won't appreciate me saying it, but Lydia and Danda are the most adorable, loved up couple we've ever seen, fresh from the U.S with their matching tattoos, Annie and I were very jealous. :) Think we'll have to face that the closest the 2 of us will probably ever get to true love is eachother, ha ha....

Daylight began to break out yonder window, people started to disperse and having had the tights ripped off us by the lovely Ciaran Ryan,(who I don't owe a tenner to) PPP decided that bedtime beckoned..... till our next adventure!

Peace and sweet sweet love,
Pj Lang xxx

(NOTES: www.myspace.com/officialsweetjane.
Photo 1 - Sweet Jane, taken by Pj Lang
Photo 2 - Lydia Des Dolles, taken by Pj Lang
Photo 3 - Annie Lang and BP Fallon, taken by Pj Lang
Photo 4 - Lydia Des Dolles and Pj Lang, taken by strangers!
Photo 5, 6, 7 - Ruairi, Danda, Andy of Sweet Jane, taken by Pj Lang)

Death Disco Dublin 16/03/2009

2009-03-25T02:38:00.007Z

'You two skulked in and I knew it was you...'
-Alan Mc Gee

‘Skulked in’ indeed. Let’s be honest, being in Buck Whaleys made us pretty apprehensive. Shiny, colourful, brightly-lit nightclubs ain’t really PPP’s scene. But no way were we missing Death Disco Dublin! Alan McGee and BP Fallon (Legends. Two nicer people you couldn’t meet) were djing and it promised to be an epic night...and EPIC it was!

Classy birds that PPP are, we started lashing the pints into us. It wasn't long before we were hovering near the dance floor waiting for a choon to get us moving. It was then brought to our attention that drinks aren't allowed on the dance floor. Boo. This meant downing our pints in one. Lucky enough this is a pretty easy task for PPP .

It didn't take long for Alan to spin a tune to get us on the floor. And a better choon he could not pick! As you know by now Glasvegas is one of PPP’s favourite bands, and Daddy's Gone got a bit of a stir out of the crowd there. It wouldn't take long for another Glasvegas song to be played...the epic 'It's My Own Cheating Heart' literally sent PPP into a bit of a frenzy. It really gets to me that DJ's don’t seem to play Glasvegas that much in clubs because their music is perceived as depressing. That's really not the case! I actually can’t remember a time PPP went that mental on a dance floor. Hearing my favourite Glasvegas song really made my night.
More songs and more dancing followed... a few drinks later and it became increasing hard to remember that drinks are not allowed on the dance floor. But the bouncer was very polite and didn't lose the head even though I lost count of the amount of times he had to remind me. Anyway as always PPP had a song to request...
Ah what else but our beloved Libertines. Don't you just hate when you request a song and you're in the toilet/smoking area when it comes on and you totally miss it??! Yeah so does PPP... all the Glasvegas songs more than made up for it though.
It being Paddy's Day eve, the Irish Rover went down extremely well, cheers for that BP.
At some point of dancing near the DJ box, Alan Mc Gee leaned across and gave PJ a Death Disco badge. Win! Take note: PJ Lang hearts badges. He recognised her from Twitter where they had conversed earlier about the where and when of Death Disco Dublin. Personally I’m not down with all this twitter malarkey but if not for it we’d never have known about Death Disco so I suppose it has its uses. Introductions all round ensued between PPP and Alan and BP. Quote of the night goes to BP when he commented ‘Paula Jean, that’s very rockabilly’. Nice. I’m pretty sure PPP had a nice little dance to Champagne Supernova, although after copious amounts of Bulmers one can’t be entirely sure. And we vaguely remember seeing Lily Allen there at one stage. And we were also invited into the DJ booth which was very nice indeed. We met a nice lady named Chantelle there too.
With that the night was over. The music always stops too soon for PPP and so we tried the usual pleading for another choon. But Alan did one better, he invited upstairs to the piano room. We duly followed and continued to get the chats in. After that it was on to the Radisson to get even more chats in. We mostly discussed Glasvegas (thats about right) and the fact that James Allen is a genius. And he knows it. So that was it. Night over and off to bed went very happy PPPs. Death Disco London next!!

Mystery Jets DJ Set @ Bar 903, Galway, 28th Feb 2009

2009-03-16T02:32:00.008Z

28th Feb 2009

(Note: This is the last entry that we needed to backdate, yaaaaay!! Every blog you read after this one will be happening in the here and the now. PPP have lots on the cards in the near future including Paddys Day, Neon Stars in Limerick, Sweet Jane @ Death Disco on London and many more in between! Enjoy!)

Miss Audrey Lang was in Galway a couple of weeks ago and noticed a poster for a Mystery Jets DJ set on the 28th so myself, herself and Annie took it upon ourselves to make a weekend out of it and let Professional Party People hit Galway for the first time. And believe it or not, I would also be popping my Galway cherry! Although I'd been told many many good things about Galway numerous times, I'd actually never been so couldn't wait.

We arrived on Friday, first thing we did was drop our bags and go down to the bar for a big crispy pint of cider! We needed to start as we meant to go on :) Our time before the DJ set on Saturday night was spent drinking pints, eating hella good breakfasts, buying dresses and Star Wars t shirts and Audrey getting into scraps with Welshmen in our hotel (ie - kicking him in the balls, he deserved it).

We arrived in Bar 903 at about midnight, having indulged in a few vodkas back at the hotel beforehand but we were in grave fear we may have missed the DJ set. The lady behind the bar assured us that they were currently down the road in a pub drinking with the manager and were due to arrive at half 12.

They eventually arrived (they being William Rees and Kai Fish) and they played a whopper set. We did not sit down even once, we danced the night away to the fullest extent, lobbing requests of MIA and The Knife at William, none of which he played...cheek of him :)

When they were finished playing their set we got chatting to William at the DJ box and he asked us did we want to stick around and tag along to a party with them. Audrey commented how for the 1st time, she was witnessing the awesome power of Professional Party People. :D

We stood outside the venue, me sharing a ciggy that I'd bummed with William and Kai very very successfully managing to steal Annies beloved circular hairband when a guy (I believe his name was Eoin) approached us with a box of beer and invited us to a party in his jaff down the road. Who are we to refuse a fella with a box o beer eh?

Off we went to this party, which was about a 5 minute walk away. Had a few beers, got the chats in with Mystery Jets, went exploring around the maze of a house with William and then off we went back to our hotel to bed. Annie never did manage to pry her hairband back from Kai, he did however assure her he would put it to good use and wear it at gigs and stuff. Time will tell... So back at the hotel, where by this stage we were so blotto and so loud that reception came up and told us off, telling us to keep it down. Oooopsie.

Theme tunes of the weekend: "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac and "A Stitch In Time" by the absolutely IMMENSE Howlin' Dowlin'. Who are not on MySpace yet but watch this space! Literally.

Peace and absolute love,
Pj Lang xxx

Notes: www.myspace.com/mysteryjets
Photo 1 - Mystery Jets Promo Poster, taken by Pj Lang
Photo2 - William and Kai of Mystery Jets, taken by Pj Lang
Photo 3 - William and myself, taken by Pj Lang
Photo 4 - Dave and Kai (wearing Annies hairband!), taken by Audrey Lang
Photo 5 - Williams cooool Rough Trade bag, taken by Pj Lang

Glasvegas @ The Academy,Dublin & PPP in Belfast?! 14th December 2008

2009-03-15T23:42:00.010Z

14th December 2008

So this is the big one...... and I'm not even sure where to start.

I guess I should start by saying that Annie and I had loved Glasvegas since what felt like the dawn of time. Before "Daddy's Gone", before the NME cover, before any of that malarkey. I remember when I added them on MySpace and Paul, the bass player sent me back a private mail thanking me and I actually nearly wet myself, ha ha. :) Seeing them at Oxegen was for sure one of the highlights of the weekend.

Then we heard they were playing at the Academy and though I managed to secure a ticket right away, getting Annies ticket was no mean feat! For a while it looked like I'd be going alone and I was totally prepared to do that.... tickets on ebay etc were going to €90 or more and in these times of recession, Annie could nay be affording that! But in the end a friend came through for us and absolutely besides ourselves with excitement, we set off to see Glasvegas in The Academy. :)

Being the PPP we are and arriving too fashionably late to catch the wonderful Sweet Jane, I texted Ruairi who is a member of Sweet Jane, asking if he'd met the band, what they're like, etc etc. Cause let's face it, in my opinion at least, James Allen is a f*cking genius! But it wasn't long before Glasvegas arrived on stage,. Annie and I found the crowd where we were standing to be a bit.....dry so we (completely too easily) made our way to the front of the crowd, right to the front barrier where the action was considerably better :) They put on an unbelievable show.It's quite easy to see why the NME called them the best new rock and roll band in the world, they just completely draw you in and mesmerise you. Top notch stuff!

Complete stroke of luck, we're not really sure how it happened... but Annie and I were just standing outside the venue after the show chatting away when a guy approached us, asking us if we'd been to see Glasvegas. We told him we had and then he asked us if we would like to meet the band! :) Obvious answer to that one question. Turned out he was a technician for Glasvgas (his name was Kayto, legend!!) so he gave us a MCD backstage pass and off we went.

We entered the dressing room and in there sat James, the lead singer, Caroline, the drummer and the sweet as sugar Lydia Des Dolles who is the lead singer of Sweet Jane. Though I'd obviously heard of Lydia before, I know a few of her friends, this was the first time we actually met her and she is a unbelievably sound and unbelievably talented girl.

Glasvegas really treated us like one of their own, offering us delicious glasses of Moet champagne before we even had a chance to sit down. It wasn't long before we met the other 2 members of the band, Paul and Rab, both equally as lovely, escorting me to the back stage smoking area whenever the occasion called for it and filling up our glasses before they even ran dry. Very very down to earth people and incredibly easy to talk to. Conversation ranged from everything from the girls on Soccer AM to Elvis Presley to fake Armani bracelets :)

After about an hour the lovely people who work for the Academy politely told us they were shutting the venue down for the night. I was just on my way back from the smoking area with Paul when this happened, everyone was vacating the dressing room and my heart just sunk. Our time with Glasvegas was over :( I gave Annie a little heart broken look, certain she would be feeling my pain but she was smiling. It seems drinks on the tour were in order!

Parked outside was the tourbus of all tourbusses! 2 floors, flat screen tv, a playstation of some sort, a legend of a bus driver and more cold pizza and Stella than you could shake a stick at.

Let's put it this way......at some point another bottle of champers was cracked open in honour of a birthday and champagne goes right to my head. Maybe Annie will be able to intervene and shed some more light on the subject of the goings on from this point!

James told us that they weren't staying the night in Dublin, that they were driving straight to Belfast that night but we were welcome to stay for a couple of drinks. So we sat there like old pals, at a table with Annie and I on one side and Lydia and James on the other. Their crew were all lovely guys too, it was humbling that everyone was so friendly towards us and so accepting, they seemed to have to qualms with 2 blonde Irish girls raiding their fridge for drink and snacks :)

I can't help thinking Annie would be better at defining particular details about the night... I'm useless at details once I'm drunk , she however, is not so bad :) As in particular points of conversation and all that jazz. I remember however, the point came where the bus driver told us that they were going to have to start making their way to Belfast. Big "awwwws" all around. :( Till James breezily said "Sure why don't you come to Belfast with us?" At first we didn't think he was serious of course but once we established that he was, we didn't need to be asked twice :)

Lydia sadly had other commitments and it was all a bit surreal as she left the tourbus..... I was watching her go and thinking that maybe we should leave too, that I didn't really want us to outstay our welcome but everyone was being so pleasantly insistent that we felt they'd have been offended if we refused :)

And off we went with Glasvegas. On their tourbus. To Belfast. Couldn't quite believe it, I'd admired them for so long and people always say you should never meet your heroes, you'll only be disappointed but we sure weren't. They were among the most courteous, polite and unpretentious people we've ever had the pleasure of meeting which was really refreshing.

I couldn't tell you how long the journey to Belfast took and I couldn't tell you how long we sessioned for when the bus finally came to a stop, all I do know know is that it was a night of momentous proportions. We drank, we danced, we sang a bit of Aslan and at one point, knowing of our unabiding love and respect for Carl Barat, James kindly proceeded to call him once I had stuck "Time For Heroes" on the iPod. Considering it was all hours though, Carl didn't answer :(

It came to a point where sleeping started creeping in, the boys were immersed in their computer games, the girls has dispersed long ago and gone to bed and everything in general seemed to be winding down. I settled my head on Annies shoulder, more than happy to make that my resting place for the night when Paul came over and kindly offered us his bed upstairs.

Annie and I crammed ourselves into a bed that was very "Some Like It Hot" and got the sleepies in. We were interrupted at one point by James who called us lightweights for going to bed, gave us a hug and let us get back to it. We slept for a while until we heard general movement around the place...... Annie was like "Jaysus, what time do ya reckon it is? About 6 in the morning?"
"It's half 1 in the afternoon!" one of the girls shouted into us, laughing.
To be fair, I have no doubt that we were probably still up drinking at 6 in the morning, we just completely lost track of time. :)

After a manhunt for my handbag, we decided it was time to go. James asked us would we not stay for the gig in Belfast, that we didn't need tickets or anything but they really had been hospitable for long enough and outstaying our welcome was not something we wanted to do after everyone had been so lovely. Even Geraldine (a member of their crew who the song "Geraldine" was written about) interjected and told us we didn't have to go but to be honest, we were also hungover to f*ck and needed a real bed!

So we said goodbye to everyone, thanked Paul for donating his bed to us for the night and off we went out into the wilderness that was Belfast to face the challenge of making our way home. And of course, as was to be expected, once we'd gotten home and slept our hangovers off for a few hours we immediately regretted not staying in Belfast for the extra night. Maybe next time. :)

Pj Lang xx

Notes: www.myspace.com/glasvegas
www.myspace.com/sweetjane
Photo 1 - James Allan, taken by Annie Lang
Photo 2 - Martin (it was his birthday!) and Paul Donaghue, taken by Pj Lang
Photo 3 - Kayto, me, James and Dave, taken by Annie Lang
Photo 4 - Kayto, James and Dave, taken by Pj Lang
Photo 5 - Annie and Pj Lang! Taken by James Allen
Photo 6 - WTF?! We're in Belfast!! Taken by Annie Lang

Foals/Rolo Tomassi @ The Ambassador, Dublin,27th November 2008

2009-03-15T06:03:00.006Z

27th November 2008

Me, Annie, Shiv and our friend Eimear were split in pairs when we went to see Foals for the second time :( Me and Eimear had gotten tickets for the upper circle and Shiv and Annie for the ground floor. Although Annie and Shiv were gonna be closer to the action, Eimear and I didn't mind so much cause at least we could knock back the beers up where we were, the ground floor served no alcohol.... FAIL!

Gig was great! Yannis climbed up on an amp or two and me and Eimear danced and drank away to our hearts content. Can't honestly say that this gig was as good as the gig we saw in The Academy though.... The Ambassador is alot bigger and as well as that we were on the balcony so we weren't really caught up in all the action, sweat, blood and tears like we were at the Academy.

Afterwards we went to Whelans and it wasn't long before there was a buzz about Foals being in the house! Me and Annie approached Yannis and (as usual!) congratulated him on a great show. I began to mention that we had actually met him before in The Village after their last gig when I noticed he was leaning closer towards my neck as I spoke and sniffing (fo' real!)....

I laughed and said "Are you about to ask me if I'm wearing Davidoff Cool Water?!" and he said "Yes.....did I ask you that last time we met?!" Ha ha :) Considering the amount of touring Foals do and the amount of people they must meet, it was quite lovely of Yannis to remember us. After I explained the Davidoff Cool Water thing he looked at Annie and shook her hand saying "Oh, I met you last time too, didn't I?!" Bless.

Somehow, not quite sure how, but we ended up at the table where Foals and their support band Rolo Tomassi were sitting and we had great craic. They made use of us though, ha ha. Carrying drinks back to the table with them whenever there was a big round. :) Rolo Tomassi, for the loud, rocking music they play....what a bunch of softies :) Annie and I absolutely fell in love with them, was such a pleasure to meet them, we have tickets to see them again when they play The Academy in a few months and we can't wait, it's be a session and a half!

So the night played out in the same manner.... drinking.....dancing.....escorting them up to the smoking area if the occasion called for it.... being dragged up there by Joe from Rolo Tomassi to leer at his band mate Ed while he chatted up a girl cause apparently "he's rubbish with girls." :D At one particularly naughty point, Yannis loaned me his coat in the smoking area as I was freezing and while warming my hands I came across his phone(and an inhaler!) in his pocket..... The devil on my shoulder (aka Eimear) tried to convince me to ring her phone from it so we could have his number forever, ha ha.....but hey, we're not THAT groupie - ish. Yet :D

Peace and looooove,
Pj Lang.

Note: We DO have photos of this. Waiting patiently for Eimear to send them to me....
www.myspace.com/foals
www.myspace.com/rolotomassi

Blood Red Shoes @ Whelans, Dublin, 2nd June 2008

2009-03-15T05:25:00.003Z

2nd June 2008

God bless bank holidays!! Me, Annie and Shiv went all out and booked a hotel for a chunk of the weekend, it was class and the weather was fabulous. :)

We had tickets for Blood Red Shoes in Whelans on Monday night so as it is compulsory to go out 2 nights over a bank holiday we decided on Sunday and Monday night.

Sunday night was spent in The Village, karaoke nights on bank holidays are always tremendous fun. We scooped back a few bottles of vino, handed our names up to sing karaoke but it was toooo late :(

The next day we enjoyed the great weather, Oliver! on tv (musicals on tv on bank holidays are also compulsory in my book) and caramel sundaes from McDonalds before we got our drink on and headed to Blood Red Shoes in Whelans!

Crackin gig, even better than when we saw them in the Hub, they freely invited a stage invasion for the last few songs and Annie and I danced our socks off beside Stevens drum kit like the PPP we are :)

Afterwards we decided to stick around and retired to the pub section of Whelans where soon enough we saw Laura Mary and Steven lobbin around. Annie was all "Ya were bleedin in the NME with him, go talk to him!" so I tackled him as he was coming back from the toilet. (I'm soooo classy)

Again, he was every bit as lovely as he had been before. To differentiate myself from other run of the mill stalkers, I explained our beautiful NME love affair and the penny dropped! He gave me a hug then and said he didn't recognise me as my hair was different (well spotted) and that he would've come say hello before.... He's just sound out dudes. Simple as. Annies camera was also AWOL that night :(

Peace,
Pj Lang xx

Notes: www.myspace.com/bloodredshoes

The Maccabees@ Tripod, Dublin, 29th May 2008

2009-03-15T04:59:00.004Z

29th May 2008

The less said about this night the better :P

Ha, I merely jest.... private joke for my Langs as they're the only ones who'll get it. I was absolutely blotto for most of the night anyway (tut tut) so it'll probably be a short one!

So all the Langs (me, Annie, Shiv and Audrey) went to see the Maccabees in Tripod with Neon Stars and Animal Channel (somewhere...we lost them) in tow. Great gig. It was the 2nd time I'd been to Tripod as a venue, we'd seen LCD Soundsystem there before, not as packed as it had been that night but we were happy as we got to dance around to the choons.:)

Afterwards we rolled down to Whelans where Gav Neon was forcing Jagerbombs down the necks of the poor innocent Langs when Kev Neon comes up to us and is all "Orlando from The Maccabees is here!" We didn't actually believe him until he practically dragged us over to where Orlando was. Poor Orlando, must've felt like a show and tell from where he was standing. We spoke to him for a few minutes, turned out he was in Whelans on his own..... somehow had lost all other members of his band. :)

He asked us to bring him to the smoking area so myself and Audrey did the honours :) Even as we walked up the stairs of Whelans, people were calling his phone asking where he was so it was pretty obvious to us that he wouldn't be around for long! He was tackled numerous numerous times on the way to the smoking area, by one chung wan in particular and it came to the point where he asked us to keep people away from him.... Not in a "I'm a prick" sense, the poor man just wanted to enjoy his ciggy in peace :) After getting the chats in for a while, Neon Stars bought him a few Jagerbombs at the bar (of course) and then fair Orlando disappeared into the night......to Crawdaddy :)

Hugs and stuff,
Pj Lang xx

Notes: We had no camera that night, boooo :(
www.myspace.com/themaccabees

Foals @ The Academy, Dublin, 20th April 2008

2009-03-15T04:22:00.002Z

20th April 2008

Yay for Foals!! :) :)
We'd played their debut album "Antidotes" over and over again till we were practically hearing it in our sleep! Our mate Audrey has a very lovely boyfriend called Gav (who is in a very lovely band called Neon Stars) and he got so pissed off with us requesting it as the general soundtrack in his car that he hid it on us :(
But by God were we excited about their gig in the Academy and we had every cause to be!

We were a bit skeptical when we first entered the Academy.... let's call a spade a spade here, the place was full of absolute chung wans who were all dressed in bright neon colours and wearing sunglasses indoors. Cooooool. Guess that's the type of audience that Foals attract but even if we're too old to love 'em, we still do.

But once the music started.....by God. It really pains me to say that this was the best gig I've ever been to.... I don't mean that in a bad sense, I just mean that I've been to oh so many good gigs that it would pain me to pick a favourite. Let's just say it was WELL up there! :)

We got absolutely well and truly caught up in the mosh pit, elbows in the head, high heels digging into soft bodily tissue was all in plentiful supply but it was all worth it. Highlight - "Two Steps, Twice" and of course, the obvious choice, "Cassius".

Afterwards we rocked down to The Village and hung out with our good mates Neon Stars. It was also upon this night that The Langs (a work in progress band made up of me, Annie, Shiv and Audrey) met their beloved Animal Channel for the 1st time. A great night was had by all and Shiv and I even got up and sang "I love Rock And Roll" on karaoke. But thankfully this was before Neon Stars and Animal Channel arrived so no slagging ensued. ;)

Annie and I were on our way out for a schmooooooke and who do we run into only Yannis himself, the lead singer. I stuck my hand out and forced a shake upon and having had quite a few bevvies in me by this stage, started twittering on about the awesome gig etc etc and he just looks at me, stops me mid sentence and says.....

"Are you wearing Davidoff Cool Water?"

Which I was. I was like "Wow, great sense of smell there!" and he just smirked smoothly at Annie and I and strutted away..... :) :) Smooth operator or wha?! We were certainly left swooning........

Pj Lang xx

Notes: Photo credits - Annie Lang.
www.myspace.com/foals
www.myspace.com/animalchannel

The Horrors DJ Set @ The Sugar Club, Dublin, 4th April 2008

2009-03-15T02:21:00.002Z

4th April 2008

So I have a new found love affair with The Horrors. Not so much the band itself but oh my God, that Faris Badwan. He's all dark and broody and sh*t, I would so tap that :D
Me and Shiv made our way to the Sugar Club on 29th Feb with the understanding that The Horrors were gonna be DJing. I'd already MySpaced Faris and he said he wasn't gonna be there, it was gonna be Joshua Third and Tomethy Furse. Still, a Horror is a Horror. :)
We arrived at the door the see the lovely Horrors poster hanging beside the pay booth with the following sprawled across it in black marker:

"The Horrors DJ set prosponed. Blame Ryanair."

Wasn't so bad though, we danced the night away regardless and ended up at a house party in Stoneybatter, a house occupied by 3 members of the band Kill City Defectors. Ended up sleeping on an airbed in the sitting room and jaysus, had one of those laughing fits where you laugh so much it actually hurts. Kill City Defectors hang around with some funny b*stards!!

Round 2 took place on 4th April. And as an added bonus, Sweet Jane were playing before The Horrors did their set and Ruairi who is part of the band lobbed us on the guestlist. We had Annie Lang in tow this time. :)

The Sugar Club is so aptly laid out that when the Horrors snuck off for a ciggie, it was easy to take the opportunity to get the chats in with them. And I'll tell ya something for nothing.... The Mighty Boosh is not exaggerating about those skinny jeans. Skinniest I've ever seen on a man. Quite impressive. Doubt I would've managed to even to squeeze one arm into one leg of those bad boys.

Then I saw a vision of my future self (well actually, I certainly hope not). An middle aged lady dressed in a Metallica t shirt and a bowlers cap had taken it upon herself to follow The Horrors around the smoking area and after about 5 minutes, I decided now would be as good a chance as ever to intervene. We all chatted away for a few minutes anyway, sound fellas and I resisted the urge to tell them that I think Faris is a roooooide :)

Off they went in a taxi, certainly didn't seem like they housepartying type. We on the other hand, ended up at a house party in Marino... it was so wild that everyone fell asleep and I ended up drinking cups o tea in the kitchen at 8 in the morning on me tobler - own. Funtimes.

Pj xx

Notes: www.myspace.com/officialsweetjane
www.myspace.com/the horrors.
www.myspace.com/letsgetdefected (Kill City Defectors)
Photos below taken by Annie Lang.
1st one - Joshua (looking at my boobs), me, Tom.
2nd one - Joshua and Shiv.

Professional Party Peoples 1st apperance in the NME!! 9th Feb 2008,

2009-03-15T01:09:00.001Z

28th Feb 2008

So he said I wouldn't do it..... :)

But oh yes, I got a picture of Steven from Blood Red Shoes and I into the NME magazine! WOO! Albeit it in the Stalkers section but hey, let's call a spade a spade here :)
I send the picture into NME a day or 2 after that night in The Hub not knowing what to expect really. I know Blood Red Shoes aren't exactly as well known as U2 or anything but the NME did seem to be on a supporting BRS buzz so I hoped for the best!
We waited and waited and the Feb 9th issue came out, me and Shiv popped into Easons in Heuston Station on our way to Kildare and jaysus, there I was! Bang smack on page 17! Me and Shiv enjoyed a little scream and ignored all the stares we were receiving from Easons customers. Feck it, I was famous now! Well kinda. Ha ha. If ya can call being commended for your stalking abilities in the NME famous :)

I even received an email from 1 or 2 from friends who are in really good Dublin bands and they were all "Heeeeey, I saw you in NME!" even though they themselves had been in the NME for their MUSICAL talent rather than anything else.... amusing! :) I brought my copy of the NME in to work and shoved it in everyones face like it was a Nobel Prize, some amateurs hadn't even heard of the NME, others slagged me on my groupie abilities (though I'm not!!) and commented on how it looked like Steven and I were brother and sister.

I then took it upon myself to mail Steven through the MySpace machine to make sure he saw it. And this is what I got back:

"yeh i saw it! and i said to laura-mary, that girl TOLD me she'd get it in the nme....and indeed you did!
what's funny is that on the same page there's one of yannis from foals who is an old friend.
and im pretty sure we dont look related, it's just a blonde thing eh
hugs right back
sxx"

Yay!! :D Here's to many more Professional Party People appearances in the NME. The photo below is the photo that appeared in the mag, will try upload a photo of the actual Stalkers article itself if I can root out the magazine....

Peace,
Pj Lang xxx

Notes: www.myspace.com/bloodredshoes
Me and Annie hope to set up a PPP MySpace soon but until then, please check out my own personal one www.myspace.com/rockinrollinlobbin

An Explanation....plus Blood Red Shoes @ The Hub, Dublin, 25th January 2008

2009-03-15T00:28:00.003Z

So here's how it is. We are well aware that the date is actually March 15th 2009 but the basic idea of getting this blog off the ground is to backdate everything Professional Party People have gone through already :) We're starting with Blood Red Shoes. They played The Hub, Temple Bar, Dublin on 25th January 2008 and it was a night of epicness!
I basically have all upcoming entries, namely from 2008 and early 2009 captured in written form in my journal so now I must undertake the daunting task of transferring them here! :) I'm sure it shall all be worth it in the end. Although all that happened over the past year is from my journal, PPP have ALOT o shenanigans on the cards in the very near future and rest assured, Annie Lang will be contributing once we have our backlog finished! :) Hope you enjoy!
Pj Lang xxx

Blood Red Shoes, The Hub, Temple Bar

So I heard through Trev ( Radiator, promoter) that Blood Red Shoes were going to play in The Hub. Delighted or wha?! They hadn't been to Ireland before and though they ain't released an album yet, we got proper excited as we love their stuff on MySpace.

Trev put us on the guestlist and we rocked up to the Hub, we arrived just as Peggy Sue And The Pirates were wrapping up their supporting slot. The Hub was a great place to experience Blood Red Shoes as it's not the hugest venue so the acoustics were super and it wasn't a struggle to get a few snaps of the band live.
They played an awesome show and as usual, the hits played after the band were awesome. I popped upstairs for a quick schmoke and who do I see wandering around outside with a bottle of whiskey in his hand only Steven from the band. Considering I felt Blood Red Shoes just might very well be on the verge of hugeness, I had to seize the opportunity to talk to him. What a nice guy.....tried to convince him to come to a party with us once The Hub ended but alas, he said they had an early flight to Paris the next morning.

I walked back down the stairs with him, we went to the dancefloor, had a little dance, took a few messy photos (see photo above, me and Annie plus Stevens mouth!) and then it was all over and they had to dash! I joked with Steven that I was gonna send one of the photos into NME and he laughed, saying they probably wouldn't bother putting it in. Oh so humble :) I didn't get a chance to speak to Laura - Mary but she seemed just as friendly, boogeying away with friends and chatting away to any fans that approached. All in all, a CLASS night. Blood Red Shoes = da shiz.
Pj Lang xx

(Notes: Photo below - Shiv, me and Steven, taken expertly by Annie.
www.myspace.com/bloodredshoes.......Also.....we miss The Hub!!)