FIRST GIG: GUY WILLIAMS
We talk to Guy Williams about his first ever gig
“My first gig was for a pub/bar in Manchester called the Athenaeum, which was a former bank, a really amazing grand venue. They started having DJs in 1993, the year I started playing out, then as part of a DJ duo. We were called Planet Janet and they asked if we would record our set onto cassette tape (yes, it was THAT long ago!) which they then used when they didn't have DJs playing live. I got paid £80, which for 21 years ago wasn't actually that bad!
“It was all obviously on vinyl back then and it was mainly house with a bit of disco. Some of the key labels for me at the time were Junior Boys Own, Slip N Slide and Strictly Rhythm. I didn't have decks at home for around the first year of me playing out, so it was very much a learn on the job scenario.
“The Athenaeum went on to have a pre-party for the infamous Flesh night at the Hacienda called Ride A Cock Horse, which we became residents for. We then started getting gigs at Flesh, which was when things started to take off more with gigs following in Leeds at Vague and Trash & Wonderland in Sheffield.”
