Charlie Kennedy talks us through how to curate the perfect setlist.
Is your band playing a gig soon? Are you DJing Pawn Shop next week? Anything like that? If you are, you better get thinking about your setlist. It’s not just the songs you play that matter, if anything the order you play them in is equally, if not more important. This article will suggest certain structures you can adopt for your setlist, as well as my experience with creating them.
Assuming there’s people in the crowd other than your mother or best mate (you’re already doing better than me), there will be people watching you that don’t know every song. You have to keep them engaged. It’s also fair to assume that not all of your songs are equally shite. Some might even be alright. You should place the best ones strategically to avoid people dipping out for a pint or a smoke. It’s said that forming your setlist in the shape of a ‘W’ is a good roadmap - ending on a high-note is a suggestion you will hear from every musician and DJ, and that’s good advice. Starting strong is also vital, as you want to intrigue the audience into your act. If you’re doing a set that lasts half an hour, you’ll get to play seven or so songs give-or-take. Then, I’d encourage placing the more mediocre tunes at the 3rd song mark and the 5th song mark. Make sure the first, fourth and final tunes are ones you are proud of - do not play all your good material one after another, leaving the less interesting ones to fill in the last moments of the set. If you’re DJing, you have much more range and most likely, many more strong songs - as you don’t have to only use songs you wrote. You don’t have to fill in the gaps with duds. Trust your taste and play what you like, there’s plenty of it.
Once upon a time I spun instrumentals for an ‘up and coming’ rapper in the Soundhouse. He played the same tune three times because that’s the one people saw on Reels. Two of those times were one after another. I can’t say he captivated the crowd, though he was having a good time it seemed. At the end of the day that’s what matters.