Big Nights Out In Bournemouth

When I first meet Nick De Souza, he’s behind his mixing desk at 60 Million Postcards, an alternative bar on the edge of Bournemouth. Every Sunday, Nick – who lives with his girlfriend in Tisbury near Salisbury – hosts the now-infamous pub quiz there, but as I learn a few weeks later, there is more to him than meets the eye.

In 2003, Nick started his own DJ company, Big Night Out, which provides a DJ-ing service for all occasions; from 18th birthdays to quizzes, to weddings.

The 34-year-old walks with a confident gait and looks open and approachable in the bar, as he drinks his lager. It is evident from watching him that he is in an industry which values openness, honesty and friendliness – without these he would swiftly find himself without and audience and therefore out of a job.

He says of his career choice, “I was always into sound and music. I’m classically trained on the piano and I used to write my own songs.”

It transpires, though, that he fell into DJ-ing almost by accident. Whilst working at Tescos, Nick was on the board that organised social nights out. Once every few months, they would host a quiz night.

“I went to one, and the sound was awful, everything was just terrible so I asked them if I could do it next time”, he says, and from then he progressed to doing birthday parties for colleagues and friends of friends.

Eventually after spending some time balancing both DJ-ing and his full-time job at Tesco’s, he felt confident enough to leave the job and go into the DJ business full-time, starting his own company.

Nick estimates that he carries out around 50 ‘other’ events a year, as well as three quizzes a week at 60 Million Postcards, The Royal Oak in Winchester and the Old Ale House at Salisbury.

So, what makes a good DJ then, I ask. “There are essentially three types of DJs, you have the radio station or celebrity DJs, for example Zane Lowe, then there’s club DJs which just play songs and don’t talk, and then you have mobile or party DJs – like me – who talk a lot and interact with their audience.”

He tells me that on a personal level, people appreciate the lively way he talks to them, and the way that he has a relationship with his audience. Every quiz night he does, for example, he gives out sheets with song requests on them, and encourages feedback in this way.

When I talk to some of his regulars at 60 Million Postcards, they are full of praise. “We used to go to another quiz night in Bournemouth but it got a bit boring because it wasn’t challenging enough. With Nick, he feels like a mate, and the quiz is always a laugh” says Colin Miles, 24, who has been going to Nick’s quiz nights for around two years.

“I like the fact that he encourages us to ask for songs and write funny quiz team names. Also, the format of the quiz is always familiar but the questions are always really random. You learn a lot actually.”

Eden Penketh, 23, is also appreciative of Nick’s particular quiz-master style. “You never know what questions you will get. They’re never usually too easy, so it’s really challenging and difficult to win.”

So why does he still go? “You always know it’s going to be a good night, you’re going to have a laugh and a drink, and listen to some good music. It helps that you might go home £100 richer as well!”

Nick goes quiet when I ask him what he wants to do in the future or what direction he envisions his career going. “I’ve always liked the idea of doing radio,” he says, but then is quick to add, “but it’s such a hard thing to get into, you need to start at the bottom and for me it’s not worth it at the moment. A part of me also feels like it’s a bit late for me to be starting all over again at the bottom at this stage in my life.”

“I’m currently looking at progressing Big Nights Out further, by doing bigger, higher-end events. Eventually I’d like to be able to do more events management, for example outside events, where I can hire a marquee and organise everything from catering to DJing. I don’t know quite how I’m going to do it but that’s my goal at the moment.”

Nick owns the DJ Company, Big Night Out, www.big-night-out.com and also the Big Night Out Quiz, www.bignightoutquiz.co.uk