Night Clubs

Okay, I have been thinking about trying out a couple of night clubs with glitter tattoos and possibly some painting. Does anyone have any experience in this? How do you get the gig? Do you offer to pay them to let you be there? How do you ask them if you can solicit their customers for money? Do you just show up painted and do some samples for the staff? I have tried a couple of emails, but never get a response.....

Thanks for your advise.

I've been curious about this also. Most of our night clubs have pretty scary reputations & I've been concerned about safety(we have regular shootings, etc...). This has prevented me from really looking into it.

You have to check to see if there is enough lighting to do painting or tattoos and a place for you to set up. I would suggest going out to the club on a busy night to see if there is a place for you to set up with out it interfering with the waitresses and other customers. You will have to pitch it to the club that offering this to people will give them a memory of their experience there that they can take home with them and that it will create a draw to their club. Good Luck.

Okay, so I did it! I went last night to a local night club. It was a new Men's Gay club that is open everyday. They have cage dancers, Drag Shows, the works! So, last night I went in, kit in hand and just started free handing glitter tattoos on the cage dancers. They only wear undies in the cages, so the glitter tats looked AMAZING! I did a lot of them in rainbow colors. Well, it wasn't long before TONS of peeps wanted one! I hadn't spoken to the owner yet, so I graciously let them know we were doing promo work that night and we would hopefully be offering these to the patrons very soon! I spoke to the owner and his exact words were "You can set up a booth whenever you want to, we have a black light show coming up you should be here!" I am SUPER EXCITED that it was that easy! I even asked about the glitter over flow and he said "Are you kidding me, it will just look like a drag queen tripped! Don't worry we vacuum every night" Sooooooo I took a chance and it panned out! I hope to visit some other clubs in the area soon, hopefully the money will be good.

jnjkoz wrote: "Are you kidding me, it will just look like a drag queen tripped! Don't worry we vacuum every night"

LOL!
Glad it worked out! If lighting is a problem you can take a camping lantern & set it up on your table.

My tips(added on to an FAQ in a UK site so may not cover it all!):

1) Get booked by the hour, I have done/ do for all my nightclub stints. Does mean I may be there until 3 am but hey, its money. Also offer to decorate staff (a set number!) free or for a small costs/ slightly longer booking - looks good, pleases management AND encourages punters.

2) As well as my trusty petzl field studies LED head torch I have some strings of those tiny Ikea (etc) LED fairy lights wound round me (hair, waist) & my kit. Is pretty but effective lighting & i use rechargeable batteries.

3) Make it clear to bookers AND punters you do NOT paint things YOU consider offensive - or parts of people you consider the same. If you have it on a sign to point at it saves your voice too.

4) Cut kit to bare minimum. At clubs the lighting is NOT going to show beautiful subtle blendings, etc. only bold contrasty stuff works. I basically take UV, black, white and rainbow with a few faves, and a handful of brushes. Also means less can get knocked.

5) I discovered i had a few more UV glitters than I thought when they glowed at the club and I spotted them in my 'normal' glitter section.

6) The UV torch/ light (think I got it from Bibi/ Dauphines?) is handy as shows them what it looks like.

7) Chain your mirror to you - the BLOKES are all at it - doesn't the gents have one?

Refuse to let anyone put their drink on your table at ALL. Otherwise you get left dozens and the ones who pick theirs up often knock them into your kit.

9) Be tough re table situation. I insist on being near the entrance - often better light, air, quieter, and you catch the less sweaty less drunk punters as they arrive. Also often handy for bouncers. Tell them you can amuse the queue that way too.

10) STENCILS!!!! I have a range, home made and bought, especially good for UV nights. Tribals, whatever, quick up the arms/ chest/ face.

11) I always wear a brightly bold lettered top, especially on my back - with that, my LED flashing belt and fairy lights in my hair I'm spottable.

12) Safety; if its a big club and you don't have a minder/ queue manager, make them leave you a security radio and KNOW how to use it/ who to call. Whether its a drunk hassling you or a punter passing out in the queue, you need it. Also if you need a loo break, call someone to watch your kit - clubbers worse than kids in a sweet shop....

13) Don't bother taking pics for them to choose; its dark, they are often drunk and will either take loose the sheets, take them down & carry them off into the distance or not be able to focus at all. Maybe have a few LARGE words to point at - 'tribal' pretty' butterfly' 'chinese symbol' etc (again save your voice) but basically its up to you, I find.....

14) Have an alarm/ timer etc clock with luminous display in your kit; keeps track of the time overall AND you can judge how long to spend with punters - they tend to want arm and face and cleavage etc so if I stop & they want more I can just say '5 mins max' sort of thing, again helps quell arguments, its 'official'.

I actually like club gigs tho as its often 8 hr bookings on a weekend (after doing kids parties) its tiring.
But very brainless, I find - no need to talk really and you are more likely to be allowed to paint what you want!

And my own personal opinion is NOT to take an alcoholic drink if management offer it (maybe after the gig tho). ESPECIALLY not from punters, even if they seem nice. Who knows what they might get you for a 'laugh'.

Oh yes that's my other tip - your drink -
15) get/ take a bottle WITH A LID - then you can't dip into it accidentally, won't get knocked into your kit, and is very hard for anyone to spike...

Cat x

* cough splutter - tea everywhere - WHAT????? UV GLITTERS???
How did I not know about this?
I want some NOW!!!
Hey wildcatfin - have been missing you and your advice around the forum !
Thanks for this - I'm going to start hitting up clubs next month and this is priceless!

Ybody has UV glitter - really nice. Now I just need something to use them for...

Thanks for the advice Cat, I think I have to try again to get some club jobs. In this city they don't seem so interested

I've thought about the club jobs, but how do I know if it's a safe club? In my city a lot of the shootings(gang related) are outside clubs.....

Thanks- I actually had a club owner call me today to work at his club- easiest paid gig yet, but as I don't drink and have little experience with clubs in general, this post was great!

I've been putting some serious thought into getting into the club scene. However, I will have to wait as I am not yet 21 and don't have all the supplies needed yet. My main concern is dealing with drunk people... I have lived a fairly sheltered life and have never really been exposed to druck people before, let alone drunk people in large numbers.

ohhhh Punky.... after spending years as a bartender in clubs I can tell you if your not used to being exposed to it you may find it very unsettling.
I have had adults act way way worse then kids have ever acted.
I have been in situations where without security I couldn't have done my job.
If your not very thick skinned and quick witted, I would put myself in that situation. Also last job someone deiced to throw my design book on the floor and dump beer all over it. A very expensive pain in my naughty word.
.... oh and disgusting sweaty drunk guys think it's a good idea to hit on you as you are in their personal space..... so dumb, and so far I have had two jobs where I have had to stand up and tell the guy numerous times to 'F*CK OFF before I get security... and both times I had to get security because they were too drunk to care how upset I was.
I get my husband to come with me now, or I don't go.

pslam- I'm right near Jax and the orange park area is probably where you want to go>>> the crazy horse. it is not really as crazy as the name says they have a couple of different clubs in one -rock-country-popular. There is also the option here to go to places where they are starting/finishing bike runs. Now a days most bikers are dr.s, lawyers and generally a great crowd that isn't really drunk (even though they ride to bars) because they have to get back on their bikes. Let me know if you would like to do this and need some help.. I know a few people around here!

To be honest Tash, I've had grown guys do that to me before.... when I was only 15 or 16. Mom and I were contracted to do a family reunion where there were supposed to be like 20 kids. Well, last minute, most of the kids left with the favorite uncle to go to the water park and only like 5 kids remained, 2 of which were my age or a year or two older. So.... we ended up painting for the adults. They weren't really drunk, at least I don't think they were, and they asked for some of the most LUDE things! Things that at only 15 or 16 I had no idea how to paint or what they even looked like or what they were.... and that's saying something as I've always been great at just winging designs and making them look great, even back then.

I simply responded with "sorry, I won't paint that." and my mom had to explain I was way underage (I've always looked and acted much older than what I really am). As for the one jerk who had the audacity to hit on me (not sure if he was drunk or not... didn't know how to tell back then), I told him "Dude.... I'm only 15! gross!" (or 16, can't remember exactly, lol). and that shut him up pretty quick.

Needless to say, when they called to book us the following year we politely declined the offer as we did not want a repeat of the previous year.

I did my first blacklight event! It was Sooo much fun. Thank you for all this great info, it was nice to go in feeling prepared.

Re how to treat drunks - I always worked with kids & and had grown up with my dad/ step-mum running hotels/ bars in the Caribbean. In which we got a LOT of army/ navy/ airforce men so could have been a mess as we were 1 of the few UK-owned businesses and they really let loose as often the local businesses weren't keen on forces men. And these guys often had illegal weapons.

But I found that treating drunks like kids is the best way - naughty, slightly dim kids. Be tough but firm and try to smile - big advantage being female especially if you are getting pissed guys.

I have never had a problem with drunks when I was working bars, or now when I paint in clubs..... but I am quite tall, even tho I used to be a skinny streak of nothing! Scarier being a teenager at scholl in Liverpool, actually!

With gun laws the way they are in the USA I can imagine there are more worries but surely most clubs seacrh for them? Even some Hong Kong/ UK clubs have detectors now. I'd think that could set your mind at rest a bit?

I reckon also ASK for security or a minder of some sort, they can always pretend to be your 'queue manager'.

Cat x