Danny Jones returned to Lincoln to perform a DJ set with a difference at the Engine Shed, on Wednesday January 30th.
Jones left his McFly fame behind for the night, and took to the stage to play a mix of heavy house and electro floor-fillers.
Entering the stage amidst deafening (mainly female) screams from the audience, Jones started the set with a huge grin – one that would stay for most of the night.
However rather than hiding behind the decks, Jones held a microphone and sang alongside the music – giving the set a fantastic ‘as-live’ feel and showing off some of the vocal talent that’s helped McFly storm the pop music charts.
Showing off his dance music influences and recent music project “Saturn V” with dance legend Roger Sanchez, Jones played a set worthy of Ibiza– from Swedish House Mafia, Rihanna and a large helping of house music to a bass-heavy remix of the euphoric dance classic “Silence” by Delirium.
The Linc caught up with Jones after the show to find out how one of pop’s most successful boy band members decided to take on the dance music scene: “I wanted to produce music but never had the time to do bands, so I thought, ‘okay what can I do? I like dance music, so I’ll just produce dance music!
“Then it got onto Sanchez and he heard it, and I had a session with DJ Fresh the other day. It’s amazing that all these people are respecting my production of dance.”
He continued: “If I was turning up and doing acoustic shows, it’d be like ‘he’s gone solo and shit’. It doesn’t feel like that It doesn’t feel like it’s a solo thing!”
Jones says he always enjoys playing Lincoln, both as McFly and with solo DJ sets: “Lincoln’s good. I’ve only played here once before but, as a venue goes, it’s a brilliant venue.”
He continued: “We brought the confetti cannon as well, just things like that make it a bit more special. It’s amazing here. I love it!”
Jones even brought a touch of glamour to Lincoln, as his stunning girlfriend and Miss England 2007 Georgia Horsley was spotted watching from the wings.
However, with McFly’s sixth studio album coming up and Saturn V taking off with an EP due this month, Jones says he often has little spare time: “It’s hard. I never have a day off really but then I don’t really need it anyway. If I have a day off I go in the studio!”
All that “geeking out” in the studio certainly shows, even if Jones cheekily protests: “I’m not really a geek, but I am tucked away. I’m cool really!”
The reaction from the crowd certainly proved the set a success –and it seemed Jones enjoyed it just as much. Even behind the DJ decks, his arms were often in the air along with the crowd – and still grinning.
At one point, a remix of Swedish House Mafia and Coldplay had both Jones and the crowd singing along. Later, he treated the crowd to some impromptu rapping to Tinie Tempah’s “Pass Out”, sparking a huge reaction from the crowd.
During the climax of the set, Jones sang “Where has Lincoln been all my life” over Rihanna’s “Where Have You Been”, and later on in the set simply sang: “Lincoln you’re alive tonight, Lincoln is alive tonight!”
Yet, although Jones loves splitting his time between DJ sets and McFly, he says the band will always be more important: “It’s totally different. I always prioritise McFly and this is just in my spare time. It’s a whole different mindset. I get that buzz out of it, but I get the same feel with dance music as I do with McFly stuff!”