© 2007 Simon Soude.com
DJ Simon Soude and Bibbledy Bob the clown, are stage names of performer Robert Bowker. Rob was raised in Tamworth, Staffordshire, upon leaving school, Rob went through various jobs, from Felt Roofing Fitter to Shower Salesman before finding his calling in the entertainment industry. In 1986, Rob purchased a mobile disco and an old Sherpa van and embarked on his career. Rob says “doing mobiles was a good experience and gave me a great foundation for the future, doing parties for families and weddings etc is a very hard job, you soon learn how to keep a dance floor full and how not to empty one, the job and skill level of a mobile DJ is always greatly under estimated in my opinion”.
Also in 1986, Rob was noted by a popular bar called Manhattans in Tamworth and was offered his 1st residency. Pretty soon he was doing pub & club, moving upstairs to the nightclub Lincolns. It was here that he got his big break by bumping into the almost legendary DJ “Wicked Winston” Rob says, “Anyone who meets Winston cannot help but like him, he has an infectious laugh and a great personality. I was in awe of Winston, he was everything I wanted to be as a DJ”. Rob continues, “I was shocked, and honoured, when he asked me to cover his gigs in an amazing little club called Alley Cats in Hinckley”, a small market town near Leicester. Rob recalls, “ I was as nervous as hell because, 1) Winston is a tall act to follow. 2) This club in a sleepy market town was totally kicking, the atmosphere was electric”. “The walls were literally sweating it was that hot, and it was always packed with great people who knew how to party. Rob continues, “I just didn’t want to let Winston or myself down”. Little did Rob know how much Alley Cat’s, Winston, and a little market town would completely change his life. At the end of the two weeks, the boss of Alley Cats, Kevin Thomson, came over and asked Rob to work there permanently. Rob says,” I was bowled over that someone who had got Wicked Winston as his DJ, was offering me work! I reluctantly declined and said I would have to check it out with Winston”. “In true testament to Winston’s generous nature, he told me I HAD to take the job and we ended up working together sharing some crazy nights DJing in Alley Cats. Rob recalls, “Those early years in Hinckley were the best years of my life, it’s where i really learned my trade. Kevin Thompson just gave me so much confidence to do what I wanted to do. Kev is an amazing boss who puts his trust in you as a DJ and lets you do your job, unlike so many other managers, he was never a back seat driver”. Rob continued, “ it was Kevin that really changed my life, he obviously saw something in me that he liked”. Suddenly the phone started ringing constantly, first Banbury then Kettering then Ashby, Rob recalled, “things just went crazy all of a sudden, I was working seven, yes seven, nights a week all over the country. Manchester, Sheffield, Northampton, Derby, and all because Kevin had told some manager he knew how great I was”. Rob laughed, “The phone would ring and some guy would say, “you’re Kev Thompsons DJ, I want you to work for me”. “That was it, no interview required, if Kev said so, then it was good enough for them”. In admiration, Rob says, “there really are no words to describe how I feel about Kevin, and how truly grateful I am to him”, he continued, “to this day I still work for Kev, and that’s how it all started, 20 years down the line and this is still my day job”. Finally, Rob remembers, “of course things have changed, back then it was all records, now it’s not even CD’s, it’s PC’s, laptops and MP3’s. I’m no longer a DJ, I am an entertainer. I currently work 5 nights a week in Flares, Reflex and O’Neill’s. Still clocking up hundreds of miles every week and still spinning tunes. I am blessed to be working with some truly amazing people and most of all having fun. Doing a job I love and was created to do. It doesn’t get any better than this”
