Sunderland DJ who put fun back into weekends during lockdown holds final street disco

With dress-up outfits from Joe Exotic to Elvis Presley, grandad Brian Smith has been putting on a good show with his themed discos every Saturday night since the lockdown began.

The 55-year-old and wife Brenda, of Dene View Crescent, have been blasting the music from their garage from 6.30pm to 10pm each week.

And Brian, who runs business Beatroute Discos, has become something of a local celebrity through his weekly entertainment.

Using his automatic garage door as his entrance – which rises as the music begins – the lockdown discos have proven a real hit with his neighbours, who have been dancing in the street.

But now as lockdown measures are eased, Brian decided to hold his final street disco on Saturday, June 13.

And he made sure to go out on a high, taking part in a family-friendly Full Monty dance routine.

Brian said: “Because the lockdown is coming to an end, I have decided to stop doing the street discos.

“We did the last one last on Saturday, and tried to make it as much fun as possible.

“We did a family friendly Full Monty dance, a socially distanced Cha-Cha Slide and Oops Upside Ya Head with the neighbours joining in and dancing in the street.”

Brian, who has had a DJ career spanning over 30 years, working with celebrities including Ant and Dec and Alan Shearer, said the lockdown discos would be a memory he would ‘treasure.’

He said: “The kind comments I have received on Facebook from hundreds of people – some who are from far flung places over the world – has made me realise that my parties have impacted much more than I thought they would.

“I’m happy that I have helped to make this strange and sometimes difficult lockdown period a little brighter for my neighbours and those who have seen the videos.

“This is a fitting end and something I will treasure in my memory.”

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