The obvious stuff you'll never forget: your USBs, your headphones, maybe your own RCAs…

But it's everything else that catches people out, usually at the worst possible moment. A gig bag isn't about carrying everything you own — it's about carrying the things that turn a potential disaster into a non-event. And most of those are small, cheap, and easy to overlook until you're standing in a booth wishing you had one.

Start with backups of the things that fail. Two USBs, not one, with your library on both — sticks corrupt, and it happens at handover more than anywhere else. A spare Aux jack, because we’ve all been there that the audio is not working as it should with those jacks! Your own RCA cables in case the booth's are trashed, and a USB stick formatted and ready as a spare. If you play off a laptop, your charger, and the right adapter for whatever the booth throws at you. These are the failures that actually end sets, and they're all preventable.

Then the small stuff that makes the night easier. A phone battery pack, because you'll be filming and your phone will die. Earplugs — protect your ears, they're your career. A cloth to wipe down a sweaty booth, some cash for the cab or the cloakroom, and a bottle of water so you're not fighting to the bar mid-set.

None of it is glamorous, but the DJ who's calm in the booth will walk out of there feeling a lot better!