Chris Armstrong

School Years

Music has always been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. As a child, around the age of 7 or 8, I vividly recall sitting by my Nana’s twin tape deck ‘Music Centre,’ carefully queuing up tapes and pretending I was a radio DJ.

Growing up on a farm, my friend who lived across the fields had a CB radio in his beat-up old car. At around 9 or 10 years old (don’t worry, he was older), we’d find an empty channel, press the button on the mic, and play music, imagining we were broadcasting to the world. By secondary school, I was the kid who, at the end of the year, would bring my Sony Walkman and battery-powered speakers, playing music from my stash of cassette tapes for my classmates. It was just the beginning.

Teenage Years

At 17, I moved on to Agricultural College, and after passing my driving test, I started renting a decent PA system. My friends and I began hosting game nights and Ceilidh dances under the name “Eternity Socials,” and soon I was DJing student party nights at college.

Things really took off from there. The game and Ceilidh nights became a staple, keeping me busy most Friday and Saturday nights from 2006 until the pandemic hit in early 2020. These events were mostly for youth groups, Young Farmers’ Organizations, and churches, with weddings becoming a regular part of the schedule by 2008-2009.

DJNI

In 2016, I launched my wedding and corporate DJ business, DJNI, with the goal of expanding into more secular and corporate events—all while balancing a full-time 9-to-5 job. It has grown into one of the busiest wedding DJ companies in the country. Today, I employ three other DJs, and for three consecutive years, I’ve been a finalist for Wedding DJ of the Year.

‘But where does the Country Music com in’ I hear you ask?

In 2013, I heard Brad Paisley’s song “Outstanding in Our Own Field” on a local radio station, and it sparked my curiosity. I spent that summer diving into his Wheelhouse album, and by the following March, I was at C2C just to see Brad perform live. That night, I discovered The Band Perry, Rascal Flatts, and Chris Young—and, as they say, the rest is history.

This ignited my passion for country music. In 2015, when Downtown Country launched in Northern Ireland, I got involved—writing articles for their website, doing occasional on-air segments, and photographing concerts. Over time, my DJ sets started to include more country music, and in late 2019, I was selected to DJ between acts at the Jamboree in Co. Tyrone, an event with around 2,500 attendees.

I got a huge buzz from the experience and decided to reach out to the team behind Farmers Bash, Ireland’s premier Irish Country event held annually at the SSE Arena in Belfast. I pitched the idea of providing DJ support between acts to keep the energy up, and they were all for it. Then 2020 happened.

I was gutted, thinking I might lose the opportunity, but the Farmers Bash team proved resourceful. They organised a three-day drive-in event during the restrictions, which I ended up hosting and DJing. The event was a huge success and cemented a strong professional relationship between me and the Farmers Bash team.

Fast forward to spring 2022, when restrictions were fully lifted, and we returned to the SSE Arena for the first Farmers Bash in a venue since before the pandemic. This time, I was part of the biggest event I’d ever been involved in. I’ll admit I was nervous, but that quickly faded, and I had an incredible time playing the music I love to an audience that truly appreciated the genre.

In May 2022, I made a last-minute trip to London to help out at the Buck n Bull Saloon in Islington, and it was an absolute blast. The hospitality I received was second to none, and I was hoping they’d invite me back—which they did. Since then, I’ve returned several times, DJing party nights, brunches, and even the Sony Music Launch Party for Beyoncé’s latest album, Cowboy Carter.

Things really picked up in 2023. I was invited to DJ at American Speedfest at Brands Hatch, where they were celebrating their 10th year with a music stage. The two-day festival gave me the chance to immerse myself in both my loves—music and motorsport. I also had the honour of DJing two of the three afterparties at The Long Road Festival in Leicestershire, the UK’s largest American Country and Americana festival, thanks to my ongoing work with Buck n Bull. I’m incredibly grateful for the platform they’ve provided.

2023 also marked the opening of ‘Rodeos’ country bar in Wolverhampton, where I DJed at their one-day festival in November. I rounded off the year with a Buck n Bull Country New Year’s Eve party in London.

Now, 2024 is here, and each year brings more exciting opportunities. The Farmers Bash returned, this time with an outdoor setting that boosted attendance from 10,000 in the arena to over 21,000 people. I found myself on stage again, but this time, I wasn’t nervous—just ecstatic to be DJing the music I love to nearly 22,000 people, right in my home city. Years of hard work had truly paid off, and I could feel it all coming together.

Over the summer I’ve DJ’d at a record amount of Country Music festivals across the UK as well as a gig in Zurich, Switzerland. I’ve also teamed up with Luke Combs UK to be the official support on all their Irish dates, North and South of the border which has been a blast. They’re a great team of guys whose attention to detail is second to none when recreating the Luke Combs look and sound.

As 2024 draws to a close, I’ve a lot to be grateful for, but we’re only getting started! 2025 is just around the corner….