What's PAT testing and do we speakers need it?

In a nutshell - if its portable and it has a plug on it, it has to be tested. So, unless you're a standalone speaker, you are going to find that, in the next couple of years, venues will be asking to see proof that your equipment has been tested. So far, I've only been asked once - that was in June 2009 at The Terrace Restaurant in Brownhills which is a rather upmarket place and hot on health and safety issues. It isn't a big deal, getting it done, you'll need to take all of your electrical equipment along for testing and certification - don't forget your extension lead - I did, so I had to make a second trip to the tester. It took about an hour and he made me a cup of tea while I waited. He charged a tenner for the lot, so ring around and find yourself a small local one-man operation, otherwise, you can end up doing a talk just to pay to get your equipment tested!