About the most reliable mikes around for gigging are "SM-58's" made by "shure". They are extremely versatile, good quality, but most importantly, they last! You could bathe one in nitric acid whilst setting off small semtex charges all over it, and then drop it into the sun, and it would look at you in the way a bored crocodile might look at an irate sea-sponge.

If you can bung a basic PA together, with a seperate desk and amplifier, and a couple of monitors then you'll be laughing. I just think it makes setting your levels a bit easier even though you'll still probably be doing it from the stage.

The mike advice is good. I have no reason to give sure any business other than the fact that SM-58's & SM57's are bloody great. (Get the real thing though, there are a lot of copies around that can't stand the pace.)