Need a cover band, entertainment for a wedding, acoustic duo or some live music?

The Band Boutique Blog

Wedding venue requirements and how that effects your options for entertainment.

Are you thinking of having a fantastic rock and pop or funk and soul band at your wedding reception? There are a few things you'll need to check before you go ahead with the booking. Most importantly speak to your wedding venue and see what requirements they have that a wedding band must adhere to. It is always best when booking your entertainment to give them all the details that they need to know as soon as possible. This can help save stress on everyones part.

There's been horror stories in the past where a band shows up to for a wedding and is turned away due to a lack of PAT testing. There's nothing the band can do, nothing the venue can do and nothing the newly married couple can do so here's a check list of things you need to be sure of before agreeing a cover band for your wedding.

PAT testing and Public Liability Insurance

Speak to your wedding venue and see if they need your band to be PAT tested and insured as soon as you book. This isn't always necessary but sometimes is and a venue can turn your band away on the night if they are not. PAT testing means Portable Appliance Testing and tests for safety in portable electrical equipment like guitar amplifiers. It is easy to get done but can take some time to get organised as bands can have a lot of equipment. In one of the first cover bands I played in the venue turned around to the bride three days before the wedding and said make sure your band is PAT tested and insured. I had a two day race against time to get 3 guitar amps, two speakers, keyboards, lights and multiple extensions, all of which were strewn across the south at various members houses PAT tested and take out Public Liability Insurance. Luckily, I got it sorted but it was a stressful couple of days for me and the bride who thought she wasn't going to have a band. Now I make sure every covers band I play in is completely insured and PAT tested.

Sometimes a wedding venues insurance is null if the band don't have PAT testing or PLI so they have no choice but to turn the band away. It is easily sorted though if there is enough time so make sure you check what your venue needs and tell your band in good time.

Sound Limiters

The bane of a rocky wedding bands existence. Sound limiters cut the power to the band when a limit is reached so if there's a particularly loud section of a song it'll cut all sound. Venues often have no choice whether to put sound limiters up or not. It is usually due to complaints from local residents which the Environmental Health have to deal with and usually results in them slapping a badly set sound limiter into the venue.

More often than not DJ's find it easy to cope with as the music they play is compressed and so doesn't have any loud peaks. A band on the other hand may have a lot of dynamic shifts in their music so it's trickier for them to stay within the confines of the limiter.

Bands can prepare for a limiter by bringing smaller amps, electric drumkits or brushes instead of sticks to keep themselves below the level. It is worth getting your cover band or entertainment agency to talk to your wedding venue during the early stages of booking to make sure they are all happy.

Instrument Restrictions

A few weddings I've organised have asked for the band to have no amps and use electric drum kits due to a venues efforts to minimise sound levels. Some bands are able to supply these but make sure you get the scoop from your venue before you book a band. It really should be the venues job to tell you when you book or mention a band but sometimes they forget.

The band will sound different to how they usually do but a more professional wedding band will have some great gadgets to help them achieve that big sound without their usual set-up.

In summary. If you want a band for your venue please check with venue on these things…

• Sound limiter – how low does it go?
• Instrument restrictions – Do the band need an electric drum kit? Do they need to use the venue PA?
• PAT testing and Public Liability Insurance – Most bands will have these. They run out every year thought so make sure your band knows whether the venue requires it or not.

For help and advice in booking great wedding entertainment please get in touch with me, Chris, at The Band Boutique – Wedding entertainment for hire.

I have bands who are trained in the art of venue regulation handling.

Chris

07912 424554
bandboutique@gmail.com

Making The Most of Your Wedding Band

The hardest thing for any entertainer at a wedding reception is breaking the ice and getting those first dancers on the floor. No matter how good a band is this sometimes proves tricky during the first set. Then, with the end of the night closing in, and the venue having to close up, the crowd call for encore after encore and there's no time in which to play them. Here are some ideas given to us by some of our bands to help the band get everyone on the floor earlier.

• Tip 1 – Give the band 45 minutes to an hour and a half to set-up and sound check (depending on the size of the band). Bear in mind that sound check should only take about 20 minutes of noise at the end of set-up. This will mean music will be at a good volume and all levels will be perfect.
• Tip 2 – Try and make sure that the band can have about 15 minutes of break between their sets. This means guests can have a bit of a break from dancing allowing them time to have a bit of a chat, a rest and a drink. Most bands will supply recorded music between sets so if you don't want to stop you won't have to!
• Tip 3 – Allow for the first set to follow the first dance. This will mean a crowd should already be gathered around the dance floor ready to leap on and strut their stuff for the first set.
• Tip 4 – Leave a little time between the meal and first dance so that guests have some time to chat to people that they weren't sitting near during the wedding breakfast and have a drink. This also leaves a little time for the food to go down.
• Tip 5 – See if you can make sure the bar is close to the dance floor. This isn't always possible but means that dancers never need to go far.
• Tip 6 – Bands don't always need a stage. In fact this can sometimes build a barrier between them and your wedding guests. Sometimes it's better to get the musicians in the thick of it though be careful to keep the drunkest of dancers a safe distance away as there are often trip hazards!!
• Tip 7 – Check whether the wedding venue has a sound limiter. While not all bands need to be loud. It sometimes helps with the atmosphere if a band can play at a good volume and a sound limiter can interfere with this.
• Tip 8 – Give the band a few ideas regarding music but ultimately let them choose. Good bands will know what gets people going best.
• Tip 9 – It often helps if a few tables and chairs are cleared away before the band play. This works due to three factors.
• Some people find it difficult to leave their chair once they have found it. A lack of chairs means that the able bodied potential dancer will need to give their chair up for an older relative.
• The first few dancers won't feel that they are being watched by surrounding tables.
• There's more room for the more dynamic and flamboyant dance moves.
  

Chris

New wedding and covers bands

Hello,

We've added two new wedding bands and a fantastic harpist this week.

The first is a great jazz and swing ensemble called Skylarks.

Skylarks are a relaxed, easy listening, jazz quintet comprising a female vocalist and rhythm section of piano, guitar, bass and drums. In the main, we have a wide repertoire which covers swing, blues, latin, genres and includes renditions from some of the greats of the 20′s up to the more modern and famous standards of the 1950′s, 60′s and 70′s. Whatever the era, Skylarks specialise in playing popular melodic tunes that are all time favourites.

The next is rock and pop covers band – Audio Feedback.

Audio Feedback are an exciting female fronted 4-piece covers band. They offer a diverse repertoire of songs and a flexible service to meet your requirements whatever your event be it wedding, party or corporate do. They like to keep their shows fun, professional and filled with energy. Their ever expanding set includes a mix of classic rock & pop right the way through to modern classics and current pop music.

Our new harpist Ramona also plays in B'string.

Ramona is an accomplished, professional harpist and has been performing for over twelve years. She studied with renowned classical harpist Mary Morley. Her repertoire includes Irish, English and French music and features pieces by the most revered of Irish harpists: Turlough O'Carolan, whose music embodies the perfect marriage of Classical and Celtic styles.

Chris

A great couple of weeks for some of our bands!!

What a great couple of a weeks some of our bands and acts are having!! They've had some fantastic weddings, a couple of massive gig slots and some awesome parties!

Hats go off to Through The Looking Glass, one of our acoustic duos.

They played a fantastic party to celebrate the merger of Channel 5, OK Magazine and The Daily Mail and were featured in OK magazine.

"Through the Looking Glass were a perfect choice for our event. They played a number of different songs both new and old and were happy to take requests from guests. They were great background music for cocktails and canapés in the sun and really got everyone in the summer spirit. A talented duo who were great for the occasion."

Eliza, Channel 5

Go to the acoustic duos page.

One By One our cover and wedding band from Southampton also play in a great originals band called 'til Dusk.

On Saturday the 16th they supported Roger Daltrey, of the Who, at Broadlands in Romsey and where featured in The Daily Echo.

They are going to be doing it again this coming Friday in Norwich and have also booked a slot with Toploader and Status Quo. Good luck guys!!

To have a listen to One By One's cover band demoes.

Mister Kanish, our pop and rock titans, have been doing us proud at the weddings we have been booking them. We've been getting some insanely good feedback have a read of this…

"Dear Mister Kanish, You guys totally rocked!!
People have not stopped talking about you and you made our night. Thankyou! Thankyou! Thankyou!
Love,"
Hannah and Vicki, married 28th May 2011

"We have had so many comments about how wonderfully the band played. So many guests said they hadn't danced as much for years. It really made the evening and we were absolutely delighted. Quite how you managed to please an age range from 18 to 80 is quite astonishing."
Viv Poutney, 25th wedding anniversary, 9th July 2011

"This is just a quick note to say thank you to Mister Kanish SO much for Saturday night. I'm the brother of the bride and you guys really made the day even more special!!! You were great when hearing you on youtube/myspace but much MUCH better live!!! thanks again and i wish you all the luck for the future,

Cheers

Danny"
Brother of the bride – 16th July 2011

Consider Mister Kanish for your wedding entertainment.

Hope you guys are enjoying the summer! We found the sun he was hiding in Warsash!

Chris and Laura

This weeks new wedding entertainment and cover bands

My wedding season has begun and I played two brilliant weddings over the weekend. One a rustic themed wedding reception in Weston-Super-Mare and the other a massive wedding festival with around 12 bands playing over two days!!

I have added three new bands to our books this week.

• Funk Child – A fantastic funk, pop and soul covers band of the highest quality.
• Greg – An acoustic guitarist and singer playing acoustic versions of contemporary hits.
• Jenny's Trio - A trio of female vocals and two acoustic guitars playing new and old classic songs.

Funk Child - Fun, Fresh and Funky! Funk Child are the ultimate covers band guaranteed to bring the life and soul to your wedding reception, corporate event, party or celebration. Playing the classic songs from the 60′s, 70′s, 80′s and 90′s including the biggest hits from today's charts, Funk Child will have you dancing the night away.

Greg - A solo acoustic guitar player and singer. He plays with our rocking indie band New Skin but in this guise does great relaxing versions of current pop hits and classics.

Jenny's Trio - With a large array of beautifully and uniquely arranged songs in their repertoire, and the ability to cover many genres of music, this acoustic trio offer a truly versatile and personal touch to any occasion that they play at; from weddings, birthday parties and family celebrations to corporate events. They can also take it more upbeat with the addition of acoustic percussion perfect for events where you can't have amplified music.

Chris

How much should your wedding entertainment cost?

Today I will talk about what you should expect to be paying for a professional wedding band for an evenings entertainment. The key word there is professional. A band that do it week in week out and know what is expected from a wedding band.

I've been in 3 or 4 different wedding bands, and worked with at least 50 others on a weekly basis, trying to help couples find the perfect band for their weddings. A lot of people ask me how much wedding bands should be charging for an evening of music. Personally, If I had never booked a band before I would have no idea how much live music should cost.

There are a lot of differing thoughts on costing with regards to value to the customer and value to the musician. Both parties need to be satisfied for the evening to work out. If the bride thinks she is paying too much then she won't be relaxed, happy and enjoying her perfect evening with family and friends. If the band aren't safe in the knowledge they can pay their rent / eat more than rice and peas this week, their performance will suffer.

There are a few different factors to bear in mind when looking at a bands costs the main two are distance from the venue and number of musicians.

With petrol prices being what they are a band will need to charge for travel and the bigger the band the more the travel costs. We have to bear in mind that, for example, a five-piece rock and pop band will need to bring drums, PA, lighting, 5 people, instruments and amplifiers, which may, if the band don't all live with each other and have a van, need to be brought in 4 or 5 separate cars. If the venue is 100 miles away from their base this equates to potentially 4 x 5 hours of car travel. At current petrol costs that's roughly £180 for 5 pretty efficient cars. This doesn't include an hourly rate for the musicians while driving or car wear and tear. It's purely petrol cost.

The 2nd main factor is hours per musician. There is a short story I have read which goes a little something like this.

"A lady calls the musician's union to get a quote on a six piece band for her wedding.

The rep says "Off the top of my head, about two thousand quid".

She says "What? For music?."

The rep responds, "I'll tell you what. Call the plumbers' union & ask for six plumbers to work from 6 to 12 o'clock on a Saturday night. Whatever they charge you…, we'll work for half."

The lady hangs up. She calls back five minutes later…

"I get your point" she said."

I have seen this quite a few times in different places. For this reason I will look at plumbers as a comparison. Both musicians and plumbers are highly skilled labourers who have spent hours on their craft and £1000′s on their tools.

The basic service offered by my bands is a 6 hour period from 6pm til midnight. Each band has 5 musicians so 6 x 5 hours of musician time. So far including the travel we have 50 hours of man time. It's tricky to work out what musicians should get paid an hour. Some are highly skilled and put everything into their craft. Others enjoy doing the music as a hobby. If you look at plumbers you have new plumbers who charge a little less because they are less experienced and older more knowledgable plumbers who charge more because they really know what they are doing. On the money saving expert website it says that plumbers will cost between £20-£40 an hour or £200-£250 a day for a local job.

If we use the lowest pricing for our 5 example wedding musicians we have 50 hours x £20 which equates to £1000 for labour.

So plus travel the total cost for a five-piece wedding band for a 6hour period with travel to a venue 100 miles away is roughly £1180. This is using the lowest rate that a plumber would charge and rounding cost of travel down as doesn't include vehicle wear and tear nor the fact that the cars, loaded with equipment, aren't at their most efficient. It also doesn't take into account the 'unsociable hours'. So this really should be the minimum expected to pay for this service and it shouldn't be a surprise if a professional wedding band were to charge double this. It's strange though, as many bands charge less and many couples expect to pay even less again. Why is this? It has to have something to do with the value a customer puts on live music at their wedding.

I find it interesting that a lot of the time a bride will leave the success of their whole evening reception, once food is done with, to their entertainment team (band / dj). I would think it'd be worth paying extra to make sure you are dealing with absolute professionals who have done many weddings and who have experienced most types of guest, time table, venue and event.

You wouldn't leave plumbing your house to someone who hadn't studied plumbing for years. Chances are something will go wrong and you'll have to get another plumber out to fix what the first did wrong!

Hopefully this blog will help any newly engaged couples budget for a wedding band. If you really want something good be prepared to pay £20+ an hour per musician and travel expenses. A 5-piece band is usually the norm and bands will need to be there for roughly 6 hours to play 3 x 40 minutes of music.

If you are planning to have a wedding on a budget here are a few ways you can save money on quality entertainment.

Only get the band for the times you need. Chances are that a band won't need to set-up before the ceremony or wedding breakfast. There is usually an hours pause in activity between food and dancing where guests digest, chat with people they weren't sitting with and get some drinks in. This time is perfect time for your band to set-up and will usually be right before they play. This means you won't have to pay for band waiting time.

See if you can use food or accommodation as a way to bring the bands price down. Some bands aren't that keen on driving three hours home after midnight and may be able to give you a discount if you can find them a place to stay over.

Work with an agent to help you find a band that lives closer to your venue to cut out travel costs. Let the agent know where you are having your wedding, what you need the band to do and what times you need them. Also let the agent know your budget. They will then be able to find you something that fits with it all. Also more often than not an agent will have a deal with their bands so even though there is a commission, costs should still be roughly the same. Also due to the fact that the agent has worked with many couples booking bands in the past they will be able to advise you on what best fits with your needs hopefully saving you unnecessary spending.

One last thing is you probably don't, unless you really want it, need both a DJ and a band. A professional wedding band will have an iPod or laptop full with the latest dancey tunes and will be able to play this through their pa while they are taking their breaks. Also I've found it's often good for party guests to have a short break from dancing to fill up drinks and have a rest.

If you need help picking a band for your wedding, if you are working to a budget email the band boutique at bandboutique@gmail.com or call me on 07912 424554 and I'll help you find something perfect.

Chris

String Quartets!

Hello,

This week we have added one new act. A fantastic string quartet. Here they are…

This String Quartet are dynamic, vibrant, and exciting. Classically trained at Britain's prestigious music conservatoires (Royal Academy of Music & Guildhall), between them they have performed throughout the UK and Europe and even entertained Royalty. Formed in 2009, they are already in demand, recently joining Madness on their UK tour and performing to thousands at the O2 Arena.

A hugely versatile ensemble, they have experienced string arranging with the Lightning Seeds, session work with Richard Ashcroft (The Verve), touring with Madness, cruises with Saga and many corporate events and weddings. Appearing on Television shows such as The X Factor, Popstar to Operastar, GMTV, and Top of the Pops and performing at venues as diverse as The Royal Albert Hall and the Wigmore Hall, to the O2 Academy and Glastonbury, they excel in both classical and contemporary settings. Together and individually, the girls are some of the most sought after string players in London. Experienced, highly versatile, professional and glamorous, this String Quartet are suitable for your wedding ceremony, dinner and all occasions where you need calm relaxing string music.

The Line-up consists of 2 violins, a viola and a cello. They are available to hire for any wedding or event. Have a listen to some of their samples here – String Quartet. Feel free to give us a ring on 07912 424554 or email bandboutique@gmail.com.

Also feel free to have a look at our other cover bands and acts that are available to hire.

Chris

Royal Wedding Entertainment

Just a short blog today. As we supply entertainment for weddings I thought I'd have a look to see what sort of entertainment Will and Kate were going to have tomorrow and was pleasantly surprised. I had heard rumours of Elton John, Beyonce and James Blunt but in my opinion the act they have picked is even more amazing. With a lot of couples going for something alternative and different for their entertainment I thought it was awesome to find out that jazz and lounge cover band, Richard Cheese, were playing at the royal reception.

For those of you who don't know who Richard Cheese is here is a picture…

Nope I wouldn't recognise them either but as a teen I used to listen to their lounge and jazz versions of some of my favourite heavy metal and rock songs. The bands full name are Richard Cheese & Lounge Against The Machine (this is a play on Christmas number one stealing awesome rockers Rage Against The Machine).

They have covered such metal hits as Getting Down With the Sickness by Disturbed and Welcome To The Jungle by Guns 'n' Roses. The band is scheduled to entertain at Buckingham Palace during the "cocktail hour," while guests arrive for the reception and dinner. This should be around 1:00PM (GMT), after the wedding ceremony has concluded.

Apparently, one of Prince William's friends recommended the band for the reception, and the bride and groom agreed to the suggestion.

The band are planning to record and release a live album of the songs they play during the reception.

Chris

This weeks new bands!

Hello,

What a beautiful sunny week it has been? Laura and I have been out and about to check out some great new bands.

Last Sunday we travelled up to sunny Brighton to catch Tula and The Tomcats, a vintage styled 1920s band, who were excellent.

Have a listen to their new demo on our site. – 20's band demo! We really enjoyed their versions of 1920′s classics such as Dinah and Ain't She Sweet.

We also found these guys… who were very tall. They were a great tuba, trombone and guitar trio on stilts! The Top Bananas Stilt Walking Band

Chris

We've added 6 new bands to the site this week.

An instrumental jazz and swing ensemble,a Red Hot Chilli Peppers Tribute band,a fantastic world-class classical vocalist,an acoustic band playing acoustic arrangements of classic and contemporary pop songs,a 5-piece rock and pop wedding band,a harp and flute duoVincenzos harmonica led jazz trio.

Kablam - A jazz quartet from London made up of Trumpet, Bass, Piano, Drums. They play a variety of jazz and swing standards with some of their own compositions thrown in. Great as background music at a sophisticated London party or wedding breakfast.

Red Hot Chilli Peppers Tribute - These guys are an awesome and authentic tribute to the Chilli's. They play a great mix of old and new songs including Scar Tissue, Suck My Kiss and Under The Bridge. Perfect for a joint 16th birthday celebration for your son and friends or maybe even a 50th birthday bash for the worlds biggest Red Hot Chilli Peppers fan.

The Los Pattersons - An amplified acoustic covers band – no loud screaming guitars – and having played weddings, fund-raisers, corporate functions, and good old-fashioned pubs, the band is perfect for any occasion, appealing to all age groups. They play great, timeless songs covering them in their very unique way and are comprised of four professional, experienced musicians. With an extensive repertoire of music dating from the 1920′s to the present, and a desire to make every occasion memorable, The Los Pattersons are the perfect band for any wedding or party.

The Mighty Funk - The Mighty Funk are a dynamic and entertaining pop, rock and dance powerhouse. The fact that their experience includes international residencies, cruise ships, corporate events, weddings, birthdays and anniversaries means that they are among the elite in UK cabaret artistes. This covers band would be great for any occasion where you want people to dance their socks off from beginning to the end.

Paula and Victoria - A fantastic flute and harp duo. They formed several years ago when both Paula and Victoria were studying at the prestigious Royal College of Music, London. They have gone on to perform at various venues including Kensington Palace, the National Gallery and The Ritz and have gained a vast amount of experience performing together. Perfect chilled music great for any wedding ceremony or background music.

All these cover bands and wedding entertainers are available to hire from The Band Boutique. Just click their names and you'll be taken to their pages where you can hear their demo and find out a bit more about them.

Chris

07912 424554

The Band Boutiques First Wedding Fair

On Sunday The Band Boutique attended its first wedding fair at Norman Court in Salisbury.

What a lovely building! And the grounds were pretty stunning too. We were set up in the 'Dining room' . I think we had the best spot as we were next to 'Beverley's Creative Cakes', and Beverley was kind enough to let us nibble away at her cake samples all day!

When I first arrived I was excited to see a stall with vintage style wedding dresses and accessories. The company running it was 'Calm amongst the Chaos' and I had a nice little chat with Frances, the owner. Her dresses were displayed later in the afternoon in a fashion show which took place down the grand staircase. (I felt sorry for the models having to come down in their high heels!).

Each of Frances' dresses are based on glamorous movie stars from different era's and made of luxurious fabrics with beautiful embellishments and embroidery. If you've got a 1920′s, 30′s, 40′s or 50′s wedding theme you are sure to find the perfect dress here. Have a look at http://www.calmamongstthechaos.co.uk for more information.

And I mustn't forget to mention the reason we were at the wedding fair in the first place… to promote 'Mister Kanish'!

One of The Band Boutique's top rock and pop wedding bands. Consider these guys for your wedding entertainment.

Chris and Laura