do you offer "packages" for weddings and parties?
Although many function bands offer packages/options so to suit your entertainment budget, we DON'T. That is because we want to offer you the best value for money. We don't charge extra for DJ sets or background music. If you want to use a separate DJ that is no problem, but you can save a fair amount of your budget by having us provide this for you.
Want an acoustic set from "The Pause" (our lovely in house acoustic duo) at the start of your evening? No problem - No charge.
What we do charge extra for are specific song requests of songs we don't already play, an earlier than usual setup and later than usual finish times, any music during the day in addition to the evening entertainment, such as music for a wedding ceremony, welcome drinks and/or wedding breakfast. Please contact us for more information and prices, but don't worry too much, our prices are competitive if you book direct.
do you require a backstage area, dressing rooms, Rider?
Nope! Although it would be lovely, we are realistic and certainly don't expect you to make any special arrangements for us. We also do not ask for a rider or free drinks. Many of our clients do offer and provide us with food and drink and it is always appreciated but that is entirely up to you, we will still put on a great show for you and your guests.
PLI and PAT Test Certificates
What else might i need to know?
Is your electrical equipment PAT tested and do you have public liability Insurance (PLI)? - Yep, and certificates are available here.
Well, we will tell you a few common things that come up when booking bands for a function:
Can we choose your set list? Our setlists are designed so songs fit together much of the time. This means we can keep the music and energy going throughout performances. You are welcome to tell us what songs from our song list you love (or hate) and we will make sure we play (if you love) or exclude (if you hate).
What about the DJ set? We have playlists which we often tweak on the fly as we “read the room” and have a large library of music to allow for most song requests at your event. You are welcome to send us playlists and song requests prior to your event and we will be sure to include then. Please remember we are musicians first and foremost, so if you are looking for a dedicated DJ who can mix and mash on the wheels of steel you might want to consider hiring a specialist DJ.
Our venue has a sound / volume limiter or I just don’t want you to play too loud!! If this is the case, no worries, let us know before the day of the event and we will bring an electric drum kit rather than the usual acoustic drums. You will still get our amazing reel drummer but it means he wont be shaking aunt Mable’s false teeth during the drum fills! Seriously though, just let us know.
How long will it take you to bring all your stuff in, set it all up and sound check? This depends on quite a few factors such as the distance from the venue's loading area to the performance area, any stairs and things like room acoustics. Please allow approx. 60 to 90 minutes for us to be ready. Which brings us on nicely to the next question...
What time should I ask you to arrive? When you contact us for details and a quotation, we will quote a price based on a 6pm arrival time. This is because for most functions, actually pretty much all of them, guests start to arrive at 7:30pm. This gives us the 90 minutes we mentioned earlier. If you want an earlier setup, no problem, but it will increase the price slightly. Which leads us on to...
What time will you finish? Most venues for functions, especially hotels, have a fairly strict cut off time of midnight. No Cinderella jokes please. So, you guessed it, our initial quote will cover music up to midnight. If you want music in to the wee small hours, no problem, but again we will add a little bit more to the price for the later than usual finish time.
Do I need to hire stage lighting, sound systems and staging? No need, we are self contained. We bring with us light and sound systems. If your venue is HUGE or outdoor, we recommend hiring in a dedicated PA and lighting company.
What about smoke and lights? A common issue at wedding reception venues are over sensitive smoke detectors. Bands and DJs need to use smoke, (which is actually just vapour although some smoke detectors beg to differ) to make the various lighting effects look way, way, way better. We will check in with your venue manager to see if using smoke effects is going to be an issue. Some venues can turn off the detectors near the performance area or decrease the sensitivity, others will ask us not to use smoke and we would have to oblige. Our light show does involve flashing lights (but not strobe lighting). If this is a concern for you or any of your guests please so let us know.
That's about it for FAQ's but if you need to know anything else or discuss anything just drop us a line, we are a friendly, down to earth bunch after all.
Here's a picture of some people having an awesome time, dancing to our music at a wedding...
Hope to hear from you soon.
