PLANNING A PARTY?

We know that it can feel like there are 110 things to do when planning a party. So we thought we’d make a helpful tick list to get you started on hiring your function band.

NUMBER 1:

Find your venue, seems very obvious, but you’ll be surprised how many people get in touch with the date to see if we’re free and no venue. A band can not give you an accurate quote if they don’t know where they’re going to do.

NUMBER 2:

Book the venue for your chosen date.

NUMBER 3:

When hiring a band do your research. We don’t want to talk ourselves out of a job here, but if you want a Folk Band, don’t hire a band like The Beat Freaks. We do love a bit of Mumford and Sons, but we’re more of an allrounder party band. We perform Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Abba, Shania Twain, Dua Lipa and Bon Jovi. We love a good dance off, but we couldn’t call  and orchestrate a Cèilidh.

NUMBER 4:

Before hiring your band check the following with your venue:

  • Have they had live bands before? If so what type of bands.

  • Do they have any sound restrictions in place, if so are the sound restrictions a sound limiter built into the venue and cuts the power to the band if they go too loud, or is it a hand held device.

  • If there is a built in sound limiter that does cut the power find out what DB (decibel) or instrument set it off. Usually it is bass frequencies, so bass and drums, but we have performed at venues where it is the vocals, and they’re very hard to navigate. If it is drums ask the venue if they have bands with drummers that use an acoustic drum kit or electric. If it is electric and you definitely want a full band be aware that some bands will have to charge extra for the electric kit hire.

Some venues with sound restriction have in house speakers that monitor the sound, and bands can usually plug their mixing desk into that. No all in-house systems are the best sounding, so its worth asking if they can demonstrate the speakers if this is going to be a worry to you.

NUMBER 5:

Check where the power is, most 5-piece bands, and bigger, need a minimum of 4 safe and secure power sockets. Bands can run off 2, but there will be a lot of extension cables and if the power isn’t strong enough, you could end up with the power cutting out.

NUMBER 6:

If you are having your party in a field, check the following:

  • There is full coverage of the bands area, so nothing electrical can get wet. We are in England.

  • Have you got a stage or solid platform for the band to perform on? Most bands do not want their equipment going directly onto the cold hard ground.

  • Make sure the power being supplied to the band is not running from the same source as the coffee machines or kitchen, we don’t know why, but sometimes once the band is added to the generator and the kitchen turns on the oven the power trips and the band get the blame… and its not their fault, there just isn’t enough power.

  • Think about where you are having your power source, you don’t want extension cables in busy areas, someone will trip and that trip could literally pull the plug on the whole thing.

NUMBER 7:

Think about your song list, some bands allow you to pick a few songs from their repertoire list that you’d like to hear on the night. Let the band order them, they know how to make a nights worth of music flow, but if you really want to hear a certain song at a certain time et them know and 9/10 they’d happily do that for you.

If you are having a first dance or special request and you want the band to perform it live, remember its not going to sound 100% like the original record, so if you’re waiting for that Violin line to take you into the next bit of your dance, I’d suggest using the original recording to be safe, unless you’ve hired a band with a Violinist.

NUMBER 8:

Please try and give your band somewhere to get out of the way when they’re not performing. This is called “The Green Room”. They need this space to change, talk through anything to make sure your party goes to plan and simply unwind between and after the live sets. It’s the age old thing of - if you look after people, they’ll look after you. Feed and water your band and they’ll give you the best show. A green room isn’t essential but it is a very nice addition, and Im sure you wouldn’t want some random people sitting around a table in your main party room.

NUMBER 9:

Quite a few bands don’t take requests to when playing live on the night, they’re not trying to be rude when they say no, but they have their setlist planned out to fill the amount of performance time required, and they may not know the song being requested. In stead of asking them to play it live, maybe ask them to play it via Spotify or Amazon Music once the band have finished playing. Most bands do not have a problem with it, but you may find that they don’t want to be “DJ-ing” when they should be taking a breather between performances. So bare that in mind too. If you hire a band member to DJ or hire a “proper” DJ, then by all means, ask away.

NUMBER 10:

Now you have the venue, guests, power and band sorted. Have the best time and party like its 1999. There is nothing better than being in a space with all your favourite people and loved ones. Seeing all these different people from different parts of your life together is magical and should be treasured by having an absolute ball.

So if you are throwing a party, event or wedding we really hope some of these top tips have helped.