Live band music is a sensationally important part of any birthday party or social event and the top quality bands and musicians in the UK are of the highest calibre, always performing to the most exacting professional standards.
Function bands should be able to immediately sense the mood of the party, source the right materials to play from their extensive repertoires and create an infectious enthusiasm among guests for their performance. The very best function bands are booked for weddings, corporate parties, family celebrations, themed parties and all manner of other private and special get-togethers where good entertainment is a key factor to success.
Know what songs function bands can do
With functions bands, before you book them, know what songs they’ll be doing and how they’ll be putting these across. Some bands don’t have any problems with learning songs which may be new to them for a particular event, although this in itself may add some extra charges to the hire. We’re all human of course and you may find a band that will not play certain songs because they feel uncomfortable with them, often because they could be out of their performance range.
The key thing is to identify specific songs that you want played and discuss these in early contact with their representative when you find a band you like. Check out the function bands playlist and, conversely, if you find songs that don’t appeal, ask to have them removed or replaced with something more suitable.
Questions you may have
Here are ten typical questions you may be asking when looking to hire function bands. These come of course some appropriate answers:
- Not sure what kind of act or acts we want. Suggestions please? For a wedding ceremony you need something soft and intimate. At the reception drinks, a mood getting tack is what’s required and for the party celebrations, great function bands or a DJ that can entertain from the first song and guarantee your guests a fantastic time throughout the duration.
- How much do we need to spend? This really depends on your requirements of course, the quality of the band, time of the year and how far the musicians will have to travel but on average you can spend from £2500 and beyond for band hire.
- How do we pay for the band? Usually there’s a deposit of 10 or 20 per cent with the rest of the fee paid directly to the act on the night.
- What time will they need to set up? Generally, as close to the performance as possible depending on when guests arrive, but a minimum of 30 to 45 minutes.
- How much room will they need? Most function bands don’t need do not more than an area of 8m by 12m area, for DJ’s of course it’s much smaller.
- How long will the band play for? Normally, set times are usually either two, 60-minute performances or three 40-minute ones.
- Will they play the first dance? Of course, if requested. If it’s a number special to you which they may not be totally familiar with, so long as they’re given enough time to practice it, it shouldn’t be a problem. As with all these things, make sure the arrangements area made well in advance and are in your contract.
- What happens in-between the bands performances? All good function bands are able to provide pre-recorded music during breaks.
- Do we need to provide food and refreshments? This is always at the discretion of the client but most see the band members as an extension of their guests and they are looked after accordingly.
- Do we get to speak to the band before the wedding? They should always be available to be contacted and answer questions before and after the contract is drawn up, particularly if any changes have to be made within a reasonable timeframe prior to the event.