When booking a live music band for a party, wedding reception or corporate event, you may decide that a truly professional and outstanding music band is what you really need to bring the occasion to life – and you are not constrained by cost. You need one that can cover a mixture of pop, rock, soul, Motown, rock ‘n’ roll classics as well as covers of recent chart hits. In which case, you’d certainly be looking for a great function band.
Most people rarely have any reason to book a live band, so if you’re in the capital and haven’t a clue about what live music London has to offer then it’s time to do some research. Search the Internet for advice where you’ll soon find help in what to do and how the booking of live bands works. You’ll discover some general guidelines and be presented with a few facts and figures to think about before hiring a band the live music London circuit has to offer.
Before booking a band
Before booking a band you’ll want to hear the music you like and, more to the point, listen and see them play it. For example, if you’re looking for a soul band, the easiest thing to do is search Google. Just use the words ‘live music London soul’ and discover who and what comes up. Obviously you’re not really going to know how good a band is live unless you’ve seen them perform but their demo CDs and DVDs, the band’s website and publicity photos of them live are a good indication of how professional and popular the band is.
A very successful top of the range function band on the live music London circuit is the capital’s own SensationBand. They’ll definitely pop up in those listings. Their line-up of musicians and vocal talent has accompanied top names in the UK music scene – stars like Lily Allen, the late Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Tao Cruz, Incognito, as well as a host of others who have in their careers performed on the global stage. The energy and extensive talents of SensationBand have placed them in much demand on the band live music London circuit.
Made an impression
If a band’s been together for a while, like SensationBand, and have made such an impression that they’re coming up at the top of the Google listings, they must be doing something right. If you want to be absolutely sure about a band you either need to watch them play live or book through a reputable live music agency. But being able to see a band play live before booking them isn’t as easy as it sounds. Live function bands don’t often play in public but hiring a band through a music agency means they’ve been checked out and are up to the expected standard.
Bands on the live music London scene
Once you’ve found your band, make an enquiry sending over the date, location of the function and the approximate times of your event. Most bands on the live music London scene will quote for two 45-minute sets or three 40-minute ones. If the band’s available for your date and you want them, either they or their agency will send you a contract which has to be signed by both parties. A deposit of about 20 percent of the total hire fee is the norm.