Unrealistic looking for a band for a wedding under £1k?

[StevieBee]

ruggedscotty said:

Just a word to the wise - dont skimp. dont.....no dont....

Do please heed this advice.

Everybody knows a mate who's in a band and there are many that will play for a fiver just to play. Some of these are really rather good but you take a huge chance and the consequences of them not being up to scratch will be devastating. Nobody remembers a great band - just the great night. Everyone will remember a bad band AND the bad night.

For a grand, you could could get a really top-drawer DJ with all the lights and sound tech that will make it sound live and make the place look like a club and have enough over to buy everyone a round of drinks.

I do sound for a friend of mine who's a singer. He performs to backing tracks most of the time but the tracks his band has recorded - not the usual karaoke stuff. Most weddings he commands fees of around £500 - £700 which sounds a lot but for each gig, he's putting in 20 to 30 hours rehearsal and providing top end sound and light tech. And me!

You do get what you pay for.

[Soov535]

Try the Gangsters - near Peterborough.


They're brilliant - trombone player is a good mate.

https://www.facebook.com/THE-GANGSTERS-24027427084...

[TheInternet]

Major Fallout said:

Am I being unrealistic trying to find a band to play rock popish indi stuff at my wedding for under £1000 including transport, that can also sing in tune?

Probably booked up but try... http://www.kidattheback.com/

[TheExcession]

Can you put off the date a bit?

John Otway is kick starting his new album:

Linky.

Don't delay only one left - for a grand you can get

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John played at my 25th birthday party in some dive of a club in Stockport. It was one of the best nights entertainment I've ever witnessed.

[m3jappa]

We had an 80's band at our wedding. £500 for about 2 odd hours or so iirc. I did know the bloke though.
They were fking brilliant! I mean fking brilliant, I want to do it again, everyone really liked it.

[ruggedscotty]

married in 2005

Married in the church at Gullane then a reception in the Golf Inn. We booked Obsession as the band.

http://obsessionband.co.uk/index.htm

What I will say is that they totally made the evening, it was excellent and many many people who attended my wedding all still comment that the wedding reception was made by the band. Thats the core of the reception is the wedding. You need to have someone thats professional and will turn up, you need to have someone that can play good music, not a one man band with a couple of speakers and an ipod, seriously Ive said it before dont skimp, the reception is where the celebration kicks off and it has to be great. Has to be. Its the start of your married life and if its mince I can assure you that will stick for many years. you want it to be memorable for the right reasons.

We didnt have years and years of planning either, just get stuck into the internet found some good reviews went and seen them play, booked the hotel and the church. I thought it would have been more difficult than what it was.

[marcosgt]

We had a DJ, it was fine and everyone had a brilliant time.

It was 26 years ago, though...

Do you HAVE to have a Band nowadays?

M.

[Djr1]

Live bands will always beat a DJ hands down, in my opinion. A good band will really make the difference. Prices will, as mentioned already, very massively. I've done my time playing in function/wedding bands, and have seen a lot. The best I saw consisted of a group of amateurs doing it solely for the love of playing, for about 500/600 a night. The worst came from one of the big agency websites, travelled out to Gloucestershire from London, and were crap (malfunctioning equipment and no spares, out of tune). Sometimes you'll get "professionals" who are starting out, only want to make the cash, and skimp on kit. The bad group I mentioned above had only about 2k worth of kit, some of it clearly not up to the job. The amateurs were doing it for love, and came with a great PA, lights, smoke etc, which had been put together over years. This is why bands can be expensive - aside from hourly wages, the investment needed in suitable equipment for a big wedding is huge. A fairly average function band is probably carting about upwards of 15k of gear.

The only thing that matters is seeing the band live. If they're any good, they'll also have references. If a band won't let you see them live, or at least let you visit a rehearsal, walk away.

[rolo0151]

As has already been mentioned. Try to see them live or in a practice venue first. You really can't beat a full band at a party but I would also recommend having a pro DJ there to play appropriate stuff in between. It can be quite flat after a band finishes a set if you don't keep the music going.
I'm a guitar/vocalist but over the last 2 years I added a full Dj service to my packages. Best thing I've done as I can control the tempo of each party/crowd.

I'd also consider something during the day. My acoustic sets go down a treat a weddings. Again, keeps the party going & if I'm there all day the guests get to know your face & get a lot more involved in the atmosphere.

[anonymous-user]

We hired a band called Chunky Butt Funky for a party. Think it was £500, free beer and a bag of weed and worth every penny.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-3sj80Zcq4

https://youtu.be/45isGwiJKMY

https://youtu.be/N9qTBG9RMiQ

https://youtu.be/ylldLTd_6h8

They were great and got everyone up and dancing

[AB]

I'll dig out the band that did ours last year in Kent, they may travel the couple of hours, you may have to put them up but it would be so worthwhile.

They DJ in between sets and really got the dance floor going. I don't know how old you are OP but I was 29, wife was 26 so it really worked with our age group.

[kooky guy]

We had a DJ from a local radio station who was supposed to do two sets, with a band we found through someone at work in the middle who offered to play for free to gain experience.

The DJ was absolutely bloody awful - he completely ignored the playlist, didn't have any of the requested records and his entire performance until the band came on was one of 'elevator music'.

The free band on the other hand were absolutely AMAZING!

The DJ didn't get back on.

[egor110]

m3jappa said:

We had an 80's band at our wedding. £500 for about 2 odd hours or so iirc. I did know the bloke though.
They were fking brilliant! I mean fking brilliant, I want to do it again, everyone really liked it.

Where they a singer and 2 keyboard players?

[marcosgt]

Djr1 said:

Live bands will always beat a DJ hands down, in my opinion. A good band will really make the difference.

The only thing that matters is seeing the band live. If they're any good, they'll also have references. If a band won't let you see them live, or at least let you visit a rehearsal, walk away.

I agree a good band is great, but I've seen some dire ones at weddings and parties and some which, though possibly perfectly good, were very much the weird taste of the couple and left 90% of the guests bemused or leaving early...

A good DJ (And I appreciate the OP wants a band) will judge the tone of the reception and adjust accordingly (ours did that perfectly all those years ago), but a bad one will continue playing the same floor-emptying drivel all night, so whichever way you go, recommendation/prior experience is the key!

M

[Adam B]

marcosgt said:

We had a DJ, it was fine and everyone had a brilliant time.

It was 26 years ago, though...

Do you HAVE to have a Band nowadays?

M.

No, I didn't but got a very good DJ which suited our crowd better. Ultimately people want to dance to good music not watch a live band. Agree a great band can add an extra dimension though. Bands can be a risk if you haven't seen them live a few times before.

Anyway sorry - OP obviously wants one

Edited by Adam B on Tuesday 7th June 11:14

[chevy-stu]

From someone deep in the think of it.....

If you want a pro band you have to pay for it.. You might find some keen amateurs who are good but it's a chance, and they also may not used to be jumping through the hoops most venues require regarding H&S, Public liability PAT testing requirements, noise limiters etc.. and may not have suitable quality equipment, or have the variety in the set for the job... (remember you and you mates might like Stone Roses, but chances are your teenage nieces and grandma won't, so a band that can play Oasis, Rhianna and Elvis is handy).

Another thing to note is a decent pro band may well do a pub/bar gig for say £300/400 occasionally, but remember it's probably local to most members, it's repeat business, they can usually rock up just an hour before playing, often PA system and lights are there, they wear what they like and probably got that date along with 6 others organised in just one phone call or email..... Weddings take countless hours of emailing and phone calls to venue/client etc, possible first dance to learn, iPod/laptop to prep for interim music, suits to clean and maintain. so that's why it's a grand....

[otherman]

A lot of people are suggesting you need to pay up to get a good band, or you'll risk getting rubbish.
One super simple solution - go listen to them. Don't let your wedding party be the first time you've heard them.

[Billsnemesis]

Vandenberg said:

We hired a band called Chunky Butt Funky for a party. Think it was £500, free beer and a bag of weed and worth every penny.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-3sj80Zcq4

https://youtu.be/45isGwiJKMY

https://youtu.be/N9qTBG9RMiQ

https://youtu.be/ylldLTd_6h8

They were great and got everyone up and dancing

Am I the only person who reads that name with the emphasis on the second word?

Anyway, the real point of the response is to say that you should talk to the band as well as listening to them play. There is a group I follow when I go up north to visit the family and they have different sets for different audiences. The last time I saw them their first set of the night was full of classic rock covers and the second was mostly Beatles, 60's pop and the like. I loved the first half but found the second half a bit too predictable, but they new what they were doing and the crowd really got into it once they had songs they could dance to. Had I not seen the whole evening I would not have seen how well they worked the room and understood their audience. If you see a band playing to a different type of audience the choice of songs might not suit your event so if you are happy with their technical ability you can then discuss how they tailor the song choice to the event.