Is a band right for me and my event?
If you are asking me, I will of course always say yes! We live in an age where the interaction of humans seems to be very under rated and we have forgotten how exciting it can be, BUT it isn't right for everyone. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to help you make the decision.
Can you afford it?
This is probably the biggest one, and the saying "you get what you pay for" applies to bands just as much as it does any other industry or service, but there are ways to keep your costs down and get what you want without breaking the bank. Does the band you are looking at offer a choice of line ups? Are they willing to negotiate on the price? Can you have shorter set lengths? Do they offer other services?
At a wedding especially, the evening entertainment forms the largest part of your day and in my opinion is worth investing in. If you ask yourself what you remember about events you have been to, it usually isn't the extra details like the sweet carts or photo booths but your nephew doing an epic knee slide on the dance floor or all your friends crowded around singing along to the song you requested at the end of the night; the band going round a verse and chorus one more time because they can see you don't want it to end.
You can make savings in lots of other areas but I would say that you can't put a value on human interaction and live music.
Does the venue have any restrictions?
By that I mean is it realistic to physically fit in a band and all their equipment. If your not sure, ask! Not only do we need space to put our equipment but also store our cases and move about during the performance.
Are there any sound limits? Does the venue have a licence that restricts live music? Make sure you ask the right questions and don't just take the venues word for it as its better to know now rather than last minute. What works for one set of musicians doesn't work for another.
To give you an idea, take a look at this comparison diagram from one of the agents we use and you can see why asking us not to play above 85db might be a tad tricky... We can be many things but magicians we are not, although they are spelt similarly and also entertain people but I digress.
We can make most situations work but if we aren't prepared we can't do anything about it. Lots of venues will say that it is fine to have a band but in reality they are just making it someone else's problem and forgot to mention they meant an acoustic duo and not a seven piece rock covers band...
Is there time for a band?
This also sounds like a strange question but having a really clear idea of what entertainment you see the evening ending with is a good move. Many times we have been booked as well as a DJ, Swing artist, fireworks, magicians (They just seem to keep appearing in this blog! Ha ha!) etc, etc... No body wants to turn up and not get to do what they are being paid for or be cut short, well, not us anyway. Music is our passion and sharing it with an audience is what we love to do. In most scenario's less is more, including entertainment. If your guests have too much choice they won't know what means the most to you and what you want them to participate in as realistically they won't be able to do everything. Think about what you would want as a guest, and allow time for a break and some down time; for your entertainers as well as your guests.
In conclusion...
If you can answer confidently yes to all these questions book that band and look forward to a fantastic event!
We want all our clients to have the best possible experience and we know that we provide that from some of the lovely feedback we receive on a regular basis. Communication is the key but also asking the right questions and if you come to us you will get a lot of those and we like plenty of them too. The best events we play are the ones that use our experience to their advantage and we work together to tailor ourselves to you.
Most importantly don't settle, find a band and somebody that you like and will care about your event and every detail as much as you.
