HOW TO BOOK YOUR BAND

Our aim is to produce the finest quality events that will meet your needs exactly. In order to do this we need as much information from you as possible.

The first thing to do is to get in contact with us. Please try to include as much information as possible in this correspondence. e.g.:

Event type (Wedding, Corporate hospitality, Charity Fundraiser etc)
Event Date
Event Location
Suggested performance times.

If you are making a preliminary enquiry you may not have decided upon some of this information yet. If so don't worry just tell us your ideas.

We will try to calculate a fee based upon this information. If this is agreeable with you then we will send you a booking form / contract for both parties to sign (standard industry practice) This form is also available here. We will reserve a date for a period of 7 days whilst this takes place. We normally require a 20% deposit to reserve a date. The balance of a fee is due a fortnight before the performance date.

As stated elsewhere on this site we are keen to help with charitable causes and can work for a percentage fee in these cases to help with funding such events.

WHEN TO BOOK YOUR BAND

Ideally as early as possible! We frequently get enquiries up to 2 years in advance. However for most dates booking a band about 6 months in advance is about right to avoid disappointment. However certain dates are particularly popular, e.g. May bank holiday weekend, Saturdays during the summer and the xmas / new year period. If you are considering putting on a function during these periods try to book the band as early as possible.

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?

We calculate our fees upon many different factors, e.g. location performance time, finish time, band size, function type and season. Because of this it is impossible to give an exact figure for a booking here. However get in contact with your requirements and we will calculate a figure for your personal requirements.

HOW MUCH SPACE DOES THE BIG BAND NEED?

We often get enquiries for the big band for performances in venues that will be too small to fit us in. For the full band ideally we require a stage area of approx. 18'x 16'. However we can squeeze up slightly from this and also perform in narrower layout. A better visual effect can be created if staging is present but this a neccesity. If you are concerned about space then let us know the venue you are considering and we may be able to come and visit it. (We may well have performed there before in any case) Also remember that we can perform with a "cut down" big band of 14 piece or 8 piece sizes to fit smaller venues. We also offer other combinations of groups (see below)

DO YOU DO SPECIAL REQUESTS?

We currently have a library of about 300 numbers, so we can normally cater for most common big band requests. However if you have a specific request from outside our repertoire we can normally organise things for you. We charge for any specific charts bought for this at cost (normally £25-40) or alternatively we commonly will arrange particular songs as small band arrangements if this is suitable (no charge). Wwe will normally have one or two small band numbers in each performance to create variety and to provide a rest for the brass players lips in any case. Requests made at the performance are difficult to organise for the big band for obvious logistical reasons, however we will do our best to oblige if at all possible.

HOW LONG DO YOU PLAY FOR

We normally will perform 2x 1hr or 3x 45 min sets (approx). The absolute maximum a big band will play for is a total of 3 hours. This is because of physical restrictions due to brass players lips giving out. Bear in mind when planning an event that having more music is not necessary better, variety is the key! If you want live music for a longer period of time, consider booking a number of varied ensembles. We can provide differnent formats from among our players to accomodate this.

WHAT IF I WANT DIFFERENT GROUPS?

No Problem! We often provide various types of music entertainment during an event. We can tailor a programme to suit your exact needs.

WHAT WILL THE BAND NEED ON THE NIGHT?

The players require 10 normal chairs to sit on (without arms).

We also require a suitable space to play in and a normal 13 amp power supply, or if possible 2 separately fused power sources (for Sound and Light).

Our players often have long journeys to get to a venue, so they will expect some food and drinks during the evenng to keep energy levels up. This will vary between sandwiches to a hot meal at the discretion of the client. The players usually apprecitate a small beer or similar!

A room for the players to change in and store their cases etc. is very much appreciated but not essential, unless the band is on site for a long period of time.

SAFETY

For your peace of mind the band is coverred by £5 million public liability insurance (certificate available on request). Our electrical equipment is regularly tested for safely (PAT).