Rat Pack & Michael Buble Tribute Video

Posted on March 24, 2011

We’re thrilled to tell you that our video of Steve Pert’s Cabaret night filmed last month with the live band at The Belvedere is now available to view. We hope you enjoy it. Rat Pack and Michael Buble Tribute Singer with Band

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Belvedere Cabaret Show

Posted on February 18, 2011

We had a fantastic night at the Belvedere on Wednesday 16th February 2011 where we performed our cabaret show to a packed house. A huge success, we’ll be running another cabaret show probably in November. We also had some amazing comments posted on our facebook page – thank you everyone! Our next public gig at the Belvedere is Wednesday 23rd March which will be our Strictly Come Dancing Night. The band will play only for Ballroom and Latin dancing which is also another ‘first’ for us at the club. Full details on our public events can be found on our gigs page.

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Top Wedding First Dance Songs

Posted on February 8, 2011

Traditionally, the first dance song at every wedding was always a waltz and still today the first dance is often referred to as the ‘first waltz’ or ‘bridal waltz’. Although a waltz is still a great choice, for the 21st Century Bride and Groom there is an incredibly diverse repertoire of music available. What you choose for your first dance on you wedding day is also a serious statement of personal style: sleek and modern, sexy and simple, refined, decadent or demure – the choice is yours.
If you are a little nervous, or you don’t like all eyes on you, then go for a song that you can easily move to and then let the band invite your guests to join you on the dance floor.
Do check out the lyrics. Every year the song “I Will Always Love You” is in the top 20 list of top wedding first dance songs. Nevertheless, the line “I’m not what you need” is clearly about breaking up!

Divided into categories for the dancers and non-dancers among you, here are a few great suggestions along with the suggested dance.
Traditional Waltzes
A waltz is a great choice for a first dance as it has reasonably simple dance steps and looks very majestic.
Moon River (Andy Williams)
I’ll Be Loving You Always (Frank Sinatra)
Around The World (Nat King Cole)
True Love (Bing Crosby)
Fly Me To The Moon (Frank Sinatra)
Fascination (Al Martino / Nat King Cole)

Fred & Ginger Film Songs
These great movie songs from the 1930’s form an integral part of the Great American Songbook repertoire. Songs by composers such as Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern and Cole Porter are ideal for an elegant choreographed first dance routine or for an informal spin around the dance floor.
The Way You Look Tonight – Foxtrot
Night and Day – Foxtrot or Quickstep
Cheek To Cheek – Quickstep
Let’s Face The Music and Dance – Quickstep
Nice Work If You Can Get It – Quickstep
Rat Pack Swinging Love Songs
A little more informal, the Rat Pack songs make ideal wedding first dances and have a certain bounce to them that is both uplifting and classy. They could be easily choreographed if necessary but are equally just as good to sway along to.
Come Fly With Me – Quickstep
Fly Me To The Moon – Foxtrot
Sway – Cha Cha
The Best Is Yet To Come – Foxtrot
I’ve Got You Under My Skin – Foxtrot
Nice ‘n Easy – Slow Foxtrot
Classic Standards
These timeless evergreen songs have wonderful lyrics with meaning and a great melody too. You really can’t go wrong with a wedding first dance to one of these!
It Had To Be You – Foxtrot
At Last – Slow Dance
Just The Way You Are – Rhumba
I Only Have Eyes For You – Foxtrot
When I Fall In Love – Slow Foxtrot
What A Wonderful World – Slow Dance
Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
Unforgettable – Slow Dance
You Are The Sunshine Of My Life – Rhumba
You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You – Slow Foxtrot

Simply Swing has been advising couples on their wedding first dance songs for many years. To hire our band for your wedding entertainment see our Wedding Band for hire page.

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Steve Pert in Cabaret with Simply Swing

Posted on January 10, 2011

We’re pleased to announce that on Wednesday 16th February 2011 Simply Swing will be hosting a Cabaret Night live at the Belvedere in Billericay.  Featuring international entertainer – Steve Pert – in a multi-tribute show saluting the legendary heavyweights of entertainment including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tom Jones, Bobby Darin, Tony Bennett, Andy Williams, and Sammy Davis Jr right through to the more contemporary sounds of Michael Buble, Tina Turner and Robbie Williams.

It’s rare to see a live Cabaret floor-show these days and we’re thrilled to bring you some timeless entertainment.

The show starts at 8.15 pm – 10.45 pm.  Tickets are £10.  Avoid disappointment and book your tickets ONLINE NOW.

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Paul O’Grady Christmas Show 2010

Posted on November 20, 2010

Well this week saw three members of Simply Swing – Sandra, Jeff and Simon – in the Paul O’Grady Big Band at ITV studios recording The Paul O’Grady Christmas Show!   The Big Band was featured accompanying Bette Midler, Cilla Black and Paul O’Grady.  The show will be on TV on Christmas Eve at 9 pm.  We hope you enjoy these photos taken live on the set.

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Van Morrison’s Drummer

Posted on November 13, 2010

We’re really proud to announce that our drummer – Jeff Lardner – did two sell-out shows with the legendary Van Morrison on 23rd and 24th October 2010.  Here’s a snapshot of Jeff with Van on the The Royal Albert Hall gig on 24th October 2010.  Well done Jeff!

Van Morrison

Jeff Lardner plays drums with Van Morrison

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Don’t iPod DJ Your Own Wedding!

Posted on September 29, 2010

A new trend that’s often talked about on “weddings on a shoe-string” websites is using the iPod to DJ your own wedding.

PLEASE DON’T DO IT!  It’s a clumsy and wholly inappropriate tool for the job at hand. You have a gap between tracks which, coupled with a 10 second fade out on lots of contemporary songs, can leave your guests standing around the dance-floor like lemons.

If you’re thinking of going the DIY route, use iTunes or some other kind of DJ software on a laptop. This provides a far easier means of searching a database of songs and allows for changing playlists on the go.

You’ll then have to rent a top-quality sound system. The home stereo that sounds deafening in your lounge just won’t cut it in a large hall.  Then there’s the venue in-house sound system that you might think is a good idea. It is not! Ceiling speakers are for elevator music.

Believe us, your wedding day is no time for fumbling with wires, speakers and iPods – you’re supposed to be enjoying yourselves!

We believe that iPods are great for background music between a band’s live sets or while you’re guests are eating.  For that, they are invaluable.

Simply Swing’s Band and Disco Service

For our disco it’s a professional DJ program everytime.  It’s run from a laptop computer and plays through our state-of-the-art Bose L1 sound system.

Brought to you at a fraction of the cost of an outside DJ – this is the way to DJ your “Wedding on a shoe-string”.

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Seo Training

Posted on September 20, 2010

Simply Swing wanted to thank Steve Larkins at KSL Consulting for his invaluable tips on SEO.   Any company who needs help with SEO Training should contact him.

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Simply Swing uses Bose Sound System

Posted on September 8, 2010

Another really busy summer and even the holiday season was bursting with events for Simply Swing.  So much so that we decided to splash out on a new PA system.  Our recent purchase of the Bose L1 sound system has been an amazing addition to the band.  The sound was just knock-out on Saturday night and when our Disco was played through it, the sound was truly amazing.  The Bose system has enabled the band to be set up in record time as we no longer have fold-back monitors to set up and lots of cables trailing across the stage.  Not only is the sound incredible but it looks really space age and sexy (if, indeed you can call a sound system sexy!).   Simply Swing recommends Bose.

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Wedding Bands | Wedding Bands London

Posted on July 20, 2010

A great Wedding Band is worth its weight in gold.

When deciding on the entertainment for your wedding reception, wedding bands are usually one of the last things that are considered.  Wedding bands somehow get lost in the organisational process of a wedding and become almost an afterthought.  So much care and attention goes into shoes, flowers, hair or makeup and yet, if you get the right wedding reception band, that is what you and your guests will remember – a great night’s entertainment for everyone to enjoy. No-one will remember what the starter was at the wedding breakfast or what colour eye shadow the bridesmaid wore but everyone will remember the wedding band!

You really can’t beat live entertainment.  A live wedding band will be able to read the crowd perfectly and find just the right mood to suit your guests.

A wedding band has so much more to offer than a DJ.  You know from experience that going to see a live show is a much bigger thrill than seeing one guy with his CD collection (or maybe just his lap-top nowadays) and a pair of deafening speakers!

That said, no single band can play in every style of music so you might want to look for a wedding band which can also offer a DJ service after the band’s live sets finish – www.simplyswing.co.uk is one such band.  The band will provide a three fantastic sets of live music in the Rat Pack / Swing genre and then continue the party with its professional disco service.   It should be pointed out that this will not be an iPod played through the PA but a proper disco where you are able to make requests on the night and where the songs cross-fade.

Of course, this kind of entertainment is likely to be a little pricey but the fee you pay will be well worth it in the long run.

Is it easy to find a good wedding band?  Yes!  All you have to do is search online with a phrase such as “wedding band” or “swing wedding band.”
 So, how do you go about choosing a band to best suit your requirements?   Well, any reputable band will have video samples as well as audio samples on the website which should give you a great idea.  If you’re still unsure, why not ask to see the band perform live somewhere.  You could also read testimonials from the wedding band’s previous contented clients.

You should ascertain that your wedding venue has a music license and enough space to accommodate the wedding reception band.  You should also make sure that the wedding band is professional and not a bunch of friends who get together at weekends for a drink (on you) at weddings!  A professional band will comprise musicians who perform for a living.  This means they are successful, experienced and used to performing at weddings.  You don’t want your big day to be their guinea pig!  Such a band should also have Public Liability Insurance and PAT tested equipment.  Again, www.simplyswing.co.uk is a professional wedding band and a great choice for anyone looking for quality live entertainment.

By doing your research on wedding bands you can put your mind at ease that the big day is going to be one hell of a party!

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