Wedding Band

Archive for the ‘Live Wedding Music’ Category

Well last Sunday saw the Wedding Band Trio performing at the end of a very long run of gigs at the beautiful Bingham Hotel in Richmond.  As the hotel has a no-drum policy we performed as a Trio and had the whole place bopping at the wedding of Leanne and Hedde.  This was Simply Swing’s second performance in a month at the Bingham and we hope we will have many more at this fabulous bijoux hotel.  The night before the Quintet played at the delightful Woking Golf Club’s summer ball. An elegant and suave atmosphere where again, the band had everyone on the floor dancing.  The night before that we were at Gibson Hall in Liverpool Street with the Septet for a company bash with a Hollywood Theme.  Phew… I’m almost worn out listing the week’s gigs – and, finally, the day before at our residency at the Duke of Kent in Ealing.  Oh, and did I mention the Quartet at Ye Olde Smack in Leigh on Sea also last week featuring the lovely Jacqui Hicks.   I’m worn out just thinking about all those gigs!!

Well we’re now into June and we must be one of the busiest bands on the circuit!  We kicked off the month with a charity auction at BAFTA in London where we bumped into political journalist Andrew Neil.  We’ll publish the photos as soon as they’re through.  That night was followed by weddings at Hintlesham Hall, Great Missenden, Le Talbooth in Colchester, The Blazing Donkey in Canterbury.  Coming up this weekend we have another Charity Auction in West Sussex followed by a wedding at Vaulty Manor in Essex.   The band continues to go from strength to strength which is not surprising considering the incredible musicianship of our team who have worked so hard over the last few weeks – thanks guys!  We’ve had lots of great song requests too from our wedding couples who continue to surprise us with their choice of first dance songs.  Why not vote for your favourite first dance song on our website?

Choosing music for an evening wedding reception used to be quite a simple matter 10 or 15 years ago – live band or disco.  That decision made, even if you did choose a live wedding band the chances are it would be a function band that played music from Motown through to the current charts, trying its best to be a live version of the disco earlier dismissed.  Weddings then had a sort of familiarity – when the music started the older generation would leave the room for a quiet chat outside (and that’s if they were lucky enough to be at a venue with another room to escape to.)

With stately homes fast becoming the new village hall, the wedding venues are getting grander and more elegant and so too, is the music.  No more the ABBA medley or Tina Turner oldies deafening us – bring on the SWING BAND.  An elegant mixture of music from the Great American Songbook which has once again, become hip, cool and current.   The parents of the bride & groom may have been rockin’ to the likes of Rod Stewart for their wedding reception entertainment but even Rod has exchanged his ‘Maggie Mae’ for ‘As Time Goes By’.

With the huge popularity of shows like The Rat Pack and new artists such as Michael Buble, the resurgence of jazz, swing and popular song has never been stronger.   Buble’s music, let’s face it, is of our grandparents generation.  It’s Frank Sinatra all over again – classy, brassy and ring-a-ding-ding!   The real pleasure of digging up the musical past is that only the best and the biggest hits are re-discovered.  Songs such as Let’s Face The Music and Dance, Come Fly With Me, La Mer, Have You Met Miss Jones or Music to Watch Girls Go By are the survivors.   Who’d have thought that young brides would once again be asking for ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ or ‘Mr Bojangles’ for their first dance?

Turning to the all-important wedding first dance, one suspects that the rush of soon-to-be-married couples to take quickstep or foxtrot lessons must be due to the huge success of Strictly Come Dancing, a show which has it all – live music, beautiful gowns and most of all, glamour.   And what could be more glamorous than gliding across the dance-floor for the first time as newly-weds while a live swing band plays ‘Cheek To Cheek’?  Think Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers.  Sunday afternoon Tea-Dances are now back in style.

Perhaps for the contemporary Bride and Groom a Swing Band exemplifies the heady, studio-spun glamour of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s.  Fronted by its male and female vocalists (we mustn’t forget Ella Fitzgerald’s contribution to this wonderful music) it will play music from composers such as George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and even some Stevie Wonder thrown in for good measure.  A good quality Swing Band will have all generations enjoying the party and at a sensible volume too allowing guests to chat or to dance or to simply listen.

The disco has had its day, and a very long day at that, but if you really must have a disco then why not book a professional top-class live band who also offer a disco service?

Top Tips for choosing a Swing Band.

1.     Make sure they are professional musicians – this music is quite complex to play and requires a high level of musicianship.

2.     See if the band has any public performances where you can hear them play.

3.     Ask for a demo CD or listen to on-line sound samples (any reputable band will have these).

4.     See if the band of your choice has any video footage on YouTube.  This is fast replacing audio samples and it really is WYSIWYG

5.     Make sure they have an extensive repertoire and can play requests.

6.     If you use a music booking agency, be sure to check that the agent has personally seen the band.  You’d be surprised how often agents ‘Google’ a band just to hold-on to the client.

If you’re looking for a band for your forthcoming wedding, corporate event or other celebration at Dulwich College then Simply Swing would be a superb choice for this timeless and romantic venue.  There is a piano in situ and Simply Swing is also able to offer its pianist’s services as a solo artist for your Wedding Ceremony, Reception Drinks or the Wedding Breakfast.

Great gig yesterday at the beautiful Le Talbooth, Colchester, Essex where Simply Swing performed at the wedding of Peter Suchet (sibling of David Suchet and John Suchet) and Jo Clinton-Davis.  The band was booked for a Tea-Dance but the event turned into a musical little bit of everything where we performed a wide variety of musical styles and kept all the guests dancing the afternoon away!

Surprise 40th birthday party for Louise last Sunday at Rowhill Grange in Dartford, kick-started our Spring/Summer busy period.  Great crowd too who loved the Robbie Williams special requests that we played.  Extremely busy Bank Holiday weekend coming up starting tomorrow 29th April with the Trio at our monthly gig at The Duke of Kent in Ealing, followed by the weekend performing at three different weddings in Oxford, Shepperton and Colchester!

First time for the Simply Swing Band last night at Loseley Park – a beautiful venue near Guildford.  The wedding of David and Anna was held in the Tithe Barn where the band fitted in perfectly and the acoustics were very good.  There were few guests at this mid-week wedding (which tend to be subdued as work is looming the next day for many of the guests) but Simply Swing managed to whip them into dancing action.  The band was then followed by our Auto disco service for the last hour.

This coming Sunday 17th January, the Simply Swing Duo will be exhibiting at Gosfield Hall near Halstead in Essex.  Anyone thinking about booking live music for pre-Ceremony, reception drinks or dancing should come and have a listen and say ‘hello’.  We hope to see you there where we can discuss all your entertainment needs.   Simply Swing is a recommended supplier at Gosfield Hall.

Back again at Leez Priory two nights running and then its sister venue, Gosfield Hall for what was a very busy autumn week!  Simply Swing has been a recommended supplier to these two stunning Essex wedding venues for several years now.  We not only have the band perform from a Quartet up to the 7-Piece at these venues but we also supply a solo pianist for the wedding ceremony or reception drinks and Rat Pack singer for drinks or early evening entertainment as an alternative.   Simply Swing works at Leez Priory and Gosfield Hall so frequently that even our band videos were recorded there!  Anyone who has a wedding booked for Leez or Gosfield (or any other venues, of course) might like to come and see the band perform locally to the venues at The Belvedere in Billericay on Tuesday 10th November.

Continuing our strict tempo ballroom dancing theme, Simply Swing’s drummer Jeff was playing at Karen Hardy’s dance studio in Chelsea.  He is in demand as a trusted drummer to get the tempos right when it comes to ballroom dancing!  Many of our brides and grooms have lessons in ballroom dancing to add that bit of glamour to their first dance and Karen Hardy’s studios is the perfect place to learn.