Wedding Band

Archive for the ‘Wedding Band’ Category

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!

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.

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.

It was great for the band to perform at the wedding of Suzanne & Johnny on 3rd October at the fabulous Wilton’s Music Hall in the East End of London.  This wonderful venue is steeped in history and is still undergoing renovation but what an unusual and elegant setting for a wedding it was!   The great photographer, Duncan Kerridge, photographed the event and he is no stranger to Simply Swing as he took one of our most viewed publicity photos and his black and white photos of the wedding were superb.  The wedding had a 1950’s glamour theme and the band performed to the backdrop of old 1950’s romance movies.

Simply Swing Band at Wilton's Music Hall, East London

Well this weekend turned out to be extremely busy with the wedding of Bethany & John at Hampton Court Palace Golf Club on Saturday followed by a lovely afternoon Tea Dance at the Ruby Wedding celebration of Martin & Lynda at the exquisite Le Talbooth at Colchester.  What a beautiful venue that is, nestled on the river and with the finest cuisine in Essex.  Once again, Simply Swing was recommend by the venue  – what an honour that is – to make a lovely Sunday afternoon extra special!