1. WHAT IS THE CELEBRATION AND WHO WILL BE ATTENDING?
If you’re looking to book a party band then you must be having a party, which is a fantastic start!
A few quick questions that need answering before we get going: Who is the party for? What are you celebrating? What age range will your guests be? Is there a specific music style that you believe all will enjoy? Is there a set theme to the party that you want the music to fit to?
Party bands can come in all shapes and sizes (both in size of the group, but also in musical style). You need to ensure the party band you hire will not only suit the celebrant, they’ll also please the majority of the guests attending and fit the theme you have decided you’d like the party to be centred around.
A couple of examples;
- If booking a ‘sweet 16’ Birthday party for your daughter, you’re probably best off not booking a ‘Brylcreem’ (other hair product brands are also available) heavy 50’s Rock N Roll, but going with perhaps a ‘One Direction’ tribute act or youthful party band playing all of the current chart hits.
- If your celebration is your grandparent’s 90th Birthday, a noisy Indie Rock party band may not be your answer, with you needing something more ‘old school’ perhaps like a 50’s style swing band< or a light acoustic cover duo.
2. WHAT BUDGET IS AVAILABLE? HOW MUCH IS A PARTY BAND?
So you’ve decided what type of band (or at least have an idea at this point) you’d like to try and find. Budget can unfortunately be a very deciding factor and limitation when looking at available options. If you are looking to hire a professional party band that perform for a living, £200 is not going to buy a 4 membered band’s time for the night, but may entice a soloist.
The date of your event can also help with securing a great band, as most will also perform at other private events and celebrations, with a large chunk being Weddings. To explain a little further why the date can help – the summer Wedding season dominates party band bookings, with many booked 3 times a week all throughout, sometimes as far as two years in advance. If you then choose to have a party on a Saturday in August, and start organising this in June that year it will be a struggle to book your favourite option, with many being already booked. If you have the option to pick a day, choosing a Wedding ‘off peak’ date, or a Mid-week / Sunday day can certainly help and give you more options to play with.
3. WHAT THE ACT OFFERS INCLUDED IN THEIR PACKAGE?
What do you want the band to include? When booking a party band from us here at Entertainment Nation, 99% of acts will offer a fairly similar package. This usually comprises of:
- Band Arriving at 5pm or later (with most needing around 60-90 minutes to set up and soundcheck) and a curfew of Midnight. Other timings are of course available.
- 2×45, 2×60 or 3×40 minute sets of live performance throughout the night (at times agreed with you).
- DJ Style music (sometimes in the form of playlists and sometimes a ‘Manned’ System) Full PA system and lighting rig.
- More often than not a band will also offer to learn a special request made by you and perform this live on the evening included too.
- Insurance and Equipment Test Certificates (as requested by many venues).
Timings and inclusions can vary from band to band so always worth checking what you are getting for the price. Any quotes we send out will explain everything in full. If in doubt, ask the questions, don’t just assume!
4. DOES MY VENUE HAVE ANY LIVE MUSIC LIMITATIONS?
Party venues can have many stipulations that you need to check before you take the plunge and book a party band for your celebration. A few things worth noting are:
Stage / Performance area size: You’re not going to fit a 7 piece (no. of members) soul and Motown band on a 2×1 meter stage. Please note a stage isn’t a ‘must have’ as most bands will happily perform on the floor as long as the space is big enough (4-6 piece bands usually request around 3×4 meters) and is dry and level.
Sound Limiter: Ever changing health and safety laws and ‘moaning neighbours’ are causing many venues to have sound limiters installed. To explain these a little further ? A unit and microphone is attached to a wall of the venue and will have a set decibel (measurement of sound volume) limit. When a party band hits this volume consistently for a set period (usually around 5 seconds) the power is cut to all of their equipment. This tends to ruin a good party atmosphere as it will be silent for a good 30 seconds before the system is reset and they can commence once more. Bands are getting very used to working within these limits, however the level that the limiter is set at is very important information to pass on before booking to ensure the band is happy to work within this limit. The last thing you want is for this to be dropped on the band when they arrive, potentially leaving them unable to perform.
Live Music Curfew Times: Similar to the above sound limiter paragraph regarding noise complaints, venues can impose strict finish times for live music. If you want your party to be still going into the early hours of the morning you’re best off not picking a venue that will demand live music to be finished by 10pm! If you do have strict timings from your venue make sure you tell your band, to ensure you get their full sets before they have to finish.
5. WHERE WILL I FIND SUCH AN ACT?
At Entertainment Nation you not only get the expert advice offered by agents that have worked first hand in the entertainment industry for many years, but also get the security of knowing that all available acts are vetted to ensure only the best quality. All bookings are securely contracted and we are always on hand to ensure your event goes off without a single hitch.
The first place to have a look would be to click the link below. Enjoy browsing through the available acts and use the filter options to narrow down your shortlist of favourites. We’re here to help from 10 til 10, 7 days a week so please jump on the live chat below or drop us an enquiry via the site anytime.
The party band booking process can be a very fun and simple experience when booking Entertainment Nation!
