Archive for August, 2009

Jamie Afro On X Factor

Saturday, August 29th, 2009
Jamie Afro with his LMM duo New Revolutions

Jamie Afro with his LMM duo New Revolutions

Just watched Jamie Afro tear the stage apart on X Factor and very proud of the fact that he has worked for LMM both solo and with his brilliant duo The New Revolutions (see http://www.lmmuk.com/band/New+Revolutions for sound samples and more details) for several years now.

Jamie Afro deserves all the success he gets from the X Factor because he has always been a fantastic performer.If you just saw him on the show you would have had a small taste of the kind of performance he has been giving for LMM at Walkabout venues in the South Of England and at weddings and private parties.

Jamie Afro has been playing Covent Garden Walkabout on a semi residency basis for a couple of years now.He still has dates in the diary and we hope his busy schedule now that he has been praised by Simon Cowell,Chery Cole,Danni Minogue and that other bloke (Louis Walsh!) allows him to contine to rock the Covent Garden Walkabout crowd.

Jamie Afro and New Revolutions still have a number of dates booked into the fantastic Covent Garden Walkabout and if you are hoping to catch this X Factor star live in a small and intimate venue then check the Covent Garden Walkabout listings to see when Jamie Afro is playing.Obviously due to his commitments with the X Factor contest his diary is liable to change but you might just be lucky enough to see this future star in the venue where he started.

Jamie Afro-We Salute you…..hope you go all the way!

Jamie Afro works the crowd at Covent Garden Walkabout

Jamie Afro works the crowd at Covent Garden Walkabout

July and August Entertainment Round Up

Friday, August 21st, 2009
Great party bands and DJs available last minute from www.lmmuk.com

Great party bands and DJs available last minute from www.lmmuk.com

LMM are well into the wedding season now and every weekend we have party bands,DJs,classical acts and jazz bands playing at weddings throughout the UK. Because we have planned well in advance and we are always up to date with acts availabilities we still have acts available for last minute wedding and party bookings.If you have had an act cancel your wedding in Summer 2009 please call our office on 08454 900515 and one of our team will advise you of the last minute availabilities we have for party bands and weddings DJs in August,September and October.

Most acts are booked up to 12 months in advance and we are now taking wedding bookings for 2010 (and the odd one for 2011!) but if you are in a panic about a last minute cancelation please call LMMas I am certain we will be able to help.

As the Summer progresses (with mixed weather as we all know) we would like to congratulate all the brides and grooms who have taken their vows over the past few weeks and we take this opportunity on behalf of all our acts to say “Thanks for using LMM-Hope you had a wonderful wedding reception and good luck for the future!”

We have had some lovely comments from clients in the past few weeks and I have copied and posted a couple of their emails below.Its always great to get feedback (good or bad) but its always best to getto get good!

These emails from brides and grooms awaited me when I returned from holiday (more about that later.)

“Well it’s now July 13th and the wedding is now in the past – and a very successful day it was.  I would like you to pass on my most sincere thanks to the band.  I thought they were absolutely amazing and just the right band for us.  I have had so many compliments passed to me concerning Gold and I would love you to tell them how appreciated they are.  I did try to tell them at the end of the night but by then my mouth wasn’t working properly and certainly not making any sense – too much alcohol I’m afraid.Thanks once again for your help as well in arranging the booking for us.

Regards

Frank”

“ Just a quick message before we go away. thanks for a great night the band went down a treat, i have lost track of the amount of people that came up to me and said how great the band were (and a lot of the girls said how fit they were) and that it was the best wedding they had been to.
 
I hope the guys get some more bookings from our guests and some have asked for the LMM website so may leave some feedback.
 Anyway thanks again and if you’re ever looking for a extra singer you’ve got mu number!!!
 Thanks
 Glen and Abbie”

“Hello Rick

I know it’s been 3 months since our Wedding, but I just wanted to let you know how fantastic Lucas were.
Johnny Lucas called me 2 days before the Wedding to double check timings and that all was ok.
They arrived promptly and set up, there was no fuss or hassle.
The music was fantastic, just what we had wanted and all our guests thought they were brilliant!
The real shame is that it’s all over – but I have been asked for your e-mail address so we may be seeing them again at another party!!
Thanks for all your help
David and Becci Ness”

It was just fantastic to get back from a great holiday in Toronto,Cnada and find the above emails waiting in my inbox.

On the subject of Toronto.This year was my 11th visit there with my family and as always we time it so that we can attend the Toronto Beaches Jazz Festival which is within walking distance of my brother in laws house.We have become friendly with a chap who works alongside our favourite act at the Beaches Jazz Festival who are the incomparable Toronto All Stars.

The Toronto All Star Big Band http://www.torontoallstarbigband.com/  play outside Swiss Chalet on all three nights of the Jazz festival and the whole family love them.My two girls have been fans since they were four and two years old and they have pictures of the All Star girl singers on their bedroom wall and regularly play the videos and DVDs we have the band.Given that the girls (who are 9 and 7) ussually listen to McFly,Beyonce and The Saturdays getting them to listen to swing tunes and Andrews Sisters close harmony material is some acheivement.The Toronto All Star Big Band have acheived this through the exuberance of youth,the energy and panache which they display and ultimatley the incredible talent that all the members of the band have.These are kids aged 13 to 17 but they have the chops of jazz musicians with years of experience under their belts.

The Toronoto All Stars Big Band as seen at the Beaches Jazz Festival

The Toronoto All Stars Big Band as seen at the Beaches Jazz Festival

We love the Toronto All Stars and wanted to thank them for giving us so many happy memories and to thank  the All Star girls for giving Eve and Tess their attention and for posing for photos again (the pics are up on the wall along with the pictures of Zac Effron,Ashley Tisdale,McFly and the rest of their heroes!)

Back to work and back to reality for a moment.

Sugar Shack and DJ Big Al played a beautiful wedding at Blenheim Palace which both acts will remember as a wonderful,special evening Besides the wedding entertainment we supplied in July and August as ever we were very homoured and proud to supply acts to our servicemen both here in the UK and overseas.A special thanks as ever to CSE and Electric Mayhem would like to say how proud they were to play in Afghanistan (it was their second tour to Afghanistan.)Lucas played soe shows over in Peru which the guys very much enjoyed.Our Rockaoke band “One Night Standeoke” played over in Cyrprus for the troops.Rockaoke/Bandeoke is always a popular choice for military events.

Of course July and August are months when many of our bands are playing holiday centres and getting the fresh sea air in their lungs!Besides this we have been very busy with our main client Regent Inns and all our acts are very grateful for the work we get at Walkabout,Bar Risa and Jongluers.

Thanks again to all our clients.I hope that  you  all managed to get a holiday.Look forward to speaking to you all soon.

The focus is now on the students getting back in September and October and we have some very exciting shows planned at Walkabout bars and Bar Risa.

LMM have been lucky enough to work alongside our good friends at Hyper in putting together a great band for Alan Fletcher (AKA DR Karl Kennedy from Neighbours) and for those students planning to see Alan on his forthcoming tour you are in for a treat.The show is going to be awesome.Watch this space for details.

Brides Guide To Wedding Ceremony Music

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009
Dan Redding Is Just One Of LMMs Great Wedding Ceremony Live Acts

Dan Redding Is Just One Of LMMs Great Wedding Ceremony Live Acts

There is a great Urban Legend about a wedding which was doing the rounds back in the 1990s when the Kevin Costner Robin Hood movie propelled Bryan Adams to number one with “Everything I Do, I Do For You.” A couple went to see the middle aged church organist and told her that the bride wanted to walk down the aisle to the sound of the Robin Hood theme tune. The organist who was a little old fashioned about these things thought it was odd but she kept her opinion to herself. On the big day the bridegroom and best man stood at the front of the packed church. The bride was resplendent in her white dress with two gorgeous bridesmaids carrying her long white train. The organist’s hands came to rest upon the keys and she began to play the jaunty theme tune to the Robin Hood show she remembered from her youth. The one parodied by Monty Python. The one that goes “Robin Hood, Robin Hood Riding through the glen, Robin Hood Robin Hood with his band of men!”

You can avoid this level of embarrassment by booking a professional musician from LMM to play music as you walk down the aisle. More and more couples are shaping their wedding ceremony to suit their tastes and personalities. Music plays a big part in making the event special and LMM have a number of different options to make your big day memorable. The following is a quick selection of some key acts who are perfect at creating that unique atmosphere which you are only able to achieve with a great live musician.

Classical Musicians For Wedding Ceremonies

 The Giardino Strings http://www.lmmuk.com/band/Giardino+Strings   This fantastic classical ensemble have been a favourite at Marks And Spencer’s Bridal Fayres and are a favoured classical act here at LMM. Attractive musicians who play beautiful music.

My Favourite Strings http://www.lmmuk.com/band/My+Favourite+Strings  an unusual line up of two guitars and a cello makes My Favourite Strings a great act for a wedding ceremony.

Status Cymbal

http://www.lmmuk.com/band/Status+Cymbal+String+Quart et fantastic musicians playing wonderful classical music for weddings. Contemporary Harpist

 http://www.lmmuk.com/band/Contemporary+Harpist     the unusual combination of harp and a set list made up of contemporary artistes by Rhianna , Kings Of Leon and Coldplay.

 Harp Of Gold

 http://www.lmmuk.com/band/Harp+of+Gold    Traditional harp music-perfect for a wedding ceremony.

 Dolce Vocals 

http://www.lmmuk.com/band/Dolce+Vocals  are two attractive,young female vocalists who are classically trained and provide great music for wedding ceremonies or drink receptions.

Blossom Street Singers

http://www.lmmuk.com/band/The+Blossom+Street+Singers   as well as gospel singers LMM are able to provide a number of classical choirs. It is worth considering the Blossom Street Singers to give you that perfect combination of traditional and contemporary for a wedding ceremony.

 Tim Barton

http://www.lmmuk.com/band/Tim+Barton

 In the London area Tim Barton has made a real niche for himself playing wedding ceremony music at literally hundreds of weddings. He plays acoustic guitar and sings. He also has a great party band.

LMM have dozens of great acts available for wedding ceremonies and to provide music either whilst you walk down the aisle and sign the register or at a drinks reception after the wedding ceremony. For more ideas about music for wedding ceremonies please call our team on 08454 900515 for friendly, expert advice.