Archive for the ‘reception music’ Category

Wedding Themes 2013

Friday, May 10th, 2013
Wedding themes 2013

Wedding themes 2013

As the wedding season begins in earnest Live Music Management are able to point out some of the key wedding themes beginning to appear in 2013 . Wedding themes 2013 style cover a wide number of inspirational ideas. Obviously Live Music Management’s key area of expertise is live music at weddings and so our list is slanted towards the wedding entertainment trends that we have noticed coming into play.

1920′s Great Gatsby Style

With the Great Gatsby movie opening shortly the glamorous era of the 1920′s jazz age has become a key wedding theme in 2013 and many of our swing bands have benefited from an increase in bookings as clients look to book the perfect jazz band for their big day.

Festival Weddings

Festival themed weddings have become very popular with great rock bands playing the key big anthems and perhaps also offering an acoustic element to their set list.

After Show Parties For Weddings

Many clients , particularly those who grew up in the clubbing age and perhaps still go out clubbing themselves , are not content to allow the festivities to end at midnight and the celebrity inspired after show has grown in popularity with younger guests moving onto a club or booking a party DJ who can play night club style hits until the early hours of the morning.

Highly Themed Weddings

Whether the passion is for circuses , Harry Potter or Star Wars Live Music Management are seeing a number of fun wedding themes in 2013 with clients carrying the theme through everything from the wedding invites right through to the wedding band on the night being asked to learn certain songs or dress in a particular way in order to meet with the wedding theme. These are all themes which we have worked with in the past twelve months. (Top tip for Circus Themed wedding . Hire a stilt walking band !!!  If not hire some stilt walkers who will entertainment and wow your guests.

Weddings Themed To The Location

Getting married in Devon on the coast ? Then a pirate themed wedding will fit the bill perfectly. Getting married in a castle? Then what about a medieval theme and court jesters and court musicians playing music suited to the theme?

Live Music Management have a keen eye for forward thinking wedding themes and we love to get involved with providing the best live entertainment for your wedding theme. We are able to tweak and to bespoke any act to fit with your wedding theme in 2013 and beyond.

 

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String Quartets For Weddings

Tuesday, December 11th, 2012
String quartets for weddings

String quartets for weddings

Classical music is a popular choice for a wedding ceremony or drinks reception and with Live Music Managements string quartets for weddings you can be guaranteed of quality music at a competitive price.

Live Music Management offer a range of string quartets for weddings based throughout the UK . They are all highly trained professional outfits. Many of our classical musicians have played at the highest levels with the UKs top orchestras and alongside well respected conductors. Some of our classical musicians have even played in the string sections for top pop acts like Robbie Williams, Take That, Westlife etc. In the last season of Downton Abbey you may have seen one of Live Music Managements string quartets playing in a key scene where they took a role at a charity concert held by the family in Downton Abbey.

Our string quartets for weddings offer a wide repertoire of well known classical standards . Besides the beautiful classical works which make up the majority of their set list many of our string sections offer a selection of pop songs arranged for strings and this mix of traditional and new has become a major attraction at weddings.

For clients on a budget ,or with space restrictions, Live Music Management can offer smaller string sections. A string duo or trio can be a very attractive addition to any event and we have supplied anything from a solo violin player upwards. a viola and violin duo or cello and violin duo are both popular choices with many pieces arranged for these line ups.

Live Music Management have supplied string quartets for weddings in many of the UK’s most prestigious venues including The House Of Lords, Monkey Island Hotel,Magdalene College Cambridge, The Pump Rooms Bath, Addington Palace,Alderley Edge Hotel,Allerton Castle,Amadeus Centre,Amberley Castle,Bisham Abbey and many more.

Of course our string quartets are also used for wedding ceremonies and very often clients will hire a string section to appear during their wedding service (perhaps in a chapel or in the venue) and then to play during the drinks reception .Occasionally this will be on the lawn as photographs are being taken and I can think of little better than strolling around one of the UK’s grand houses sipping champagne whilst a string quartet play some uplifting and inspiring music in the background. (As I write this it is currently mid winter and freezing….I dream on!)

Please call LMM on 08454 900515 or email info@lmmuk.com for further details on string quartets for weddings.

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Booking Amatuer Bands For Weddings

Thursday, June 28th, 2012
bride

bride

I read recently that the hiring of a band or DJ for a wedding is tenth in the list of priorities for a Bride and Groom, way below hiring of a wedding venue,choice of food,flowers,dress etc etc. This really disturbs me.

Of course Live Music Management are an entertainment agency with a vested interest in people prioritising entertainment at their weddings but I would like to make a persuasive argument for why people should consider very carefully the music they book for their wedding party.

Music is a powerful thing.Even at low volume it changes the tone and feel of a room.Even if people hardly notice the music playing in the background it can change their moods accordingly.That’s why retail stores choose their playlists according the demographic and atmosphere they wish to create.It’s why sports people can be psyched up by high BPM sounds and why riots can be calmed by muzac.The guests at a wedding will have their moods changed more by the background music than they will be the colour of the tableclothes or the choice of flowers and once the music is turned up to create a party atmosphere then the party will live or die on the quality of the live wedding band or  mobile DJ.

I have had several conversations with potential clients where they have conceded that they are going to book a band who are ”friends of a friend” that is amateur musicians who have a band with which play occasionally and with clients who have said “someone at work has offered to DJ..he reckons he has done it before.” The same clients would never allow an amateur cook to do the catering or a pal with a sewing kit to make the wedding dress.

A wedding party is the biggest event most people will ever organise.I would argue that the entertainment on the night will be the single biggest factor in making that event memorable.I have been in the room when a poor quality function band or a useless DJ tries to win over a crowd….and fails.

If budget is an issue for your wedding party (and of course budgets have to be assigned to all aspects of a wedding) Live Music Management would suggestion baring the above in mind and looking at various options. Better to have a high quality solo singer than a poor quality five piece band.Better to have a three piece great band than a seven piece poor quality but cheap wedding band.Always better to have a pro DJ than someone who fancies themselves as a DJ but has little experience.If in doubt please call the LMM office on 08454 900515 we should be able to help accommodate your budgets.

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Performing Arts Colleges

Wednesday, June 27th, 2012
Paul McCartney With LIPA Graduate

Paul McCartney With LIPA Graduate

I am currently reading Howard Sounes “Intimate Life Of Paul McCartney” and there is a very interesting section on the founding of LIPA (Liverpool Institute Of Performing Arts.) According to the account it cost £18 million to launch.£3 million of this came from Paul McCartney personally who had originaly become involved because he wanted to save his old Liverpool Institute school building.It was only later that he decided to support the founding of a performing art college.

There are a number of musicians playing in Live Music Management bands who are graduates of LIPA and other performing arts colleges.In fact in the past ten or fifteen years there have been a massive increase in the people attending performance courses at University and College level.As industry professionals Live Music Management have seen a huge uplift in the level of musicianship we see amongst young musicians.Courses at the Brit School ,LIPA ,Leeds College Of Music etc have fostered a whole generation of quality musicians. At school level there are courses like Nottinghamshire 11th Session where my daughter attended until recently and I have had the pleasure of witnessing twelve year old kids playing Led Zeppelin covers note for note (enough tp strike fear into the hearts of older musos!)

The one thing that these courses cannot teach when it comes to live performance is experience and it is certainly noticeable when bands full of quality players do not get the live experience they need to be truly great wedding bands and function bands but at Live Music Management we do attempt to offer party bands shows at live venues when they can cut their teeth playing low value shows before commanding higher fees on the corporate circuit. Our audition process helps us to ensure that only the best new bands are put forward as Live Music Management party bands.

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Ceremony Music

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

 


With the advent of civil and non traditional wedding ceremonies there has been an upsurge in more unusual uses of music during the wedding service. Many couples over the last decade or so have decided to side line the use of the traditional church organist / choir combination and search for music which perhaps has personal meaning for them as people or will project a less formal atmosphere.

Some couples choose to use both the traditional church elements and other pieces in order to put together a “modern” service.  LMM went to a beautiful wedding last year where the church organist played Elbows “On A Day Like This” followed by hymns song by the choir and where one of the centre pieces of the service was an acoustic duo playing a Van Morrison song.

At Live Music Management we have hundreds of musicians in the classical music , jazz or pop fields who are able to put together something special for your wedding service. We are used to providing bespoke solutions for weddings and we have in the past put together many memorable moments including recreating the scene from Love Actually where a “pop up” choir perform “All You Need Is Love” through to having a classical guitarist perform rock songs in a classical style and a harp player playing pop songs whilst the bride enters the church.

If you are looking to book some different music for your wedding ceremony then please call our team to discuss the options available for you or if you have a distinct idea then we will be able help put it together for you.

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