Archive for the ‘PARTIES/FUNCTIONS AND UNIVERSITY BALLS’ Category

Limousines And Rock N Roll

Thursday, March 21st, 2013
Limousines and rock and roll

Limousines and rock and roll

In the twenty first century you are , statistically, more likely to find a high school student or a Bride and Groom in the back of a limousine than a bona fide rock and roll star but it was not always so.

Back in the big hair days of 1980s LA rock bands like Motely Crue and Poison out did each other with ever more elaborate stretch limos to the point where Motley Crew wound up with a limousine that came with an open top jacouzi filled with Playboy Bunnies. Those were the days!

On a serious point it is the excesses of the rock and celebrity world that spurred on the fashion for custom stretch limos and massive cars. Arnold Schwarzenegger was responsible for the first civilian Hummers being manufactured after he saw an army convoy on a film shoot and insisted to general motors that they sell him a version.

There are now dozens of variations of the Hummer available to hire for weddings, parties and events from companies like Limo Scene http://www.limo-sceneuk.co.uk/    who are one of the UK’s top Limousine companies. If you fancy yourself riding around in a pink Hummer on your hen night then you have Arnold Schwarzeneggerand and LimoScene to thank for the opportunity of being able to do this without being a rock star or a millionaire.

Limo Scene also have a range of wedding cars and limos available to hire for nights out , weddings , school proms etc etc.  No occasion is complete without arriving in style in an impressive motor and for that we probably have rock bands and superstar deejays to thank.

It appears limousines and rock and roll will never go out of fashion.

 

 

St Patrick’s Day Entertainment

Monday, March 11th, 2013
St Patrick's Day Entertainment

St Patrick's Day Entertainment

Writing this on Monday morning at the start of one of the busiest weeks in the calendar with St Patrick’s Day looming large on the horizon. St Patricks Day is also a busy night for our bands, DJs and clients but this year will be especially busy as it falls on a Saturday which , of course, is also the premier night of the week to go out and be entertained.

Live Music Management began planning our St Patrick’s Day entertainment some six months ago and the regular venues that we look after (like The Walkabout venues , Bar Risa , Wahoo , Highlight etc ) will all have special St Patrick’s Day entertainment booked.

Many of them have opted for some live entertainment with our Irish party bands being much in demand on this night. For the majority of City Centre venues , holiday parks and indeed non specialist Irish nights the venue has chosen to book a party band , solo or duo that will play some Irish anthems and also play a mixed bag of covers rather than a band that play exclusively Irish tunes (a set which is likely to contain many tunes that just wouldn’t be recognised by the majority of customers.) That means that we have many function bands playing their normal set but padded out with some Irish tunes chosen because they are the ones most loved by the general party goer. This would include songs like “Tell Me Ma,” “Irish Rover”, “Ce Le Vie” , “Whisky In a Jar” etc and would also maybe include the band playing a few instrumental Irish jigs and reels .

The Deejays working for Live Music Management across the country will be briefed with ensuring that an element of the St Patricks Day Entertainment is thrown into the mix with the tracks above taking centre place and perhaps a little nod to Ireland with themed stilt walkers and decor.

It’s going to be a great Saturday night to go out and party with many venues (both small independents and larger chain bars) looking to capitalise on the St Patrick’s Day vibe by booking extra content into their evenings. Obviously this offers some real value for the customer.

In the private events world Live Music Management have a few great events and parties booked this week with St Patrick’s Day entertainment taking centre stage. There is even a wedding at the weekend were the wedding band have been briefed to ensure an Irish element makes it’s way into the set list.

So get out the shamrocks , order that pint of Guinness and enjoy the week! In particular you should look out for the tremendous bands playing in Temple Walkabout this Friday and Saturday…both Barnstorm and Shake Out are top of their game.

The Brits

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012
Brits -Pop Music Its What We Do Best

Brits -Pop Music Its What We Do Best

So at long last its the day of the Brits!

I write this because in our house the night of Brits is the most important televisual event of the year. The kids (9 and 11) have watched the show since they were toddlers and look forward to it for several months ,right from the announcement of the nominees. For some weeks now we have been fed gossip  gleaned from twitter about who will perform  and what so and so will be wearing.

I will also be glued to the screen watching a programme which celebrates something that the UK is actually very good at. One of our major exports is pop music and  Adele is just the most recent example of our ability to compete at a world class level. Compare that to the Olympics where, despite having had billions of pounds of tax payers money thrown at the event, we are unlikly to come away with much in the way of trophies and little more than a tenuous promise of a few extra tourist dollars.

The Brits is the pinnacle of achievement which many of our party bands and DJs dream of as they pursue original music careers and right from the local pub band through to a number one selling act like Adele we should be very proud of our ability to produce top quality musicians and songwriters able to compete (and win) on the world stage.

Brits- We Salute You!!!

Bands And DJs Playing In The Alps

Friday, February 10th, 2012

ski people

If you have been on a ski holiday in the past ten years it is entirely possible that you have seen one of our party bands or club DJs playing in a busy resort bar.

Many live music management bands and DJs choose to spend their winter months in Europes top ski resorts rather than sitting out the cold weather over here. The opportunity to ski is available to them, the gigs are great and playing five and six nights per week affords them plenty of time to try out new material and polish up their act.

In Winter 2012 you could bump into The Dominos in the French Alps, It’s One Louder playing in the same area or DJ Rick Bennett (who has just finished up his Summer residency in Camden Dingwalls) playing over on the Swiss border.

If you have watched bands and djs playing in the Alps and thought that you would like to book them for your wedding ,event or party then please call the Live Music Management office for details of the best band for your party.

LMM Fact File…Did you know that The Feeling played the Winter Ski season in the Alps before hitting the big time with their monster pop hits (Greatest Hits out now folks!)

 

Tips For Booking A Band

Thursday, February 9th, 2012

Booking a band is pretty easy…getting the right band is the hard bit. On todays blog Live Music Management offer some insider tips on how to book the right band for your party,event or wedding.We hope you find these tips for booking a band helpful.

1.Think of your guests. What style of musical entertainment will best suit the majority of your party?

2.Watch video and listen to sound files but also be aware that some party bands spend thousands in a recording studio to get a great sound whilst others just have live recordings. At Live Music Management we prefer to hear the live recordings and videos as this gives you a clearer impression of what the cover band will sound like when playing live at your event.

3.Check for client testimonials.See what previous clients have to say about the band.

4.Make sure the band have the right public insurance and PAT test certificates required by most venues.

5.Find out how long the band have played together.What is their pedigree? How often do they play? Where have they played?

bride

Live Music Management are a reputable entertainment agency. We have been around over fifteen years. Our largest client (The Australian Walkabout Bars) have been with us for the whole of that time. We have dozens of other large clients who have used us for their band bookings for many years. If you are looking to book a band we can offer friendly and honest advice and help make your event the best that it can be. We rely on word of mouth recomendations for much of our business so we hope you will become an ambassador for LMM. Please call the office on 08454 900515 or  email info@lmmuk.com for details.

Grinspoon Tour Dates

Monday, January 30th, 2012

grinspoon

Two members of top selling Australian band Grinspooon will be playing tour dates in London this week. Phil Jamieson and Pat Davern of Grinspoon will be playing two special unplugged style acoustic dates. The Grinspoon duo will be playing Temple Walkabout on January 31 2012 and again at Shepherds Bush Walkabout on February 2. Tickets are on sale direct from the venues and are £5 in advance and £7 on the door.

Links to buy tickets below.

http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e5gcm71s9196567c&llr=wwmb8ddab

https://fan.musicglue.com/sale/saleproducts.aspx?productid=03ce2f39-f206-4cea-ab03-f8c9aca92518&resellerid=08af66d2-a37a-4e5a-a80e-d278bfb62cf7

Grinspoons new cd “Six To Midnight” is available now and tracks from this album got a rapturous response when we played them last week on Australia day.

This is a great opportunity to see members of one of Australias top rock bands up close and personal playing stripped down versions of their much loved tracks and is a must for any Australians in London or music fans of any Nationality.

Doors will be open at 7pm on both shows and we expect both dates to sell out so be down there good and early.

Australian Covers Bands For Australian Themed Events

Thursday, January 5th, 2012


With Australia Day just a few weeks away Live Music Management are busy putting the final touches to the line ups in the Walkabout bars throughout the UK. We have some great party DJs playing in all the venues and they will be expected to play some of the key Australian anthems. In the larger Walkabout venues and all the London pubs there will be brilliant live music provided by our roster of the best Australian cover bands in the UK.

For those of you not in the know….Australia Day lands on January 26 and is celebrated by Australians throughout the world in a way comparable with St Patricks Day celebrations for Irish people. It brings ex pat Australians together to celebrate this special day , the National day of Australia , a massive public holiday back home in Oz. We can expect the Walkabout venues to be full of Australians celebrating and having a great time.

Live Music Management are proud to manage and book most (if not all) of the great Australian covers band in the UK and our roster includes awesome party bands like The Hi Fidels , Electric Mayhem , The Bondis , Skywalker , Plan B and Front Cover. These bands are all in demand for weddings and parties as well as Australian themed events throughout the UK and beyond. Should you be looking for an Aussie band to liven up your themed event then call the LMM help desk on 08454 900515 for more details.

Merry Xmas To All DJ’s , Party Bands And Clients

Friday, December 23rd, 2011
Merry Xmas From The LMM Team!

Merry Xmas From The LMM Team!

I would like to say thanks to all the LMM cover bands , mobile DJs, club djs ,tribute acts and wedding singers who have given their all this year to deliver top quality entertainment to the nation. We are aware that many of you will be working at parties and events whilst the rest of us civilians are having a drink or two ….for that we salute you!

The LMM office will be operating a stripped back staff during the Christmas period but our emergency number will be available for genuine emergencies on 07734786046 . During the Xmas period we will occasionally check emails and reply to sales enquiries but if you need an immediate response then please call the emergency number.

We also want to take this opportunity to wish all our clients ,some of whom have been with us some years and are therefore have become good pals and some of whom are one time buyers of entertainment , a very happy christmas. Thank you for your continued business which is appreciated by all of us in the LMM office and by the many DJ’s and party bands who rely on your event bookings for their livelihoods.

We will finish on a quick anecdote.

I got talking to someone in Derby Walkabout earlier this year and he reckoned that Roy Wood (of Wizard fame) lives in the Derby area and keeps a Christmas tree up all year around (you may remember that Wizards big Xmas hit was “I wish it could be Christmas everyday”.) The guy looked wistfully into space,swallowed a mouthful of beer and simply said “he bloody loves Christmas that Roy Wood!!”

So do the LMM team!

Talk soon…..Merry Xmas (and to paraphrase John Lennon) “Let’s hope its a good one…without any fear!”

Brightside Party Band And Jesse Malin New York Rocker Reviews

Monday, November 28th, 2011
Jesse Malin at The Rescue Rooms

Jesse Malin at The Rescue Rooms

 

It’s been a weekend of contrasting gig attendances for the LMM team.

On Saturday night I popped into Sheffield Walkabout where DJ Lenny Sultana was holding court and party band Brightside were a brilliant last minute addition to the bill.

Sheffield Walkabout holds a great place in my affections being one of the first northern Walkabout bars to open (and  in my old home town at that.) I can remember sitting in the old church building prior to the venue opening with Steve the sound engineer discussing the tech spec and working out how all the equipment was going to be set up. Since then we have had hundreds (maybe thousands) of function bands playing on the stage. It was also the home, for a long time, of Bandeoke (aka Live band Karaoke or Rockaoke) in the North Of England.

On Saturday Brightside put on a great show with set opener “Sweet Home Alabama” giving way to Stay Tonight by Eagle Eyed Cherry before the band brought it bang up to date with Lady Ga Ga and other chart hits. Brightside have forged a reputation as a good value wedding band and Saturday showed just how versatile this band are. With a confident and exceptional female singer they had no trouble motivating the city centre crowd with their anthemic set and on the money musicianship. As ever Steve’s sound levels were brilliant. DJ Lenny who has a side line in mobile DJ work as well as his city centre shows proved himself to be a strong host and played some top tunes.

We finished our Sheffield Saturday in Dada which is a new edition to the Thornbridge Brewery empire in the site of the old Trippets Wine Bar on Trippet Lane. With a strong line up of beers and nice decor with a distinct Sheffield vibe (even down to Pete McKees signature on the wall) this is a welcome addition to the Sheffield bar scene.

Sunday night saw us at the Rescue Rooms in Nottingham watching New York rocker Jesse Malin who is a hard working,touring singer cut from the Springsteen, Gaslight Anthem, Ryan Adams mould. He was playing one of his early albums (The Fine Art Of Self Destruction ) in it’s entirety. It was a brilliant,passionate show which suggested that this singer songwriter with his band of New York,leather clad bandmates should be way better known. Support from acts like Special Needs and New York singer songwriter Don D’Marto (???) made this a top value night out for lovers of melodic jangly rock music. Check out Jesse Malin and The St Marks Social when they pass through your town.