Archive for the ‘Wedding Band Hire’ Category

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Hiring Local Bands

Tuesday, May 21st, 2013
Hire a local band

Hire a local band

Todays blog is about hiring local bands.

There is a definite advantage to having a really great band based ten minutes down the road from your wedding venue . If you are able to find a local band available on the date of your wedding and able to play for a reasonable sum of money then it’s the dream wedding entertainment booking.

Obviously this dream wedding band booking isn’t always available but by speaking to Live Music Management you can definitely improve your chances of finding a quality local band for hire. You might wonder why this is given that Live Music Management are a large (ish) national entertainment agency? The answer is simple and it’s one of Live Music Managements strengths as a company.

Live Music Management began, around fifteen years ago, by supplying the Walkabout Australian bars with their entertainment (something we are proud to still be doing in 2013.) As the Walkabout bars expanded outside London Live Music Management grew with them setting on a network of reps out in the field who would audition and vet local bands and DJ’s in each town and area that the Walkabouts expanded to. As the Walkabout chain grew from Glasgow down to Newquay so did Live Music Managements roster of quality bands and DJs.  Live Music Management would hold audition nights for bands in Brighton one night and then the next day we would be holding an audition for bands in Surrey . We would find the best places to see a band in Plymouth   and then find out exactly who the best bands for hire in Devon were. We would then offer these bands the kind of quality work in great venues that they had been looking for.

In this way our roster of quality bands grew so that not only did we lay claim to the best cover bands in London but we also were able to identify the best bands for hire in Cornwall . Over the years Live Music Management have identified hundreds of quality bands this way and in the process of hiring local bands we have been able to offer tips and recommendations about how to make the local bands sets better and more suitable to the kind of wedding band and club work we were able to offer taking some bands out of the pub scene and into the event industry where the tricks of the trade that they have learnt at local level play out on a national stage.

Part of the job of Live Music Management is to sort the wheat from the chaff and there are many local bands that we reject as they would not meet our exacting standards and we would feel uncomfortable with them playing a wedding , event , or holiday centre.

Live Music Management continue to place bands in bars throughout the UK . We are also a major player in the holiday park market with bands for hire in Cumbria and bands for hire in Dorset and every other seaside county in the UK. Every weekend from March through to October we have bands playing at holiday parks throughout the UK.

In short Live Music Management are able to identify the best local bands in each area or the bands that are happy to travel to that area with minimum extra charge for travel. We would love to be able to help with your wedding , party or event and you can call us on 08454 900515 for best options.

 

 

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Find A Wedding Band

Friday, May 3rd, 2013

 


How do I find a good wedding band?

This was the question posed by a friend of a friend who loves music and wanted to be sure that the very best wedding band (within her modest budget) were booked to play at her London wedding. For this particular person the question was answered pretty easily as my friend , John , suggested she ring Live Music Management because he knows we have the best wedding bands in London on our books.

When the same question was posed on the Wedding Channel recently the suggestions ranged from asking the venue if they had seen a decent wedding band playing there recently to hiring a professional wedding planner who would (possibly) know of a good wedding band or wedding singer that would fit the bill. There wasn’t a suggestion of contacting an entertainment agency and , to be honest, if I was suggesting to a friend I would not be just saying find a wedding band by contacting a wedding band agency. There are so many wedding band agencies out there now .Many of them are operating from back bedrooms with multiple bands that they haven’t any relationship with and no long term clients.

If you want to be clear that you are receiving quality, honest advice then look out for an entertainment agency who have quality long term clients of the type that book several hundred acts per annum. Speak to the person in charge and get a feel for their integrity and knowledge of their own roster. They should be able to tell you lots about the bands that wouldn’t be apparent from just looking at the home page on a website.

I am now going to make the case for using Live Music Management for your wedding entertainment bookings (you knew this was coming I guess!)

Live Music Management were established back in the 1990s. Our sole client (to begin with) was the emerging Walkabout chain. Our growth followed the Walkabout chains growth and as they began opening throughout the UK from Glasgow down to Newquay we grew our own roster of talent, both DJs and party bands. Our reps would be out in the field looking at the local music scene, organising showcases , running endless auditions (if I tell you that I myself once auditioned over 150 DJs in Glasgow over a two week period then you will get the size of it.) Once the growth of the Walkabout chain settled we then began to gain new clients…from national holiday park chains to High Street Bars to overseas clients. Our first steps into the wedding market were taken by chance when people would call us to ask if they could book the act they had just seen in a Walkabout for their wedding day. Eventually we began marketing ourselves as a wedding entertainment supplier.

It was a natural growth like all the other developments in Live Music Management history. By the time we began supplying the wedding market we already had brilliant bands of all genres from London Jazz bands to Irish bands based in Yorkshire, from disco bands through to Scottish wedding bands and all of these acts were working for us on a regular basis playing city centre venues and other long term clients who rebook.

Find a wedding band by looking out for the bands that get rebooked. Call Live Music Management and ask us about the best band for your event. Our intention will be to supply the right band for you so that you become another one of our customers who will sing our praises and help us continue to grow our business.

The LMM team are available within office hours on 08454 900515.

 

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Great Gatsby Weddings

Thursday, April 18th, 2013
Great Gatsby weddings

Great Gatsby weddings

F Scott Fitzgerald’s book The Great Gatsby was one of those rare pieces of literature which perfectly capture the age in which it is set. F Scott Fitzgerald’s descriptions of the jazz age and the magnificent parties set on the enigmatic Gatsby’s estate paint a picture of the Roaring Twenties which remains as seductive today as it was back in the 20′s when it was published to great acclaim.

The novel has been filmed six times .The first was a silent movie filmed shortly after the novel was published. The most famous is probably one of Francis Ford Coppola’s least successful movies, a major borefest with Robert Redford as an attractive but ultimately dull Gatsby.

2013 sees a new addition to the celluloid versions of the Great Gatsby story when Leonardo DiCaprio takes the lead in Baz Lurhmanns movie. Regardless of your thoughts on Lurhmanns movies one thing is certain. The new Gatsby movie will be a visual feast and will almost certainly inspire a generation of Brides and Grooms to plan Great Gatsby Weddings .

Great Gatsby Weddings take the visual motifs of the jazz age and add some swing music to capture the glamour and opulence of the Roaring Twenties.

Live Music Management have a number of acts that fit with the Gatsby theme. Great swing bands can be found on our swing band section. We also have a number of jazz bands for weddings and solo acts that play jazz music. Of course the visuals are of particular importance when planning a Great Gatsby style wedding and LMM can ensure that the act you book dress in theme with your vision of how the night should be.

Besides the fabulous jazz acts that fit with the Great Gatsby style we also have some fantastic party bands who can dress in style and play a mixture of party music and jazz age classics (which is the way that Baz Luhrmann will be approaching the sound track to his vision of the jazz age. ) We also have dancers available to perform twenties style flapper routines whilst in costume and a number of female singing groups who can offer a tribute to the twenties.

If in doubt about the music which would best suit your event please give the LMM office a call. We are sure to be able to point you in the direction of the right wedding entertainment for your Great Gatsby wedding.

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London Wedding Band

Thursday, March 28th, 2013


Today’s blog is about one of the very best London wedding band , Sugar Shack , who have launched their new website this week. The Sugar Shack site allows potential clients the opportunity of seeing more media about this great London wedding band before booking.

Sugar Shack have worked for Live Music Management for over five years and have proved themselves to be top of their game. They are a band that we would recommend without hesitation to any couple looking to hire a lively band for their big day. Sugar Shack elevate themselves above the competition with their great musicianship, extensive play list and dual male and female lead vocals.

Sugar Shack have played throughout the UK and beyond but are in particular demand for London and home counties weddings . The band leader from Sugar Shack put a show together for the twenty fifth anniversary of the end of the Falklands war and played at the party in the Falklands where guests included Prince Edward and members of the Government. They were also the band chosen by 80s Live Aid legend Nik Kershaw for his wedding.

Sugar Shack have a fine pedigree with members of the band having played with some of the UKs leading musicians Rod Stewart, Kylie Minogue, Geri Halliwell, The Noisettes, Diana Vickers, The James Taylor Quartet, Julio Iglesias, Westlife, Gareth Gates, Liberty X, Nitin Sawhney, D:Ream, Siobhan Donaghy (Sugababes), Sharon Corr (The Corrs), Marli Buck (Fame Academy 2002), Steve Brookstein (X Factor winner 2004) and Paul Stacy (Oasis). They’ve also played support gigs for Beyonce, The Saturdays, Booty Luv and X Factor’s Chico.

Besides this they have performed on radio and TV.

So reading this glowing report you will be thinking that Sugar Shack are an expensive option for your wedding band but that isn’t the case. Prices are usually around £1200 or £1250 for a wedding in the London area. Travel is added if they have to travel a little further. If you compare this to bands of a similar quality then you will find that Sugar Shack are the most reasonably priced wedding band in London.

You can call the Live Music Management office for further details about Sugar Shack and our other London bands for hire.

 

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Secret Wedding Venues

Wednesday, March 6th, 2013
secret wedding venues

secret wedding venues

Over the past fifteen years Live Music Management have supplied literaly thousands of Deejays and bands to weddings throughout the UK. Over the years certain special secret wedding venues pop up and make the team in the office green with envy that some lucky someone is holding an event in a particular place. We would like to share with you on this blog today just a few of the venues that our clients have been lucky enough to get married in and that Live Music Management have been proud to supply the entertainment to. Some of these “secret wedding venues” are not secret buildings (one of them dominates the skyline on Londons Embankment and one of them is one of the most iconic buildings in the world ) but not everyone would realise that you can get married or hold a reception in these buildings and so they make our list of secret wedding venues.

1.The House Of Lords

Brides and Grooms used to have to have a connection with the house in order to get married in this iconic building but over the last few years The House Of Lords have allowed weddings in some of the rooms. Live Music Management supplied a string quartet for one such wedding last year.

2.Chatsworth House

Chatsworth House is one of the grandest of stately homes. A dramatic approach from the one road in and a view of fields in all directions with the house itself offering the best in country house architecture and the famous gardens offering magnificent views , special grottos and the finest in landscapes. It was a surprise to Live Music Management (who have spent many a happy hour wandering around Chatsworth) that you can also get married there. Our party bands have now played at two Chatsworth weddings.

3.Wilton’s Music Hall

A fantastic venue in East London with a rich history Wiltons Music Hall offered a great backdrop for the weddings that we have supplied bands for in the past few years.

4.The Roof Of Temple Tube Station/Walkabout

Live Music Management only supplied one act to a marrige taking place on the roof of Temple tube station. That’s because the license was only allowed on one special occasion when LMM head honcho Timbo got married! Tim was very lucky to secure this magnificent spot overlooking the Thames and we all had a wonderful time listening to the string quartet and dancing to the great wedding band.

5.Your Back Garden!

I would guess that around a third of all the weddings that we supply entertainment to take place in marquees in back gardens or on private land. These are the secret wedding venues which are converted with love and care to accomodate your special day and Live Music Management are always very pleased to be able to supply the entertainment for these intimate family affairs.

Call Live Music Management for details of entertainment for your secret wedding venue.

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Worlds Worst Wedding Bands

Friday, March 1st, 2013
Worlds Worst Wedding Bands

Worlds Worst Wedding Bands

Live Music Management is home to the UK’s best wedding bands (you can find more details about these acts by visiting the main webpage on www.lmmuk.com and browsing video and audio etc ) however in our fifteen years of auditioning wedding bands you can be sure that we have come across some stinkers.

Amongst the worlds worst wedding bands would, of course, be the incompetent musicians who occasionally contact the Live Music Management office with their over priced acts and inflated sense of how good they are (and believe us when we say that there are significant numbers of wedding bands out there with audio that does not represent their true live sound and that we know of at least one wedding band agency that bases it’s whole modus operandi on getting session players to record fantastic demos which they then attribute to amatuer acts.

Bands not being as good as they appear on paper is one thing but we also have some experiences which would help particular bands join the list of worlds worst wedding bands.

There is one band still doing the rounds who have a very angry lead singer. Several years ago we booked them for some club bookers. The band themselves are very good. The band leader is an affable character and in most situations they conduct themselves with an acceptable level of professionalism however as I mentioned the singer has an angry side. This materialised when he picked a fight with a customer in one of the high street venues we booked them into. When we brought this up with the band leader he told us “oh that’s nothing. At a wedding booking the bride groom tried to take the microphone off him and the singer punched him, The grooms men had to drag him off!!!!!”  Needless to say they never worked for Live Music Management again (the wedding booking hadn’t been one of ours) and yet I still see the band advertised as working with the very same singer.

There was another instance of violence when one of our reps was confronted by four members of the same band at an audition night after he told them that they were not quite up to the standard of band that we look for. The band had to be taken off the premises by the door men.

In order to ensure that you do not book one of the worlds worst wedding bands please speak to our team who will be able to share their experience of booking live acts (between us we have almost 100 years booking experience….hang on my maths is not great….it’s more like 80 years….that’s a lot of bands seen and a lot of bookings made.It’s also a lot of happy customers who are able to tell you that Live Music Management is home to the UK’s best wedding bands.

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Support For Gay Marriage

Thursday, February 7th, 2013
LMM support Gay Marriage

LMM support Gay Marriage

The House Of Commons vote on February 6 2013 supported marriage by same sex couples to the tune of 400 to 175 , a majority of 225 after a full days debate on the subject.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg made the following statement

“Tonight’s vote shows Parliament is very strongly in favour of equal marriage.No matter who you are and who you love, we are all equal. Marriage is about love and commitment, and it should no longer be denied to people just because they are gay.”

The issue will now recieve further scrutiny in Parliament but this weeks vote was a significant step in the right direction for Gay Marriage.

Live Music Management have been supplying live acts and DJ’s to same sex couples for their civil partnership ceremonies since they first became legal in the UK back in 2004.Over the past eight years we have had hundreds of live function bands , mobile DJ’s , classical string quartets etc etc play at civil ceremony receptions. We have also had a few of our personal friends enter into civil ceremonies.

The Civil Parnership act 2004  gives same-sex couples rights very similar to civil marriage.Civil partners are entitled to the same property rights as married opposite-sex couples, the same exemption as married couples on inheritance ,social security and pension benefits, and also the ability to get responsibilty for a partner’s children,  tenancy rights, life insurance recognition, next of kin rights in hospitals, and others. There is a formal process for dissolving partnerships akin to divorce…….so whats the difference and why deny people who love each other the right to say that they are married?

LMM support gay marriage because in a forward thinking modern and liberal (with a small L) country such as the UK we should be leaders on equality as we have been with many other issues in the past.

For Live Music Management, our party bands and deejays it will make no difference whether the couple can say that their’s is a civil partnership or a wedding but to the couple themselves it almost certainly makes a great deal of difference to feel that their union is on equal footing with a straight couples and for that reason LMM support gay marriage and applaud the MP’s who voted yes on Monday.

 

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Punk Rock Weddings

Wednesday, February 6th, 2013


Themes come and go in the wedding industry and each season brings new trends. Over the last several years the buzz words “Vintage Wedding” have hung around and splintered into a myriad of new styles including 1940′s glamour , 1970s’ chic, 50′s rock n roll and more.Punk Rock Weddings can be seen as an off shoot of this. A niche to inspire creative couples with a rock n roll swagger.

Blogs like Rock n Roll Bride (who have previously featured Live Music Management Rockaoke , Bandeoke and party bands in their real life weddings sections) have been quick to feature Punk Rock Weddings as a trend and there are a hundreds of images on line of punk rock wedding dresses which is a clear sign that something is in the air.

Bridal gown designers like Washington DC’s Punk Rock Bride have a number of fashion forward collections to inspire the Bride looking for an alternative look that is both beautiful and slightly underground.

Although Live Music Management sneer a little at the mention of Sid And Nancy inspired Punk Rock Weddings (do these people not know how that particular relationship ended? They need to read up on their rock history a bit) we are genuinely thrilled to have played a small part in the trend in the UK by supplying properly alternative wedding bands.

What do we mean by Punk Rock Wedding bands?  Well if you look at the likes of Platform Six , The Dominoes , Lucas or Brainscape on the Live Music Management website you will see an indie rock wedding band with a repertoire that won’t scare Auntie Doris but will still be credible to those couples who’ve spent the last five Summers camping at rock festivals, reading NME and watching underground bands in sweaty rock clubs. Live Music Management are the UK’s foremost supplier of this kind of cover band that play all the big party rock anthems with the swagger of the original artists.

The other kind of act that very much fits the bill at a Punk Rock Wedding is Bandeoke also known as rockaoke or live band karaoke. Live Music Managements rock karaoke bands have been in demand at Punk Rock Weddings where the guests get to sing on stage with a live band , throw some rock shapes and have live out the rock star dream. Live Music Management were the originators of this kind of wedding entertainment in the UK and although much imitated we have the best live karaoke bands at the best prices.

Call 08454 900515 or email info@lmmuk.com for further information.

 

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Wedding Entertainment London

Friday, February 1st, 2013


Live Music Management are a ideally situated to supply wedding entertainment  London. Live Music Management have had offices in London (and a further office in the Midlands) for over thirteen years and in that time have built a roster of the best wedding bands , mobile DJs , swing bands , classical musicians and other wedding entertainment in the London area.

Live Music Management have been supplying London venues and private clients with their entertainment for the whole of this period and have many long established relationships with clients as well as an unprecedented number of recommendations and reviews from one off wedding clients.

Our history began in 1997 when we began supplying live acts to the Walkabout bar in Covent Garden. As the Walkabout Australian Bar chain expanded throughout London and across the whole of the UK Live Music Management picked up an exclusive contract to supply them with all their live covers bands and party DJs. This is an agreement which continues to this day.

Along the way Live Music Management began to supply DJs and function bands to other high street venues like Bar Risa , Dingwalls in Camden, Jongluers Comedy Clubs , Highlight , Pitcher And Piano, Wahoo , Tom Peppers, Sports Cafe , Chicago Rib Shack and many others.

Live Music Management also supply acts to prestigious venues like The Baglioni Hotel, The Cobden Club and The Landmark Hotel.

Our private clients have booked Live Music Management wedding bands and DJs into London venues like Soho House , Sketch , The Atlantic Bar And Grill, The Houses Of Parliament, The O2, Abney Park Hall, Kew Gardens, Abbey Road Synagogue,Yi-Ban Docklands, The Excel, Wyllotts Theatre, Cafe Royal, The Savoy , Whiskey Mist, London Wetland Centre, Wheelers’ St James,Westminster Park Plaza,Suze Wine Bar,Sunbeam Studios, Strawberry Moons, Stonecourt Manor, Stationers’ Hall and many more.

Our experience of booking Wedding entertainment London is unparalleled and we are confident that we offer the best quality acts in London at the most competitive fees.

Amongst the party band  acts regularly playing for Live Music Management in London are The Hoops , Sugar Shack , Lucas , Platfiorm Six, Brightside , Shakeout , Jade , The Hi Fidels and Brainscape .

Amongst our DJ team are well known names like Dean Courtney , Virgil Howe , Mike Wedgewood , Will Bullen , Ray Charles and many more.

The jazz and swing bands that Live Music Management offer in the London area for wedding entertainment include The Alex Kennedy Duo, Mosaic, The Dan Redding Band, The Music Of Dougie , First Class Swing ,Gypsy Spirit , The London Instrumental Jazz Guitars and many more.

You can call Live Music Management on 08454 900515 for wedding entertainment London ideas and prices. We offer a free consultancy service and are always pleased to welcome your calls.

 

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Songs That Have Made Millions

Tuesday, January 29th, 2013
Songs That Made Millions

Songs That Made Millions

Today’s blog is for all the aspiring songwriters lurking within the Live Music Management team of wedding bands and cover bands . They will all know that the big money is in song writing but may find this blog about the songs that have made millions quite interesting.

The financial world of song writing and publishing is shrouded in mystery.Even the song writers themselves do not know exactly how much a particular song has made them. This is not surprising as song writing revenue comes from so many different sources and a well loved song will have made money from radio plays , sync rights , youtube plays , advertising , mobile phone ring tones, record (or CD/ Digital) sales , DJ  plays and a hundred other areas. Of course a popular song lives on and on and so the money it accumulates will change on a daily basis. It is reckoned that Sting earns around £2,000 per day from the use of Every Breath You Take on radio.

The top ten list of the songs that have made millions below is taken from a BBC Four documentary which was aired over the Christmas 2012 period in the UK. The figures quoted are “best guess” estimates constructed by industry analysts but probably contains the most accurate information about the songs which have made the most money for their writers or for others! A cautionary tale contained within the programme was that of the Van Morrison song “Brown Eyed Girl” which had racked up over 10 million plays on US radio by the mid nineties and yet allegedly earns it’s writer very little money due to the deal he signed back in the mid sixties.

With a song currently earning £16 per minute per song for plays on Radio One even the most casual observer can see how a song like Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep” will be a cash cow for it’s writers. It is interesting though to see the top ten songs that have made millions as there are a few surprises on there not least of which is the number one song, Happy Birthday, which on first instance you would think was in the public domain and secondly you would assume was mainly sung by amatuers at private parties and so wouldn’t make much money. Warner Chappel valued it’s copyright so much that they payed a reported £25,000,000 for it some years ago and then legally managed to extend it’s copyright in the USA until 2030 so that every time it is used in a musical greeting card or a movie or on radio or in one of the thousands of other circumstances this song is used in they earn money.

It makes you think doesn’t it!

10.The Christmas Song. (Bob Wells / Mel Torme) £12.5 million

9.Pretty Woman (Roy Orbison / Bill Dees) £13 million

8. Every Breath You Take ( Sting) £13.5 million

7. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Gillespie / Coot)s £16.5
million (200 cover versions)

6.stand by me (king/leiber and stoller) £15 million

5. Unchained melody (North/Zaret) 650 cover versions £18 million

4. yesterday ( lennon/ mcartney) 3,000 versions £19.5 million

3. You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling (Mann/Weil/Spector) £20 million

2.White Christmas (Berlin)   £25 million

1.Happy Birthday (The Hill Sisters)  £30 million

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