CHOOSING YOUR COVERS BAND
Weddings are a time when family and friends of all ages come together, some with decades of musical memories, others just charging into the future with excitement and energy. So, when you’re choosing wedding reception music, there needs to be a well balanced blend from the nostalgic through the classic party anthems as far back as the sixties or even fifties, right up to the stars of today’s charts.
Covers bands vary in their approach so look for one that will give you all the above and some surprise favourites too. In Scotland there’s always a great demand for some ceilidh as well. Don’t expect quite the same variety of tunes from a covers band as you’d get from a traditional ceilidh band but they should be able to offer 30 – 45 minutes of old favourites such as the Gay Gordons, Dashing White Sergeant, Canadian Barn Dance etc. with a band member calling the moves for those who have forgotten or still just learning the moves.
Big Band
It’s nice to think of having a big, fully live band to play at your wedding reception dance and, if you have the budget, why not? There are a several very good 8 or even 13 piece outfits around so if your venue’s big enough and you can spare £2,000 to £3,000 it’s quite possible to hire bands that will give you the personal live concert of a lifetime! For most of us there’s a balance to be struck between our ideal and what the budget will stand.
You can get a very solid fully-live sound with a five piece band or even a four piece if the lead singer also plays an instrument, this will cost you in the region of £850 to £1500 depending on your location and how well know the band is. If this is too much then you can take advantage of modern technology and look into high tech duos in which two or sometimes three musicians play and sing live while all the backing tracks are pre-recorded. This gives you a balance of studio quality sounds with the live and personal feel of the musicians for between about £500 and £750. When there’s a shortage of space or a relatively small number of guests this can be the obvious answer but when you have the space and the cash there’s nothing like the combined dynamism of five or more professional musician/entertainers giving it their all.
Pop Duo
Pop duos can set up in 30 minutes or less which is useful if you’re using the same room for your wedding breakfast and wedding reception party whereas a larger live band will really need an hour or more to set up properly and make sure they have a good sound balance. Ideally your dance will be in a separate room from the meal so the band can start as soon as you finish dessert and coffee.
Every band should have its own PA system and, unless you hire a band that brings a mountain of equipment, they’ll only need a safe 13 amp socket, there should be no special power requirements and although every musician likes to play on a stage, it’s not necessary. What is important is ensure that the band have public liability insurance and many venues also insist that they show a PAT certificate, proving that all their electrical gear has been tested for safety.
Finding your band
Obviously the internet is the easiest method of finding and booking bands. Just search for cover or covers bands in the general area of your venue and run through the results. It’s quite possible to contact bands directly but you must insist on a proper contract so that if anything at all goes wrong your rights are covered. The advantage of using music booking agents is that their business is built on legal and fair contracts and if worst comes to worst they will be able to find you another equivalent act. However, be aware that some less ethical agents have been known to say that the band you want is available knowing full well they’re not and, when you’ve signed the contract they’ll substitute the band they wanted you to have in the first place.
Obviously another consideration when dealing with music agents is that they make their living from the difference between what you pay and what the musicians receive and beware of agents that charge a booking fee on top of their percentage. Yet, on the whole, they do a great job of helping musicians get organised (not always their greatest talent) and providing advice and a mediating buffer between you and the musicians when you need it most.
Enjoy the process, you’ve got a wealth of bands to choose from so start early, find out what’s on offer and make a clear decision, remember the better bands will get booked up 12 months or more ahead.
…. Dee
