Wedding Music (Band, DJ, Singer) ONE POST PER BAND ONLY! Read post #1 First!

clint_silver

You are correct about weddings online website.
.
No discussion is supposed to be allowed about vendors who don't advertise with them.
No bad reviews can exist about an advertiser.

Cant really complain about that though as It's a privately owned forum run by a business who depend on those advertisers.

Edit: try contacting the guys at wol and ask them why was your post taken down.

I am pie

I've a question, whenever i'm talking to bands about wedding prices, why doe they ask for the venue? Appreciate they need to factor in travel costs, but in some cases a town or county won't suffice and they need to know the specific venue?

Also, I've had some responses which would cause me to question the sanity of some band members or promoters ! More than a few have told they aren't available on my date but have asked if I would consider changing the date !! Are you f**king kidding me !! Change the date of the wedding,....with 6 months to go, for a band !

Aye caramba. The search goes on.

I should say we've had a number of very helpful replies into the bargain and are whittling down our selection based on prices and crucially live viewings.

Sorry, rant over !

Sleepy

I am pie wrote: »

I've a question, whenever i'm talking to bands about wedding prices, why doe they ask for the venue? Appreciate they need to factor in travel costs, but in some cases a town or county won't suffice and they need to know the specific venue?

Bigger function rooms need bigger speakers, amps and more lighting.

AoifeCork

Sleepy wrote: »

Bigger function rooms need bigger speakers, amps and more lighting.

Not to mention working out the logistics of setting up (moving through tables filled with guests etc) gear or even the question of positioning the band if its a small venue and you want a 10 piece! Trust us, it's all relative I am Pie!

clint_silver

Sleepy wrote: »

Bigger function rooms need bigger speakers, amps and more lighting.

Although this does have a bearing, I think there has to be an understanding of bands need to max the potential of their earning power. If the going rate for a band is 2000, if someone rings up and says will you do a wedding in a budget hotel, the promoter knows from experience that the person booking such and such a hotel wont pay 2000 so depending on when and where the wedding is he may give a lower quote. musicians are generally a poor lot. Promoters arent.

Stick to your guns though, dont give a venue and ask for a "best quote" for an area, say you havent picked a hotel yet.

And believe it or not, while I think its cheeky asking will you change your date, some people do to get that 1 thing they absolutely wanted. for some people it might be a hotel to get the date they wanted, for others, its the band.

Sleepy

Since my brother's in a wedding band and the lads are playing for us, if the hotel hadn't been free on a date they were, we'd have gone with a different hotel.

IMHO, the three most important things for ensuring a good / memorable wedding (outside of the guestlist) are the band, the food and wine and the venue. A good layout and logistically well organised hotel will trump the "magical" country house that was never designed to be a wedding venue imho.

I am pie

Very different priorities I have to say. For me venue and food more important. I wouldnt move venue for any band.

starletk

Has anyone used this band or know anything about them?

Thanks.

Shyboy

I am pie wrote: »

Very different priorities I have to say. For me venue and food more important. I wouldnt move venue for any band.

But If you were to ask guests at a wedding the day after what they remembered most, I guarantee for 99% of them it would be the food and the entertainment.

clint_silver

starletk wrote: »

Has anyone used this band or know anything about them?

Thanks.

I know them, they have a very good name. some excellent pro musicians.

RickyBobby1

Hey guys,

Looking for a band for our wedding in Galway that doesnt cost the earth.The average price we have being quoted is 1500 euros not including dj which is a bit outside our budget.

Thanks:)

have_a_go_hero

i heard a band called "the great cover up" saturday night, they were very good and i would highly recommend them,also heard a group called "the best man" not as good but would still recommend them.

krazyk

We has showtime wedding band for ours , everyone was dancing all night great fun was had by all , highly recommend 0852831096 ask for Jay .:p

LastWord

Have a list of 3 bands that play in the Lenister area, After Dark, Bottle Bros, Something Blue.

Anybody got any feedback on these bands? Seems to be a big price difference between the 3. Is the standard between the bands really so different to justify the price difference.

clint_silver

as always, you need to go and see them to justify it and see for yourself why 1 band is priced different to another.

very few bands get bad recommendations but this really doesnt mean too much as most peoples exposure to wedding bands are maybe once every couple of years so if the recommendation is "excellent" for Band X, ask yourself whats "excellent" in relation to? If they seen another 20 weddings bands, would the "excellent" recommendation still stand if Band X were not as good as 10 of those bands?

You have to go and view beforehand to see whether you think the price is worth it. how many are in each band (I actually do know those bands but the same holds true for any band), what kind of setlist can they do, is the price including DJ, are you booking through an agent?

LastWord

Thanks Clint, could you give me your feedback on the bands you know of. Have only ever seen After Dark in Killkenny last year and thought they were excellent. This however was in the pub scene and not at a wedding.

clint_silver

LastWord wrote: »

Thanks Clint, could you give me your feedback on the bands you know of. Have only ever seen After Dark in Killkenny last year and thought they were excellent. This however was in the pub scene and not at a wedding.

You wont go wrong with After Dark at a wedding. Excellent guys who know what to do on a night. Theyre round a long time who are booked a LOT and theres a reason.

most people worry when they see a band in a pub doing rock stuff whether they can do a wedding and keep a dance floor up, ask them for a set list and youll see many songs that they didnt do on the night in the pub.

LastWord

clint_silver wrote: »

You wont go wrong with After Dark at a wedding. Excellent guys who know what to do on a night. Theyre round a long time who are booked a LOT and theres a reason.

most people worry when they see a band in a pub doing rock stuff whether they can do a wedding and keep a dance floor up, ask them for a set list and youll see many songs that they didnt do on the night in the pub.

Ya thinking of checking out After Dark again, heard they play in Carlow on Sunday nights.

The other Band are called Something Blue, the work out a good bit cheaper for the same number of band members. Have you heard of them or have any feedback.

clint_silver

LastWord wrote: »

Ya thinking of checking out After Dark again, heard they play in Carlow on Sunday nights.

The other Band are called Something Blue, the work out a good bit cheaper for the same number of band members. Have you heard of them or have any feedback.

I'll have a look at them later on, seen their name up somewhere where I was playing recently. Its very much supply and demand, after dark can charge the higher prices as they know people will pay it and they do earn it anytime Ive seen them.
Another band might not be around as long, each band finds its own rate over time, theyll increase the price commensurate with how busy they are, once the bookings start to drop off, they know they overpriced and lower. So if theyre lower they will either be as good as After Dark and underpriced or just simply not as good.
Youll have to view for yourself to decide which it is.

clint_silver

something blue, yes I knew Id seen them somewhere, had a look on their website, some good players in the band, theyll know their business but dont think theyre together too long so they may be underpriced until they build up word of mouth like everyone else.

As I always say though, you'll have to go and see them to judge whether the price theyre at is worth the difference in level between them and After Dark (or any other band) as there wont be enough online recommendations out there to make an informed decision.

I posted on music costs recently, and to save me typing again I saved off the post so here ya go....

Theres a number of bands in in each rough price bracket.

600-1000e (usually 2 or 3 pieces)
1000-1500e (usually 3-4 pieces who are either starting or not getting gigs)
1500-2400e (4-6 piece bands usually of the higher quality variety, but higher quality not guaranteed)
2400+ Usually in-high demand bands, big brass sections, big venues, showbands.

the price bands charge is in proportion to how much in demand they are. One 4 piece might charge 1200, another might charge 2000. Are they worth it? Youll only really know on your wedding night but you have to make a best guess when booking them. You generally get what you pay for, as in theres a reason one band charges higher then another, its because someone will pay the price asked. The market finds its own rate over time here.

You'll pay more for a long established band with a large setlist of songs they know work rather then songs they think will work. the poorer bands will trump out the same songs from the same setlist, if the set is hitting a lull and noone reacts, they dont have the fallback of years playing to change it and even sometimes dont even care whether people dance or not as theyve already got paid. Generally the longer a band has been about the better your chances are theyll be "great" rather then "just ok". After youve paid 4 figures for the music, you'd expect it to be "great".

Thats not to say there isnt great up and coming bands but they'd be charging appropriately, you have to find these bands, you gotta go out to pubs and weddings and make a choice based on budget and chance that the band arent going to let you down on the night with not being able to react to the crowd. 1 or 2 online recommendations should be treated with a pinch of salt, if you look in the bands thread, EVERY band were "brill" and "had the dancefloor full all night". I know some of those bands really are great, but also some of them would make you leave the room so youd have to question why someone put "brill" up. If you dont have a first hand recommendation, where you see multiple recommendations for a band online, its usually an indicator theyre worth a view at least.

Most bands will provide an additional afterband DJ service at a cost of anything from 200 up to 400 depending on who's doing it and how much they care and how good they are. Some of these are awful, some of these are great, you have to see and hear them in action. Talk to them, ask what equipment and lighting theyre using, do they use laptops or cds, do they take requests, have they uptodate chart music?

All night DJs will charge anything from 450-600. All day and night DJs seem to charge anything from 600-900.

seachto7

Hi all, posted in Cork County forum, but looking for a wedding band for July 7th in West Cork on behalf of a couple in Australia who are coming back for the wedding...

thewintermute

Www.ukeristiccongress.com

For something different between the ceremony and the meal.
We play a set of very professional covers from the 20s to the present.
The difference is we all play ukulele. Six of them. And we all sing.

The older guests love the old songs (without complaining about the volume) and your younger hipster friends will love the modern covers.

Requests in advance have included everything from Schubert and Morricone to the Ramones and Kings of Leon. The groom is welcome to join us and serenade the bride (or vice versatile - uke supplied).

Can be seen and heard every second Saturday in the front bar in Whelans, Wexford Street, Dublin. 7pm to 9pm.

Queries or bookings, just get in touch through the website or facebook page.
Feel free to pm me through the site either.
We're very flexible and

boogaloop

Hi all,

has anyone had the Galway band Pyramid lately? Roughly/approx how much do they cost for a wedding, and do they provide dj or would that have to be arranged seperately?

Thanks.

RickyBobby1

Hi Boogaloop,

My friend got them for his wedding,the charged him 1900 not including Dj!Personally I think that is far too expensive I have seen plenty of good bands around Galway that charge 1500.Elastic band are excellent,we are considering them at the moment and they quoted us 1450 euro.We are going to see Face Value in a couple of weeks,they seem to be very popular and they quoted us 1500 INCLUDING Dj!
It might depend where your wedding reception is located?My friends in Galway so It might be even more expensive for Pyramid If your further away.

Best of luck with It!

boogaloop

Thanks a mill for the response. 1,900 steep enough alright. I will also look at Elastic Band, they are brilliant too.

I'm in Galway, but tbh I'm only at the very, very beginning of planning - i.e., I don't yet have a date or a venue even . But just wanted to get a rough idea of cost of band.

Thanks again

Sleepy

Can't believe Pyramid are still around! I remember going to see them in the Cellar back in 98/99!

Amazing Apples in Galway are well worth a look too.

Acoshla

Yep Pyramid are still around and very popular! I've heard of them playing weddings in France, Spain, etc, for Irish people getting married there. They must be worth the money! €1500 is pretty low for bands around Galway from what I've seen I would have put €1900 at pretty average tbh.

sweetie

joe swanson wrote: »

looking for a decent band that are not a cheesy wedding band. For a wedding in the northeast. Looking for a band that is a bit alternative, that will get a crowd up but appeal to all.

Have spoken to a couple of bands already. cant make up my mind. What has annoyed me is bands that dont respond to enquiries. Two have not. Even if they dont want the gig, a response would be good.

Any suggestions?

www.beatclub.ie

Shyboy

RickyBobby1 wrote: »

Hi Boogaloop,

My friend got them for his wedding,the charged him 1900 not including Dj!Personally I think that is far too expensive I have seen plenty of good bands around Galway that charge 1500.Elastic band are excellent,we are considering them at the moment and they quoted us 1450 euro.We are going to see Face Value in a couple of weeks,they seem to be very popular and they quoted us 1500 INCLUDING Dj!
It might depend where your wedding reception is located?My friends in Galway so It might be even more expensive for Pyramid If your further away.

Best of luck with It!

Yes, Pyramid are still going strong. A very talented bunch of musicians, brilliant at weddings. I don't think €1900 is too expensive, they are well worth it. I have heard of bands charging €2400 without DJ.

Also, the bands that include a DJ as part of the package, make sure you find out if they are using an experienced DJ and not just a member of the band with a laptop or a few cd's while they are dismantling the equipment.

freshfruit

Hi,

we got the bluegrass band Well enough alone to play at our wedding and were very happy with their gig and professionalism. The set was perfectly pitched at the wedding guests, i.e. it catered for different age groups and got them dancing.

The band's main contact is called Hugh Taggart.