There was a time when every wedding band was strictly over 40 years of age, wore ill-fitting tuxedo's with balding heads to suit. Now don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against balding men over 40, in fact one day I''ll be a balding man over 40. In fact let's put a stop to this now, bald men are quite often bloody great musicians! Back to the point, it seems like not so long ago that every wedding band looked the same, but something has definitely changed over the last 5 years or so.
I think it's safe to say that the internet is responsible. Years ago, entertainment agency's would get complacent working with their favourite 4-5 local bands and nobody else could get their foot in the door. Cold calling to other agencies would prove difficult and so fresh young wedding bands were few and far between.
In 2007, the Myspace and social networking phenomenon gave birth to thousands of new indie bands with the promise of DIY stardom and careers in music, but what what happened 2 or 3 years down the line when that failed to materialise? We suddenly get a load of great musicians subsidising their originals bands with live function work. With Facebook and everything else, there's a platform to promote their music, an easy way to pitch to agencies and Youtube to show clients their live performances. And so wedding bands look cooler, younger and are more in touch with the current music scene.
Starting a Function Band
If I was a new band starting out on the function what would I do?
Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.
It's pretty easy to have a band rehearsal, add a few covers and think you're nearly there but in reality, if a client is booking you for their wedding, birthday or company do, they're going to wait you to be a polished and rehearsed, not the indie band they watch at the local pub.
Set list
You've got 2 hours of performance to fill so choose your songs wisely. If you can't imagine people dancing like crazy to a song, don't put it in. Mix it up, from 50's rock n roll to modern hits, you're going to want to appeal to people of all ages. Keep it current, always add a couple of summer hits to your set list, you don't want to look dated.
Invest in yourself
Any money that comes into the band should be reinvested to improve your act. High quality PA is vital, lighting is almost always a requirement and a decent suit isn't a bad idea either. Before you're 4 bars into your first song, the crowd will judge you on your poor sound quality, even if you're the best band in the world.
Demo's
Just like an originals band, the demo is everything. You're going to need 4 high quality, studio demo's. A client may also ask to here you live which is rarely an option for a band who only play private events. Taking this into account, some live demo's would also be good to have for safe keeping.
Image is everything
With 10 bands on every Google result for function bands, a good studio photo is vital. Live shots are great for the gallery but will inevitably be glanced over so make sure you get at least one studio shot of the band.
Gig
All's you need to do now is get yourself out there. Get a Facebook page, MySpace page or website, contact an agency or two, you are officially a band for hire!
I think it's safe to say that the internet is responsible. Years ago, entertainment agency's would get complacent working with their favourite 4-5 local bands and nobody else could get their foot in the door. Cold calling to other agencies would prove difficult and so fresh young wedding bands were few and far between.
In 2007, the Myspace and social networking phenomenon gave birth to thousands of new indie bands with the promise of DIY stardom and careers in music, but what what happened 2 or 3 years down the line when that failed to materialise? We suddenly get a load of great musicians subsidising their originals bands with live function work. With Facebook and everything else, there's a platform to promote their music, an easy way to pitch to agencies and Youtube to show clients their live performances. And so wedding bands look cooler, younger and are more in touch with the current music scene.
Starting a Function Band
If I was a new band starting out on the function what would I do?
Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.
It's pretty easy to have a band rehearsal, add a few covers and think you're nearly there but in reality, if a client is booking you for their wedding, birthday or company do, they're going to wait you to be a polished and rehearsed, not the indie band they watch at the local pub.
Set list
You've got 2 hours of performance to fill so choose your songs wisely. If you can't imagine people dancing like crazy to a song, don't put it in. Mix it up, from 50's rock n roll to modern hits, you're going to want to appeal to people of all ages. Keep it current, always add a couple of summer hits to your set list, you don't want to look dated.
Invest in yourself
Any money that comes into the band should be reinvested to improve your act. High quality PA is vital, lighting is almost always a requirement and a decent suit isn't a bad idea either. Before you're 4 bars into your first song, the crowd will judge you on your poor sound quality, even if you're the best band in the world.
Demo's
Just like an originals band, the demo is everything. You're going to need 4 high quality, studio demo's. A client may also ask to here you live which is rarely an option for a band who only play private events. Taking this into account, some live demo's would also be good to have for safe keeping.
Image is everything
With 10 bands on every Google result for function bands, a good studio photo is vital. Live shots are great for the gallery but will inevitably be glanced over so make sure you get at least one studio shot of the band.
Gig
All's you need to do now is get yourself out there. Get a Facebook page, MySpace page or website, contact an agency or two, you are officially a band for hire!
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