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If you are booking a band for the first time, you may find the questions below helpful to ensure you get the right band to suit your requirements and keep your guests and yourselves happily entertained. |
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| How many members are there in the band? Which instruments? Do they all sing? | ||
| There are six members in the band, two lead vocalists, a guitarist, bassist, pianist and drummer. All members of the band sing. | ||
| How long have the band been together as a group, with their current personnel? Watch out for bands that change personnel often. Groups that have just been formed may not be together when the big day arrives. Over half of all bands formed break up within a year. | ||
| Ancient Footwear have been playing together regularly for over ten years. Four years ago Maria joined Lee on vocals to give us an even bigger repertoire of songs to perform. | ||
| Are they always the same members, or do they use substitutes on a regular basis? | ||
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Ancient Footwear always consist of the same musicians. We only play as a band, and are not like some 'bands' a collection of people who form any type of band / duo / solo as needed on the night. This is the main reason we are able to perform so well. However, if for any reason such as illness a member of the band couldn't play, we would have no problem getting a professional musician to stand in. |
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| Do they have a contract? Are they willing to make any additions to the contract to meet any special needs you might have? | ||
| Ancient Footwear have a standard contract that can be adjusted to suit your needs. This is signed by both parties at the point of booking and before any deposit is paid. | ||
| How many songs are on their songlist? What styles of music do they play? | ||
| Ancient Footwear have a list of over 130 songs with new songs being added regularly. Click here to see our playlist. | ||
| Do they provide lighting? | ||
| Believe it or not, some bands appear to be happy playing in the dark, or want to charge you extra for lighting! Ancient Footwear provide a mixture of flashing and moving lights to illuminate the band and dance floor along with a smoke machine to add extra atmosphere at no extra cost. Ask nicely and we will even bring a mirror ball!! | ||
| How much do they charge for an 'x' hour reception? Are there any additional charges above and beyond the quoted price? How much do they charge for additional sets? | ||
| Ancient Footwear will determine the price at the time of booking depending on the duration of the event and how many sets are played in that time. Once this is agreed there will be no other costs incurred. | ||
| Do they accept more than one performance a day? (This could be a problem if they are late leaving the first gig to make it to yours.) | ||
| Ancient Footwear only accept one booking per day. This means that we can set up our equipment before anyone arrives and come back later to perform. (Very useful if the meal and evening reception are in the same room.) | ||
| How long are their breaks, and do they provide any music during the breaks? | ||
| Length of sets and intervals will be arranged on booking to suit the occasion. Music is provided during the breaks. If you have any special requests for music during the breaks, please discuss this at the time of booking. | ||
| Will they learn any special songs for you if they're not already on the playlist? | ||
| Yes! | ||
| What are their deposit and payment requirements? | ||
| A small deposit on booking is required with the balance on the day. | ||
| How much space do they require? Are there any other special requirements? | ||
| Generally we like a floor space of about 12' x 25', although we will look at smaller spaces if necessary. We also require 2 x 240v power sockets. | ||
| Sequencing | ||
| Does the band use keyboard sequences or other pre-recorded backing tracks? This is an interesting area of discussion. Sequencers, that is, a computer playing a MIDI sequence to drive a sound module or pre recorded rhythms programmed into a keyboard, are becoming a popular way to cut down on the number of people in the band. In many cases this can make a three or four piece band sound like an 8-10 piece horn band. As long as you know that the band is using sequences, this is fine. | ||
| However, some bands have people standing on stage acting like they are playing instruments when those instruments aren't even plugged in! They give the appearance of a bigger band (and consequently charge a higher fee), for doing nothing more than standing on stage playing air guitar! A sequence can help a band perform a song that they might not ordinarily be able to perform without more members. However, there are those that feel that hiring a band that plays nothing but sequences is like hiring a Karaoke guy to come in and sing along with his CDs. Indeed, some of these bands actually USE Karaoke CDs to play along with. Sequencing limits the amount of spontaneity that is inherent with a live band. They cannot extend a sequence in the middle of a tune, and they can't cut a song short without it sounding strange. | ||
| The key is to know up front if the band is doing this. The best way to tell if a band is using sequences in their live performances is to watch the drummer. If you hear cymbal crashes when the drummer doesn't hit the cymbal, or if you hear a backbeat on the snare when the drummer is playing the hi-hat, the odds are they are playing to a sequence. Another key is if the drummer wears headphones while playing. While this last is not a sure sign of a sequenced band, (some drummers use headphones instead of standard stage monitors), it does indicate that you should watch him/her more closely. | ||
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