Wedding Bands, DJ's and Function Bands to Hire
Bands For Hire Blog

Welcome to the Bands For Hire blog featuring weekly snippits from the Bands for Hire Agency, tidbits from our bands and artists, recent clients, the latest acts on our roster as well as special entries from recommended wedding suppliers and party planners. If you'd like to keep updated with all the latest news, you can subscribe to our RSS feed here.

What affects the price of a wedding band?

If you've just got engaged and have never even considered hiring a band before, you may not be aware of the costs involved. An average sized wedding band is generally made of of 4 musicians consisting of the following: drummer, bass player, guitar, vocalist and keyboards. With a little bit of research on our site and other agencies, you'll soon see that the price of a wedding band can vary dramatically, but what really effects the price of a band?

  • Number of band members

    This is an obvious one and can be one of the major pricing factors. If there are less people to pay, that will of course be passed on to you. However, 3-piece function bands are quite rare and many may choose to use backing tracks to 'fatten' things up on stage. If you're looking for a larger band, you may consider a function band with a brass section, this quite often means a 6-piece band and can really increase the price so it's really down to budget.

  • How in demand are the band?

    Being a musician is similar to any other job or business, if a great band has been going for a number of years, that will no doubt mean that there's a lot of work coming in. Over the years the band may choose to increase their price to reflect their experience.

  • Seasonal prices / Last minute bookings

    Friday's and Saturdays in the summer are the busiest time for every wedding band and so there isn't usually room for a discount. If you're getting married in February and March, some bands may quote slightly lower than they would in the summer months. Similarly, if you're organising a last minute wedding and need a band in say, 4 weeks time, then you can expect bands without a booking to go in lower. However, most bands on our books are fully booked for the summer by the time January comes so try not to wait too long!

  • Travel Expense / Time Travelling

    Most wedding bands are used to traveling and realise it's not always easy to find a band in the same town, but as diesel prices continue to soar, the cost of fuel is unfortunately passed on to the client. Another thing to consider is that a couple of hours traveling there and back again can mean 4 extra hours work for 4 to 5 people. Some bands may take this into consideration before quoting.

  • Arrival Time / Finish time

    With travel time taken into account, a band can often expect to work 12 hour days. This is based on a 5:30pm-6pm arrival time and so any earlier will mean an increase in price. Quotes are almost always based on a midnight finish and so you can also expect to pay more for the band to stay until 1pm.

  • Length of Set / Performance time

    Bands generally perform 2 sets of around an hour. That's just an average, some only do 2 x 45 minutes and some might do 3 x 45minutes. Some bands start their prices slightly lower for 2 x 45 minutes and then add on a supplement for longer sets.

  • Accommodation

    It's extremely rare, but if the band is based 3-4 hours away, they will need to stay over in a hotel and this is also taken into consideration when working out a quote.

Hopefully you'll find this pretty useful in your search for a band. We try to represent a range of bands to suit every kind of budget, so why not take a look at our function bands page to get started.
 
  • Life In Stereo Life In Stereo
    From £1500
    Life In Stereo are one of the UK's leading cover bands, made up of four world class session musicians, together they produce a sound you'll find difficult to match. The band's reputation has gone from strength to strength having made a name for themselves… Read more...
  • Artel Avenue Artel Avenue
    From £1150
    Artel Avenue are a young and energetic 4-piece function band. Playing a range of contemporary Indie / Rock songs with a few classics thrown in along the way, they are guaranteed to have the crowd on their feet. The band is made of 4 multi-talented musicians all coming from… Read more...
  • The Mesh Band The Mesh Band
    From £1000
    The mesh band are a 4-piece wedding and function band for any occasion. The band play a variety of party music, from 50's Rock 'n' Roll greats to recent chart hits. With two members having performed multiple live sessions on Radio 2 and with… Read more...
  • The Upshot The Upshot
    From £2300
    The Upshot are a 5-piece party band made up of some of the most talented musicians on the circuit. The band have performed for clients such as O2, BMW, MTV and SKY as well as performing alongside some of the biggest names in the music industry. Many of the band's… Read more...
  • The Super Rollers The Super Rollers
    From £920
    The Super Rollers present their own blend of blues, soul, indie, funk, reggae and rock 'n' roll from the 50's and 60's to the present day. The 4-piece band can also be extended to a 5-piece to include Keyboards or a 6-piece to include… Read more...
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  • Jazz Bands
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  • Ceilidh Bands
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Live wedding music and wedding bands to hire

What's Right For You? When it comes to your big day, you'll want to book the right wedding music to suit you and your guests. Whether that's a String Quartet during the ceremony, Jazz Band throughout the wedding breakfast or a Function Band for the evening reception, finding the right balance can make your wedding day even more memorable. Perhaps you have a special song in mind that you would like for your First Dance or one song in particular that you would like to end the night with? All of the bands on our books will learn that track just for you, usually at no extra cost. Wedding reception music is always a nice touch to really add to...
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Function Bands For Hire

Booking a function band can be a difficult task, especially when overwhelmed with the vast number of bands on offer. Some entertainment agencies take on as many bands and acts as possible, but here at Bands for Hire, we believe it's our job to sort through those bands first. This means we do all the hard work and you can rest assured that all our function bands are of the highest quality and not just here to make up the numbers. A function band is a great choice of entertainment for any occasion, with set lists that often display a broad range of music suitable for everyone. From weddings and parties to formal events and corporate award ceremonies, our function bands are experienced in every area.
FUNCTION BANDS

Live Jazz Bands For Hire

Jazz Bands are ideal for corporate parties and wedding receptions. Perhaps you're looking for live background music as guests arrive, or something during your wedding breakfast. We provide Jazz bands big and small, for large Corporate Events to quiet dinner dances to large. Whatever your budget, Bands For Hire will find a solution that suits you. Jazz bands will often have a repertoire that ranges from familiar Jazz Standards to Contemporary Jazz and even Jazz versions of modern pop songs. Whatever type of Jazz band you're looking for, we can help. Take a listen to some of the bands in our Jazz and Swing Bands section...
JAZZ BANDS FOR HIRE

DJ's for Hire

Booking a DJ for your event is quite often the key to an evening that runs smoothly from start to finish. Most bands provide music between sets via ipod or CD's which is a great way of keeping the party going, but, If you really want to keep the crowd on the dance floor, then booking a DJ may be the way to go. We work with a number of DJ's, all experienced in Corporate events, Wedding receptions and Parties. Our DJ's can play a wide range of music, tailor made to suit your event. So whether it's Jive, Rock 'n' Roll and Sinatra, 80's disco classics or Contemporary Chart music, we can provide the right DJ for you. To enquire...
HIRE A DJ

Ceilidh Bands

Bands for hire will soon be offering Ceilidh bands to really get your guests going! With a mixture of music and carefree audience interaction, a Ceilidh band will provide you with an atmosphere that no other band can create!

About Bands for Hire

With 10 years experience in the entertainment business, we understand just how important your event is to you. We pride ourselves on our simple and straight forward approach to event organisation and client satisfaction. Organising an event can be a stressful process and the one thing you'll want to get right is your entertainment for the evening. At Bands for Hire, we're committed to only working with the most talented and reliable musicians in the UK today, so you can rest assured that you're in safe hands. We realise that there's an ever growing market for modern and contemporary function bands made up of professional musicians, active in every corner of the music industry...
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