Review Centre: Rock 'n' Roll Bands

"The Band were very,very good and very understanding and flexible, as the timings for the event went awry! They were brilliant musicians who played just the right selection of numbers for the age range of guests there. The dance floor was totally packed all night and many of my guests congratulated me on my choice of Band (not appreciating I had used your website!). I would thoroughly recommend 11th Hour to anyone holding an event where they required a professional group of musicians who could get a party or function really buzzing (also very nice people)."

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"The Kings of Hot Swing played at our wedding reception, we loved the performance and style. The guys really made the evening special and played our first dance music, which they learned especially for us. All of our guests commented on how good the music was and how it created the perfect relaxed and fun atmosphere to our wedding reception. Thanks so much, it was a perfect end to our wedding day."

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"REVIEW OF OUR LATEST CD ALBUM IN JAZZ JOURNAL Kit Packham’s One Jump Ahead: Everybody Loves A Boogie The entertaining British jump-jive revival band ploughs the familiar furrow, offering cheeky covers and originals with occasional solos By Hugh Rainey -13 October 2023437 Formed in 1984, this UK group plays jump-jive in a bright and breezy, entertaining style, blended with R&B and vintage rock and roll, and seasoned with light-hearted humour. Leader Kit Packham sings confidently in appropriate style on every track bar one, and contributes alto and tenor to the backing throughout. Packham also composed and wrote the lyrics for eight of the tracks and alternative lyrics for some cheeky adaptations of standards – My Swingin’ Valentine (an upbeat treatment of My Funny Valentine, which surprisingly works quite well) and the very funny Basingstoke (to the melody of Baby Face) and Buy A CD (with appropriate uninhibited bathos to My Way). On the whole, the originals work well for the genre. Love Me, Love My Saxophone and I Dig Potatoes have amusing lyrics somewhat reminiscent of Louis Jordan and Slim Gaillard in style. Enjoyable versions of Don’t Get Around Much Any More, Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby and My Swingin’ Valentine, come closest to straightforward jazz treatment with some worthwhile brief solos and touches of arrangement. The tracks come from sessions in 2009, 2017 and 2023, mainly as six or seven piece lineups it seems, but with changing personnels. Though studio recorded, the CD comes across as cheery live entertainment – for dancers, rather than perhaps for close, serious listening. But it’s certainly good fun, with some inventive fresh material, and a sense of humour to give a welcome lift to your spirits in these troubled times. Discography Everybody Loves A Boogie; Don’t Clap On The First Beat Of The Bar; Old Rock “n” Roll Songs Never Die; Don’t Get Around Much Any More; Love Me, Love My Saxophone; Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby; Route 66; Alley Club Blues; As Time Goes By; Alright, OK, You Win; Lockdown Chase; My Swingin’ Valentine; I Dig Potatoes; Basingstoke; Buy A CD; We Had A Real Good Time/We’ll Meet Again (53.52) Collectively: Kit Packham (v, ts, as, bar, cl); Nick Tomalin, Perry White (p); John O’Reilly (g); Steve Knight (g, ts, bj); Alex Keen, Ollie Blanchflower (b); Derek Gayle, Kenrick Rowe (d); Simon Da Silva (t); Tracey Mendham (ts, cl). UK, 2009, 2017, 2023 (No further details.) Pelican records PEL CD 523 "

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"Excellent. Highly recommended."

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"We saw Larry and the Hot Crossed Buns at a party at the Mesmerist and we were hooked. Chaz (the frontman) is super talented, as well as having a great ability to read the crowd. His music is versatile and it attracts people of all ages and musical tastes. More importantly the quality of the music and the arrangements are fantastic. I will certainly follow Chaz and his bands as they are a type of medicine for the soul."

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"Wow!! What a fantastic band . The ladies dressed beautifully in their swing dresses . They sang great songs that everyone knew. The whole room was up dancing all night. We would recommend this band to anyone that wants a great party like we had. "

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"Thank you so much for helping to make our wedding day so special! It was really important to us that our wedding had a relaxed and fun atmosphere, and the Mustangs fitted the bill perfectly. They looked and sounded great, and their enthusiasm whilst performing was infectious, getting everyone up dancing, from the children to our older relatives and everyone in between. The music was upbeat and fun, and its widespread appeal across generations made it perfect for a wedding. It is a sure sign of their talent that a couple of months on our friends and family are still talking about how much they enjoyed the band. "

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"Everything about this Group is utterly fabulous, from easy communication and arrangements ahead of the event, to no-fuss setting-up and easy mingling amongst friends. They sound incredible, (seriously, if you're in any doubt about guaranteeing a fabulous night with a wide range of music - book these guys!) and the eclectic mix of music ensured that everybody got up to dance and enjoyed themselves. The lighting and general 'staging' also added to the occasion. Thank you so much. You completely Rock!"

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"After seeing The Shakesters play live for the first time we knew we had to book them for our pub’s New Years Eve event. We had put in a lot of work for our ticketed party and we needed an exceptional band to play. Luckily we were organised and booked early enough to seal The Shakesters for our event. They absolutely blew the roof off!!! Such professionalism from start to finish, amazing set list, incredible look and sound and without doubt the best event band we have ever booked! They had every single guest in the pub dancing all night and even played for extra time! The days following our event were flooded with amazing comments from our guests. The Shakesters were without doubt the key ingredient to the success of our event and we will be booking them again and again!"

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"Thank you and the band for such an amazing evening. We had so many amazing comments from our guests about how good you were & I have to concur - you guys turned out exactly how I wanted. You really are great! Thanks once again! Keep on doing what you do!"

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"The Shakesters played at The Departure Lounge cafe for the cafes’ 10th anniversary and it couldn’t have been a better choice of bands. The weather was not on our side but the band managed to get everyone dancing and keep the atmosphere lively and fun. They have a unique style which fits the cafe perfectly. We’ll definitely be keeping the band in our minds for any future events."

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"You guys were amazing! Can not thank you enough. Learning our song too, you made our day! Every person in the venue said how amazing you were and asked how we managed to find you! Luckily for us our friends captured the first dance on video so we can listen again and again! :-) love from us both :-)"

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"We had booked the Mustangs for our wedding on the 10th March 2018 and what can we say... well they were amazing from start to finish. We had over a hundred guests at the wedding and everyone commented on how amazing they were. So many people were up dancing! The only regret we have is that we weren't able to dance more! Big thank you from Mat and Sarah you guys, you helped to make our wedding so special."

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"Great solo and band performances at the Crafty Cow, Gloucester Road, Bristol. Have booked these guys for many years now."

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"You all sang, you all played and you're all beautiful girls! Wonderful!"

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