Review Centre: Solo Musicians

"Becky and Josh brought our wedding dream to life! From the moment we initially saw them on Instagram we knew we wanted them for our special day. Communication has been impeccable throughout the whole booking and planning process, they couldn’t have been more accommodating of our wishes. Their performance on the day was absolutely amazing and we feel honoured to have had them perform at our wedding. We have already recommended them to friends and will continue to do so! Thank you again. Jules and Jon Maloney xxx"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We stumbled across Darren Shaw while we were away for Christmas in Blackpool. This young man was one of a number of entertainers who were booked to entertain us and another 40 guests at the wonderful family run hotel that we return to every time we visit Blackpool. Now, everybody knows what to expect from hotel entertainers, a bit of Elvis, mostly 50's and 60's songs, voices that are just flat enough to irritate without actually forcing you to get up and walk out, generally very average. Well not Darren Shaw. Darren got the longest and loudest applause you have ever heard forty something people making, he took the roof off, and deservedly so. Quite what he is doing on the hotel circuit I really don't know. You have never in your life heard anyone professional or otherwise with a voice like this. His set started with what you would expect, a couple of Kenny Rogers songs, good voice, bang on the notes very deep and easy to listen to and then the intro started for a well known Dusty Springfield song. I expected a joke of some kind, but what I didn't expect was a rendition of "You Don't Have To Say you Love Me", so perfect that I truly believed that he was miming to the original track. I suppose shock was my first reaction, desperately trying to catch him miming and show that this voice was not coming from Darren. I think everyone else was as shocked as I was. The reception this song got was rapturous at which point he actually asked if anyone thought he was miming and being me I just had to say something. He then proceeded to sing falsetto without any backing and sang both parts of "You're The One That I Want" the John Travolta and Olivia Newton John song from Grease. I was absolutely astounded. Darren Shaw can sing female vocals better than any cabaret singer I have heard. His first set had to be cut short while we were still coming to terms with what we had heard but an hour later he returned to do another 30 minutes or so. During this set we went from Tom Jones " Delilah", very reasonable, to Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" which was truly astonishing. Ask yourself, have you ever heard anyone else trying to imitate Celine Dion ?, because I haven't. They won't do it simply because they can't, but Darren Shaw can. This was followed by the classic karaoke song "My Way" which thankfully I was able to record on video camera. I have heard plenty of people singing this, from Sinatra and Presley, to the Sex Pistols, and everyone in between. Everyone sings this, and it is always the most popular song in any karaoke competition. No one else sings it like this. The only version I have ever heard that was better than Darren Shaw's was by Sinatra himself. This was better than any version I have heard elsewhere, professional or not, and the applause was thunderous. Darren finished up with an Elvis song that was every bit as good as the original, and I can say that it was a real privilege to be there that night and see a truly awesome performance from a young man with a unique and remarkable talent. After the show Darren was happy to spend nearly an hour talking to the guests and I was lucky enough to be able to have a chat to him. Only 33 but on stage for 15 years he has no appreciation of his own talent. Very down to earth and easy to talk to he told me that he has a repertoire of over 4000 songs so far and due to professional jealousy he has found it necessary to change his set completely at the last moment on a number of occasions but has been able to do this without any difficulty. He has faced hostility in some quarters as the shock that his exquisite female vocals generate doesn't always manifest itself appreciatively. This horrifies me, as his voice is truly unique and deserves a great deal more exposure. Darren has his own website which is well worth a visit, and as you will see on there he has a stage show in Kelso coming up as well as plenty of other bookings. If you get the chance don't miss his show. Any TV producers looking for talent, anyone looking for a show that will have an audience crying out for more, don't look any further than Darren Shaw, he is sensational."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I did quite a lot of research before falling in love with Oli's voice. Oli sang my wife's favourite song which was learned and performed with emotion. He also learned a really complex song really quickly, which was the perfect for the surprise aspect of the re-proposal. The communication from day one was punctual, professional and enjoyable. I would really recommend this dude to anybody that's looking for any service along these lines."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I've worked with Yasmin now on multiple projects as both lead and background singer and she is a consummate pro - she's always 100% prepared and performs with real artistry and passion, patiently collaborates, is insanely cool and funny, and of course has an amazingly strong lovely and soulful voice. We're already working on 2 more projects as I write - would recommend highly."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Phil is incredibly talented and really enjoyed his music. Best act we have seen in a long time and loved all your performances."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Iona did a wonderful job and it was a delight to have her there before the ceremony she very kindly stayed after the ceremony too which was lovely to hear as we came out please send our apologies if the organ on the way out disrupted her playing but do pass on our thanks she was fab x"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"The perfect act for our summers afternoon party at home. Georgia was so talented and created the relaxed atmosphere we wanted. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We would like to say a massive thank you for playing at our wedding last Saturday! It was great and really brought the first dance to life when you jumped in. We loved it and it created an amazing atmosphere. Thank you so much."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"A word of thanks personally on behalf of everyone at our lunch yesterday. Your performance was stunning and all the feedback has been simply brilliant."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Chris was wonderful and helped make my Mums 88th birthday special, despite her dementia she sang along to all the songs and having both bagpipes and piano was perfect. I would happily recommend Chris and book him again, he was the perfect choice for me ! Thanks so much you were the star of the show ??"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"FAB FAB FAB! Thank you so much to Whisky & Ginger for making the night so special. If you're considering booking then DO IT. They go the extra mile and really put on a fantastic show."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We had Damien play guitar at our event on Saturday night, and he was absolutely brilliant. It was a fantastic evening. Damien had a great selection of songs, really got everybody involved, and created a great atmosphere throughout the night. He arrived on time, was professional from start to finish, and the music was excellent. We would highly recommend him for any event."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Sam, thank you so much. Everyone absolutely loved you and I thought you were amazing, I was so so pleased but I knew you wouldn't let me down anyway! And thank you for adding the Elvis for me :) Again thank you so much Sam, I'm so glad you were part of my day :) xx "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"What a superb talent, mixed with being a true gentleman from start to finish! I couldn’t recommend Nigel more! His repertoire was huge, and still offers the option of learning any song that we needed for our big day….to which he did this for us. Nigel learnt a song for our first dance, and made the moment extra special!!! Hearing a live pianist intimately playing the most beautiful of Melodie’s, in a moment that can never be repeated, just meant the world!! Nigel offers such a great service for a wedding pianist, and we’d happily enjoy his talent at many other celebratory events in the future, he’s fantastic!!!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you so much for adding a touch of class to my 40th celebrations, it was perfect, loved every minute and wouldn't hesitate to book Johhy again. Look no further, he's the accordionist for your event! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: