Review Centre: Bands & Ensembles

"It was a stunning performance at my daughters reception. It was superb, pitched just right for the mix of ages present. They are by far the best function band I've ever heard. Thank you. Book them quickly. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! 25th April '14."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Widely regarded as one of Wales’ foremost traditional bands, since their formation in 1996, Allan Yn Y Fan have taken Welsh traditional music all over the world. Wednesday 28th March, however, saw the band performing closer to home with a gig at one of their favourite venues, Blackwood Miner’s Institute. The evening took the format of two halves with an interval and this six piece band entertained us with a selection of traditional Welsh songs and tunes interspersed with original compositions, mainly from the pen of founder member Kate Strudwick but also with contributions from Chris Jones and Alan Cooper. All the music was taken from across the band’s 22 year career and took us on a journey from the Festival Interceltique at L’Orient to sparsely attended performances in Ireland before returning to Wales across a stormy Irish Sea, stopping to remember Kate’s former landlady and her cat along, the way. The songs were mainly entrusted to Catrin O’Neill who, since joining the band in 2015, has taken on the role of lead vocalist and her vocal style adds a haunting quality to such songs as Dafydd Y Garreg Wen and Lisa Lân, both of which take the passing of a loved one as their subject matter, Catrin’s versatility means she is equally at home singing about hopeful love, as in Ym Mhontypridd Mae’n Nghariad, or the celebratory staples of the Mari Lwyd in Pwnco and Canu Cwnsela or rousing songs of workers' rights, as in Gorthrwm Y Gweithiwr with its dire warning to the Victorian Ironmasters of Beaufort. This evening had all the ingredients needed to make a memorable performance, six talented performers who obviously enjoy performing together and transmitted that joy through their music to an appreciative audience, a quality venue with friendly staff and a crystal clear sound system ensuring that none of the music’s nuances were lost. It was a pleasure to attend this concert and I look forward to seeing Allan Yn Y Fan perform again in the not too distant future. "

Rating: 9 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you so much, it was spectacular! Its all anyone in the office has talked about for 2 days. Everyone had such a great time - the music was brilliant and the 'shunkling' or whatever the swaying was called and games and crowd participation was all just fantastic. It totally made the event and everybody loved it and had a brilliant time."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Having met Shama and the 515 Crew at a couple of events I photographed over he last 2 years, it was without question that we would be using them whenever we had a family event. Last weekend, my brother and I threw our parents a surprise 65th birthday party and I was super excited to have secured a booking for this auspicious occasion with the 515 crew and they most certainly didn’t disappoint!!! They arrived promptly to setup and worked within the limited space we had at our venue without any complaints. I asked Shama if the group would be able to play a handful of my dads favourite songs from the 70’s and 80’s era including Santana, Wilson Picket and James Brown and although it was material that they hadn’t done before, they took time to rehearse in the week and surprised us with their amazing delivery on the main night. My dad and guests were over the moon! I’ve had nothing but positive comments from our guests on the 515 Crew’s super professional musical ability and singing. Their Indian songs took our guests back into time and found it refreshing to hear some of the old bollywood songs with a modern and current feel. I really cannot express how delighted myself, my parents and our guests are with the 515 Crew. I dealt with Shama from the initial phone call to check on the teams availability and she’s always been a pleasure to deal with including on the night itself. I most certainly will be using them when we have another event and will be recommending them to my clients too! I genuinly thank you from the bottom of my heart. - Kam Parmar (Kreative Klicks Photography)"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We booked The Confidential for our corporate event following a recommendation and they were amazing – not only the music, which got the party started, but also a couple of sessions of Bandeoke, which was great fun. The addition of a Photo Booth just ticked all of the boxes and our evening was complete – a huge success. A huge thank you to The Confidential!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Your programme yesterday was excellent and everyone afterwards said how much they enjoyed it."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"The Shooglers played at my brother’s wedding this weekend and were AMAZING!! Doing the Dashing White Sergeant to a ceilidhfied cover of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in The Wall" was a particular highlight! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"It was absolutely perfect Sarah-Jane. Los Gitanos Kings were fantastic, very helpful, prompt, friendly and their music amazing! It was a true pleasure to work with them."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Having Rachel to sing at my party made it a great success. Her beautiful voice was a pleasure for those dancing and those who wanted to listen and enjoy. She was so very helpful planning the music, taking my ideas and adding her own in to make a lovely atmosphere. First class from first contact to end of the day. Many thanks. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"The Cheshire String Quartet were absolutely fantastic. We hired them for our wedding, and they exceeded all our expectations. From the ceremony through to the drinks reception, the music was beautiful and created the perfect atmosphere. We received countless compliments from our guests on how wonderful they sounded. Their repertoire is incredibly versatile, ranging from classical pieces to fun contemporary songs, which meant there was something for everyone to enjoy. They also accommodated a very last-minute song request and performed it brilliantly. The Quartet were professional, talented, and a pleasure to work with from start to finish. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend them and would love the opportunity to hear them perform again in the future"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you for a cracking couple of sets. Thought you guys were awesome and the selection you performed were spot on. Everyone was impressed and I am sure that you will be the first port of call in the event that we party again sometime soon."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Just thought I would drop you a line to say thank you, Sophia the singing harpist performed at our wedding ceremony and she was fantastic and well received by all who attended. She was exactly what we had hoped for. As well as performing well she was polite, friendly and courteous when setting up - we will contact her separately to thank her but thought I would pass this feedback onto you."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thanks so much for playing at our wedding on Saturday. The band were so easy to communicate with in the run up, packed the playlist with songs we loved and were great fun on the night. Their set was in an orangery during a heatwave so a pretty hot room. Despite most of the guests dancing outside due to the heat they still created a great vibe. Particular thanks for doing a fantastic rendition for our first dance!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We'd like to thank all of kellys heroes so much for playing at our wedding. It was the highlight of the evening! I think everyone had a great time and was thoroughly exhausted afterwards! Lots of people commented about how good the band were. Thanks for helping to make the day so perfect!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Due to lockdown, our festival themed birthday, wedding anniversary became an intimate concert with limited guests. These amazing guys were not phased and gave us some fabulous entertainment. Excellent repertoire, lovely voices and range of songs. We were singing along in no time. Without a doubt , if the occasion arises, we would have these gentlemen back. Anne"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: