Review Centre: Wedding Bands

"AOS were amazing for my 30th birthday party. We went for the 6 piece band and they were perfect for what we wanted. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"A complimentary glass of bubbly is always a good sign as you step through the door. Or, in this case, as you step aboard. We were on the elegant Millennium Diamond, a handsome modern catamaran leaving from Westminster Pier for a jazz cruise of the Thames. Jazz and dinner. And bubbly. With Big Ben glowing in the mellow late evening light, we cast off (I think that’s the term). We were presented with a small safety lecture and a large plate of tapas. As we glided by the London Eye and under bridges, the boat’s resident jazz band began to play. They are Chi Jazz: Noel Jay on electric keyboards, Matt Tween on bass, Steve Grainger a disciple of Johnny Hodges with a penchant for sneaking cheeky little quotations from The Pink Panther into his solos on alto sax and John Clarke on drums. Debbie Cobbett was guest vocalist. And this is a crack quartet, as was made clear by their opening number A Foggy Day (In London Town) — a great tune, though you could hardly have chosen a less foggy day than this scorching, gorgeous summer occasion with sunlight striking through the panoramic windows. Grainger’s alto was in the lead, offering sweetly swaying, reverberant cadences. The stately skyline of London surged grandly past as the combo commenced I’ve Got You Under My Skin with Debbie Cobbett joining in on warm, mellow vocals. As Grainger’s sax played debonair, descending phrases with the setting sun glinted on the river waves and the Shard rearing gleaming against the sky it became clear we were in for a tremendously pleasant experience. Red double-decker buses rolled across Cannon Street Bridge and HMS Belfast hove into view as the band began A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, reinforcing their excellent choice of songs. Noel Jay provided a delicate drapery of keyboards and Grainger went down a spiral bebop staircase on his alto. Matt Tween’s warm bass rolled like the waves as Jay embarked on a discursive, detailed solo. Steve Grainger’s playing on Moon River was reflective and rhapsodic, coming at the tune from all angles with an echoing complexity of commentary. Noel Jay’s ringing keyboard solo excavated the melody from a solid body of improvisation while the steady cadence of John Clarke’s exemplary work on cymbals and brushes rooted the tune. The only way the band could have improved the evening’s music was by playing The Way You Look Tonight — which they proceeded to do. Jay performed a chiming, charging solo while Grainger’s alto scooted and soared above and John Clarke’s drumming skilfully kicked the number forward. This was bop adapted for the dinner hour, and none the worse for it. The sun descended in a benign hot blaze over Tower Bridge, the blue sky scribbled with white contrails as One Note Samba provided a showcase for soloists. Steve Grainger’s fluid sax purred with restraint as he skirted the tune and Noel Jay played bright raucous phrases and dancing long lines against the backdrop of Matt Tween’s big, ripe bass and John Clarke’s steady, constant shimmer of drums. I could also tell you about The Girl from Ipanema but I was too busy concentrating on my moist, flavoursome chicken breast in ratatouille — which is a pity, because both Grainger’s sax and Jay’s keyboards were at their best as I stuffed my mouth full of buttery mashed potato. With the riggings of the Cutty Sark floating above the dark trees and the nocturnal sweep of the city silhouetted against the last of the blue sky, it was clear that this was an unbeatable way to spend an evening. Great music, great food, great experience. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"A Big Thank You Tony & Gaslight for your amazing performance at my wifes 60th Birthday party Everyone had a great time and many compliments about the music. Will be in touch to book you again for next year. Regards. Rob. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"The Pocket Rockers were absolutely amazing at my 30th Birthday Party, played some great songs to get people dancing (and dancing in their chairs)! Very professional and almost everyone at the party said “WOW! The band are really good! Where did you find them?!” They really gave my party that something extra!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you so much for playing during our wedding ceremony! Many of my friends and family mentioned to me how beautiful your singing was, so I'm sure you'll have many more bookings coming your way!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"FUNDRAISING EVENT IN AID OF ALBINISM FOR TANZANIA I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your performance at our Mehfil Charity Event in Aid of Albinism in Tanzania that we held on the 10th of April, 2010, at the Cavendish Banqueting Hall.Please also thank your musicians on our behalf, we will no doubt use your services again, and will not hesitate to recommend you."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We are so pleased we went with Richer Music to book our wedding entertainment - Kings of Motown. Communication from Richard was amazing throughout the process, he answered all of our questions and made sure everything was in place which made us feel at ease and confident with our booking. We saw the demo for Kings of Motown and with no hesitation booked them for our wedding. They exceeded our expectations on the day. Not only are their vocals incredible, everything about them is of the highest standards. From their appearance to the way they conducted themselves, interacted with us and all of our guests and worked the room. They are amazing entertainers and professional performers. Our first dance, which was the first track they performed was a highlight of the wedding day. They made it so special for us and our guests. Our guests were constantly on the dance floor whilst they were performing throughout the evening, everyone enjoyed themselves so much and continuously commented on how incredible they were. Even after the wedding day they have been the topic of conversation. Our wedding day wouldn’t have been the same without them. We can’t thank Richer Music & Kings of Motown enough for the outstanding service provided."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We just wanted to extend our thanks for your wonderful musical contribution to our wedding. So many people said how much they had enjoyed your music and what a fabulous voice you have. It was a big decision when there is so much out there to choose from but we don't think we could have made a better decision in booking you."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Great group can't wait until next time!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"If you want your event to truly rock then The Rockpins are for you. We had an amazing night dancing from the minute they started to play, superb voices, talented musicians as well as being friendly and professional. Thank you! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Blu Country was fantastic. Everyone at our party loved them. Would definitely use again and recommend."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Hi Ben, We had a fantastic night and everyone said how good you guys were! The music was great, thank you so much."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"More than just a Cuban Band... Highly recommended! We wanted VIP Formula for our wedding since we are really into Cuban Music and fancied something special and a bit different from the conventional Cuban Bands around London. Our guests loved the way the singer got the crowd involved in the show with his interactive "games" getting us to clap our hands, play percussion instruments - maracas and others, and singing very well-known English classics. Thank you very much for helping make our wedding so memorable. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I just wanted to say thank you to the girls for making our evening such a success. Everyone is saying it was the best night they have had in ages. We are already planning on re booking for a 70's night so will be back in touch"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Would just like to say thank you for a great performance last Thursday, we are now very excited about the wedding in August and are confident you will go down very well! Again great to meet you and the rest of the band, and we look forward to working with you again."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: