Review Centre: 90s, 00s & Modern Style Bands

"We booked The Elites for our beautiful wedding all the way in Devon. For the finer points of the booking we dealt with Rhona who was a pleasure to deal with and always available to answer any queries. The band themselves were beyond our expectations, they really made our evening party special and both singers were amazing! We had so many compliments from the guests and all the other suppliers wanted to know where they had come from. The band really interacted with the guests and got myself (the bride) and many of the children to sing too, which everyone loved! We are both so grateful for what a special touch they added to our day."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Hit Parade absolutely smashed it at my 50th! From the moment they started playing all of my guests were up and dancing. They even did played some of our requests as well. I couldn't have asked for better entertainment for my night. Thanks guys!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Redline Avenue Band, what a group of musical excellence! So much fun to listen to and they will play your all time favourites! Harry's leadership goes to show in an effective function band which seems to flow effortlessly on stage. Just a bloody good band."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

" At the risk of sounding pretentious and somewhat smug, as a former music journalist and critic, I am someone well used to hearing performances covering the whole spectrum of ability, from very talented, to no talent whatsoever; mainly on the working circuit, encountering much from the bottom end of the scale, the flaws of which seemingly pass by, or go over the heads of the audience, mediocre musical acts often gaining acceptance despite (or because of) their lack of any talent whatsoever. So, when on a random whim, I booked MAYHEM into The Old Crown, Hayes, I was pleasantly surprised to come across that jewel one constantly seeks: a light hidden in the bushel, an act of great quality. Don’t get me wrong, on the surface, MAYHEM are basically just another covers band, with certainly not much more to offer in terms of choice of material than others treading the same circuit. The difference though, is in the depth of thought in the vocal arrangements, and the attention to detail in the performance of the songs. Someone in the band has true musical knowledge. The way the vocals are arranged and used is no accident, and the music has a depth and surety that is pure class. Carol’s voice is unique, and at many points conveys rare emotion for those who can hear. The two voices are a happy accident of coincidence; Carol’s rather treble voice, Billy’s gruff baritone, both interesting voices taken in isolation, but together producing a sound that is perhaps greater than the sum of its parts. The quality of both singers shows itself also in the faultlessly correct intonation, the thrilling blend and invention of the harmonies, the search for expression in the vocals, the subtle use of the arrangements to produce expression. Most of these subtleties are of course lost on the general public, but the band still have enough battle-hardened experience and know-how to ride out any waves of indifference, and overcome the hardest heart with a friendly approach to their clientele, patiently trying out various styles and eras, constantly striving to reach their listeners, despite a kind of yearning in the music for serious recognition. Personally, I found it somewhat sad that a talented band like this has to resort to some popular (and bland) material, but one must bow to reality, and work is work. Still, the musicians didn’t just accept the status quo of this material; they always had a few surprises in store in the way they approached any song, however scraped from the bottom of the barrel. Carol’s voice sounded at its best on songs like “SUMMER OF ’69” and “I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT”, but she shone through on harder songs too, like “LIVING ON A PRAYER” and “DON’T BRING ME DOWN”. Billy didn’t sing quite as many lead lines, but when he did, it was with a power and confidence that knew just how best to carry the melody, and the strength of harmony singing was in a different league from the average one would expect to hear in a situation like this. On “Living La Vida Loca” the dual vocals were outstanding, perhaps the most equal blend of the day, with other such highlights for me being “Don’t Stop me Now” and “I Wanna Know what Love is”. The locals however enjoyed some of the lighter material more, such as “Rockabilly Rebel”, square dancing their way through the afternoon with great whoops and hollers, playing their part in a very pleasant day in a very pleasant pub. There was a humorous moment when the lads at the bar joined in with “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” all pointing and dancing in the manner of Tom Cruise in “Top Gun”! A vivid sight to behold, for sure! The day ended with a raucous rendition of “Rockin’ All Over The World”, the two singers showing that they could rock it with the best of them when the chips are down. Can’t wait to see this band again. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Paul and the band were just the best ever! I had them for my 30th birthday and genuinely had the best night of my life. They were an absolute hit and all my friends loved them! Thank you Solid Gold!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Hired JBMAC to play in my venue in Marlow, they were absolutely perfect for the venue and the atmosphere was electric, the energy was relentless and exactly what was needed for a bank holiday weekend! On top of this, they were a dream to work with and just all round good people Would recommend to anyone "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"That AMAZING Partyzone! From first conversations, to FaceTime calls in the weeks coming up to the wedding everything was easy and they were lovely guys to deal with! From picking our first dance song on a Friday they had sent us a demo recording by the Sunday evening! It was so good it made Elaine cry! On the day itself they were flawless, people were dancing all night and those that weren't were sat listening and loving every minute. Everyone loved them! Perfect wedding band, thank you so much guys!!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Exceptional experience. Was expecting a band and ended up with new friends. Had 'Rhythm Rebels' perform at a charity event to raise funds for the Scottish Charity Air Ambulance. They were very understanding and accommodated my requests. Not only did this event bring old friends together for an amazing time but £1000 was raised for the SCAA. Once again thank you very much for making this possible and traveling a 1000 mile round trip to make it happen. Hopefully, we can make this happen again in the future."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

" Somerset Soul and Rebecca performed at our wedding in December 2021 and they were absolutely fantastic. Rebecca is a great singer and the band are superb musicians - there were great guitar solos. At the end of the evening and following the wedding, so many of our guests told us that they thought they were a great wedding band, and the dancefloor was full for the whole evening. They responded and reacted to the crowd expertly. The set list was a great selection of genres and decades, enjoyed by 3 generations. Rhona, their manager, was great to deal with before the wedding - she asked us questions, she shared an example set list, and she arranged for the first dance to be played."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Absolutely loved this band, for a Sunday night wedding they really kept the dancefloor going and we had so many comments saying how wonderful they were....even from the hotel staff who have seen their fair share of wedding bands. Thank so much for travelling to our wedding and being even better than we had expected xxx "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Fuego performed at our wedding in August this year having booked them about a year in advance – and we're so glad we did! In the lead up to the big day, Rhona (band manager) liaised with us to come up with a set list perfect for us with the songs we liked from their repertoire, as well as learning a couple more new songs especially. On the day itself, the atmosphere was fantastic and everyone – the band, our guests and we – had an amazing time. Since then we've had a number of compliments from guests about the music. We couldn't fault the performance, and would not hesitate in recommending them! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Dorian Sax Dom was exceptional, on time, nothing too much trouble and an extremely talented musician , loved by all guests, they simply wanted him to stay forever. Created quite a vibe with everyone Would highly recommend this talented young man for any event you may be planning, super cool guy Best regards Jacquie Andrassy "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Luke and the rest of the band were absolutely amazing and far exceeded our expectations and truly made the day extra special. Right from the music for the ceremony through to the first dances and the whole set...they were fantastic. They really looked like they were enjoying it too and their enthusiasm didn't falter even on the last song! All of our guests have commented on how good they were and how they made the night. The fact that the dance floor was always full speaks volumes and we would highly recommend Absolute for any event. A heartfelt thank you to Luke and all of the band for a truly amazing performance and for making our day extra special! Anna and Mick Madden, wedding at Old Thorns Manor in Hampshire – 6th August 2017 "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"The Rockpins were brilliant! Matt organised the set in conjunction with our son and his fiancée and they were delighted with the result. The sound and song list was great. Several of the guests were musicians themselves and were hugely impressed. Highly recommended."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"You guys were incredible. You had my guests dancing all night. Fantastic job. We cannot thank you enough for the fantastic performance you put on for us! I'm sure our videographer will tag you in the films he makes."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: