Review Centre: Bands & Ensembles

"BEST WEDDING BAND EVER! What can I say, we booked Kitty Galactic for our wedding as we loved their promo video and we weren’t disappointed! It was better by ten fold! We had an unusual wedding over two days so wanted to book them a different time to a normal wedding and Tim and the guys couldn’t be more accommodating to make it happen. Communication was amazing and from start to finished on the day making our reception a blast! Never have we heard a rock medley of Disney and the mashup mix of 90’s eeeekkkk’ Kats’ voice is incredible and both myself and brother got an opportunity to sing with such an amazing talented woman! If you want a band for a party or Wedding Kitty Galactic are it! Thanks guys and can’t wait to come and see you all again!! All the guess are still talking about it. You guys are LEGENDS! Xxxx Jodie and Cj xxxx "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Eccentric pony were absolutely BRILLIANT they catered to all our special requests and even took a request off a family member mid set. They put on a brilliant show and even took the show off the dance floor to keep people coming back and making a vibe. They were also early and such pleasant guys to speak to and I cannot recommend them enough!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Saw this band at Darlington R & B festival. Fantastic show, really talented people. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"My daughter booked these for my brothers funeral wake they was very respectful and played brilliantly I would definitely recommend for people to give them a go thank you ding n john "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"What an amazing night at Owen House Wedding Barn for our son's wedding. Gavin and the band were just brilliant and Gavin's dee-jaying skills were pretty good too. Our guests loved them. Highly recommended."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"One of the pleasures of writing for Jazz Views is having the opportunity to follow the progress of an artist with each new release. It has been my very great pleasure to follow Lush Jazz Band's progress over the last few years. Having reviewed Lauren’s debut album, in 2016 and the follow-up, five years later, it was with great interest that I listened to her third album. If you’re looking for continued growth and artistic development in a musician, then Lauren has certainly delivered. Earlier today, prior to writing this review, I listened again to all three albums back-to-back and was amazed at what I was hearing. Listening in such a concentrated way, I was struck by how consistent each of the albums is and how the vocalist’s progress is not taking place with gargantuan leaps but steadily, as we can see here, in a paced and sustainable development. One huge advantage for Lauren is retaining the services of pianist Liam Dunachie, who arranges much of the music, and the two have built a solid rapport that has resulted in a formidable partnership. With “Tide Rises,” Lauren Bush has found a perfect balance between the old and the new, with a couple of strong original compositions, a handful of standards, and some contemporary works that she has done a wonderful job of adapting to her voice. The album gets off to a stunning start with a brisk and swinging “Joy Spring.” The tricky lyrics are handled with great aplomb by Bush, and after a lovely solo from Dunachie, she gets in a nice scat chorus of her own. This is followed by the title track, one of two original compositions, in which Lauren has drawn inspiration for the lyrics from the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Played over an ethereal opening from Rhodes and guitar (and the only song to feature electric bass), the music evolves over a gentle tempo with an empowering delivery from Lauren. The other original, “Easy Does It,” has a relaxed, almost lazy tempo, and Lauren has written lyrics that add to the gospel flavor of the music. Versatility and variety being the name of the game, we are treated to a beautiful bossa nova written by Earl Okin titled “Madrugada,” and Joni Mitchell’s “Circle Game” is given a delightful treatment, with some exquisite playing from all. The music flows in a beguiling manner, and Mitchell’s lyrics are given a sensitive reading by the vocalist. Standards have been a constant inspiration for Lauren, and with the depth of maturity that she has gained in the last few years, I have witnessed her raise her game significantly. It is difficult to pick one over another. Her treatment of “Oh What A Beautiful Morning” is flawless and joyous, with a lovely scat solo too, and “Nobody Else But Me” has a charm all of its own. If proof is needed of Bush’s stature as a jazz vocalist, then take a listen to the ballad performance on “This Is Always.” A duet for voice and piano, this is a pure delight and even, dare I say it, surpasses the duo’s reading of “Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most,” which was such a highlight of her last album, “Dream Away.” Closing with another contemporary tune, this time from the pop duo Yazoo, Lauren and Liam Dunachie cleverly recast Vince Clarke’s song, with Lauren giving the excellent Alison Moyet a run for her money. Another step forward for Lauren in a hugely enjoyable set that sees her setting the bar increasingly higher."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Hope you got some well deserved R&R on Sunday! Thanks again for an absolutely wonderful night. Everyone had a great time. Hopefully we will get to do something together again in the not too distant future."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I went to one of the performances in Cookham this weekend and the vocals were amazing and was a great night. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Hi, Just wanted to say an enormous thank you to Playlisters for the amazing performance at our wedding. You were very professional and got everyone dancing. We could not have asked for a better performance. You made our night so enjoyable. Thank you Pippa & Andy"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Jan was so helpful to work with from our first emails - she organised everything for us, and it couldn't have been easier to get what we wanted. Our wedding was very small, and Fann Street Hot Club played acoustically for us, we just loved the style. It was perfect. The music just made the day, really. Thank you so much for everything."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Grogibear Duo were a joy to work with. Very professional and their music was fantastic. We would highly recommend these guys!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Such a fun dancing evening! The ceilidh was a definite highlight of our wedding. Everyone joined in and had at amazing time. It was lovely to see all our guests dancing and laughing together. The band went out of their way to ensure our wedding celebrations went smoothly - they helped us with the cake cutting, our first dance and had a lovely surprise for us at the end! Highly recommend."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"On behalf of all the Playwork Team at The Spinney Adventure Playground, thank you for giving your time on Wednesday to making our annual event for national Playday such a great success. It was wonderful to see so many children, young people and their families enjoying all the activities on offer and how as local partner organisations we worked together to make this happen for the people of Wisbech. It was a great day and a great event and we thank you for all your help. If possible, we would like to book you in for next year’s Play Day? Best wishes Rachel Milsome Playworker Wisbech Adventure Playground"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Many thanks for making our events such as success, you brought it to the different level. Your performance was excellent, everyone love it. Many thanks again and hopefully speak to you soon."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you H&R acoustics you were absolutely fantastic and the music played was perfect for out event. I would recommend The 7 Inches to play any time, any place, any where. They were absolutely amazing."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: