Review Centre: Function Bands

"The Line Up were spot on for our wedding. Very flexible in what we asked them to play, all great musicians, but with a great sense of humour. Feedback from the guests was that everyone had a great time and the dance floor was full all night. Made the evening do for us! "

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"I don’t know where to start… honestly, Eccentric Pony were phenomenal… we really couldn’t have asked for any more from them. Communication pre wedding was superb. They learned and executed our first dance song perfectly. Unbelievable range and variety of songs, everything from Irish tunes to Gerry Cinnamon to the Spice Girls, all performed impeccably. The vocals were brilliant throughout all three sets. They interacted with the guests all night, read the room and got everyone on the dance floor. And finally, they were also such a lovely bunch of lads. They really did make our night and we have received so many comments from our guests about how amazing they were. Thank you so much Eccentric Pony!"

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"I hired The Ace Jazz Band for my dads funeral. My dad knew his prognosis as was adamant it was to be a celebration of life for him. With the help of the band - we made this happen. I had positive feedback from friends and family. The band are extremely talented and professional. They ensured the service was upbeat with the music which helped to lift our spirits. I know my dad would have loved them and I’m sure he looked down on us with a smile that day. Thank-you The Ace Jazz Band. Can’t recommend you enough. "

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"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. "

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"The band were fabulous. Really happy that we booked them. They were able to play our requested first dance My Girl and followed with So Happy Together which the children wanted. They played varied music and everyone had a great night, thank you "

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"Just to say everything was perfect! After doing lots of research and searching for a band to play our wedding we struggled for months to find anything that would be anything near perfect and then I found Somerset Soul after watching their video I knew straight away that was the perfect band for the big day! I was absolutely thrilled when they were available as well. It really was the best day and the band just topped an already perfect day! They turned up on time and quickly got set up and ready. They started with a request that they learned in two weeks ( which was covered beautifully) and continued with a superb set. They were friendly and enthusiastic. Every guest at the wedding really enjoyed them. I couldn't rate the day any higher."

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"Thank you for a terrific performance at our recent family party, you really engaged with guests who filled the floor for both sets. We all had a great time dancing the night away."

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"Best pick we could have made. All our guests ended up dancing and the vibes were perfect. Super easy to organise and stay in contact with, happy to take on special requests and really made the evening reception absolutely perfect. At one point we even had my 90 year old nan dancing to Metallica. Every song was played to perfection and most of the guests spent so much time dancing that there was never even a line at the FREE bar. All this with a crowd of 60 mostly gaming nerds and old relatives. What a night! "

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"I hope you are well. I just wanted to drop you a note to thank you so much for performing for me at my Birthday celebrations. You were truly amazing and the reactions from my friends were beyond belief. Emotions were high after such a strange year for us all and then you came along and took it to another level. The staff at Ardington House have seen hundreds of artists perform there over the years and without doubt said you were the best they had ever heard. I will be recommending you at every opportunity to my clients and network of contacts. Thank you so much again"

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"We want to see a massive thankyou to you and the other 3 boys for making our party a brilliant night. Everyone had a great time and a lot of that was down to you 4. Hope you had a good time too. We also want to apologise for not buying you all a few drinks throughout the night. I think we just got a bit caught up in the moment & it went out our heads. I'm so sorry. Thank-you all once again. Gillian & Karl"

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"Wow what a band. We hired Unwritten Duo for our launch event yesterday and they absolutely made it amazing. Beautiful voices, incredible instrumentals, I would recommend this band for any type of event."

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"Booked Let's Smooth Things Over for a corporate VIP event, they were fantastic. Really professional, communication pre event was excellent. Very talented duo with a great repertoire. "

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"WOW!! These three girls were the highlight of a full surprise day for my wife to celebrate our 40th Wedding Anniversary yesterday. All, and I do mean ALL of my guests were bopping in their seats and tapping their feet and were completely smitten and captivated by them and I cannot thank them enough. They were professional, adaptable, accommodating, sensitive, had superb harmonising voices and were truly beautiful, and I can assure you that they will remain in the memories and hearts of myself, my wife and our guests for a long time to come. If anyone is looking for an act to provide glamour with beautiful music, harmonies to charm the birds, and great personal characters - then this is the one for you! "

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"Jimmy & guys. We knew you were good but you exceeded our expectations. All our guests and even staff from the venue said you were amazing. We thoroughly enjoyed all of your music and everyone was a sweaty mess from all the dancing. We would 100% book you again if we ever get a chance."

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"We hired Kitty Galactic for our wedding. They were fantastic! Brilliant! Everyone raved about how good they were. The medleys were a particular high light. To sum Kitty Galactic are talented, professional and just a really nice bunch of people. Book them, I'm over the moon that we did. "

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