Review Centre: Rock 'n' Roll Bands

"Thank you again for yesterday. We had such a great time!"

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"They were absolutely fantastic from the word go. Mike got in touch with us before the event and made sure everything went according to plan. We had a themed 40s/50s dress code for the party. House of Chords were so accommodating and played a lot of tunes for us which went with the theme brilliantly. They even sent us a list of songs they were going to perform and made sure we were happy with the selection before the event. They are exceptionally talented guys and are very polite in the way they present themselves. Our guests were full of praise for the band and we would thoroughly recommend them to anyone. They made our evening such good fun and we can’t thank them enough. We would definitely book them again!"

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"Hi Ben, I wanted to say a huge thank you to you and the band for Saturday night. From the very first email, you've been fantastic to deal with. Answering all my questions and making sure every detail is correct. Then on the night, the band turned up early, set up promptly, were all dressed for the occasion and of course, played a brilliant couple of sets of music. I've had so many compliments on the band from those who came to the party. The best bit was how enthusiastic the band were to recreate the 'Back to the Future' theme, adding in the extra song 'Night Train' to really bring it to life. We had numerous dropouts due to coronavirus but it was still a great night! Thanks again, Natalie"

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"We can't express our thanks for last night. The whole band were outstanding from start to finish. The organisation leading into the wedding was so easy and straightforward and we couldn't have been happier. So many of our guests mentioned how good you were and many said it was one of the best live gigs they had ever seen. Last night you really brought the feel good factor and completely made our night. The first dance was something we will never forget so thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Lots of love Nathan & Chloe."

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"My 50th birthday party was fabulous in every way – it was exactly as I wanted it. It was made especially wonderful by your superb band. Your professionalism, the music you chose for us, the way you managed to keep the dance floor full all evening all added to the success of the evening. I have had loads of comments from my family and friends saying how great the band was and that they will hire you too for future events. Thank you so much – I would highly recommend you to anyone."

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"Ben, Thanks for the great music. I have had lots of people come up to me today saying how good you were. Hope you managed to have at least a beer at the end. I will certainly be recommending you for future parties/balls."

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"The band was absolutely amazing. Such lovely friendly guys. Thank you so much"

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"REVIEW OF OUR LATEST CD ALBUM IN JAZZ JOURNAL Kit Packham’s One Jump Ahead: Everybody Loves A Boogie The entertaining British jump-jive revival band ploughs the familiar furrow, offering cheeky covers and originals with occasional solos By Hugh Rainey -13 October 2023437 Formed in 1984, this UK group plays jump-jive in a bright and breezy, entertaining style, blended with R&B and vintage rock and roll, and seasoned with light-hearted humour. Leader Kit Packham sings confidently in appropriate style on every track bar one, and contributes alto and tenor to the backing throughout. Packham also composed and wrote the lyrics for eight of the tracks and alternative lyrics for some cheeky adaptations of standards – My Swingin’ Valentine (an upbeat treatment of My Funny Valentine, which surprisingly works quite well) and the very funny Basingstoke (to the melody of Baby Face) and Buy A CD (with appropriate uninhibited bathos to My Way). On the whole, the originals work well for the genre. Love Me, Love My Saxophone and I Dig Potatoes have amusing lyrics somewhat reminiscent of Louis Jordan and Slim Gaillard in style. Enjoyable versions of Don’t Get Around Much Any More, Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby and My Swingin’ Valentine, come closest to straightforward jazz treatment with some worthwhile brief solos and touches of arrangement. The tracks come from sessions in 2009, 2017 and 2023, mainly as six or seven piece lineups it seems, but with changing personnels. Though studio recorded, the CD comes across as cheery live entertainment – for dancers, rather than perhaps for close, serious listening. But it’s certainly good fun, with some inventive fresh material, and a sense of humour to give a welcome lift to your spirits in these troubled times. Discography Everybody Loves A Boogie; Don’t Clap On The First Beat Of The Bar; Old Rock “n” Roll Songs Never Die; Don’t Get Around Much Any More; Love Me, Love My Saxophone; Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby; Route 66; Alley Club Blues; As Time Goes By; Alright, OK, You Win; Lockdown Chase; My Swingin’ Valentine; I Dig Potatoes; Basingstoke; Buy A CD; We Had A Real Good Time/We’ll Meet Again (53.52) Collectively: Kit Packham (v, ts, as, bar, cl); Nick Tomalin, Perry White (p); John O’Reilly (g); Steve Knight (g, ts, bj); Alex Keen, Ollie Blanchflower (b); Derek Gayle, Kenrick Rowe (d); Simon Da Silva (t); Tracey Mendham (ts, cl). UK, 2009, 2017, 2023 (No further details.) Pelican records PEL CD 523 "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Straight Up were absolutely phenomenal! We knew they'd be great, but they blew us away. All the guests were in absolute awe. Jeremy was a delight and brought such a electricity to the stage, so amazing. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We booked The Blue Suede Shoes as a duo for an early evening slot in our festival style wedding & they didn't disappoint. Ben was very good to deal with from the outset & made us very comfortable in the choice we made. The double bass is superb and the lead singers voice is exceptional - many of the guests commented to me about it. Next time I'll have to see the full band line up! Thanks again for help make wedstock a day for us to remember. Krissy & Mike :) "

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"Really fun band for our Christmas party - amazing vocals and really got everybody dancing! "

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"I can thoroughly recommend this group of four young men. Voices are superb, harmonies are wonderful. Very professional, friendly group. You will not be disappointed if you hire this band. Hired for my birthday party, and were the highlight of my day. Most, probably all, of our guests were extremely impressed by their performance, and many asked how we found them. More than happy to recommend. Please note this is an unsolicited review, I have not been asked to provide a review, but am more than happy to do so. One endearing touch was the way the boys engaged with my little 20 months old granddaughter, copying her dance and dancing along with her. A huge thank you to the group, you were wonderful."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you to House of Chords, you guys got everything right on our wedding day. From the start, communication was excellent and you made Megan and I feel at ease straight away. Your repertoire was perfect for our evening celebration: cool classics and modern hits. We really enjoyed your performance and amazing vocals. We also loved having you guys there, you were so professional, setting up in the background and just integrating seamlessly with our plans. Genuinely really good guys, it felt like you were ‘guests with benefits’ a joy to talk to and get to know as well as hear play. Hope to hear you at another wedding soon. Can’t recommend you guys enough, thanks again."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Couldn't have asked for anything more. Whisky & Ginger made our Country wedding so special. Thank you!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Professional, fun and excellent musicians. This band is superb in every way! They played a selection of high-energy, swinging tunes which got everyone up and dancing. The lead singer was adept at reading the crowd, sensing what got people moving and tailoring the music accordingly, making a fun night for all involved. I might have to plan another party, just so I can hire them again!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: