Review Centre: Rock 'n' Roll Bands

"A huge thank you from Lizzie and me for giving us and our guests the best time last Saturday! I kept trying to leave the dancefloor for a breather and not being able to, and we had so many compliments on how great you were! Hope you all enjoyed yourselves too. Thanks again for being such an awesome part of our weekend! Tony & Lizzie "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"My husband and I were extremely happy with Elvis and his performance. He came across very professional and performed very well. His voice was fantastic and he sounded so like the real Elvis. All our guests thought he was fantastic and performed amazingly and my Dad, who is a huge Elvis fan and has seen a few Elvis impersonator in his time, said that he is the best he has ever seen. We also hired a casino and photo booth at our wedding and the owners of those business also commented that he was a very good Elvis impersonator. I would also like to add that for me it meant a lot to dance with my Dad to If I can dream by Elvis. He also made our wedding and I know if years to come we will still be saying, we had Elvis at our wedding and he was amazing."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Booked Lucy and her partner for my wifes birthday event and from the beginning to end was always accommodating!. Really good and everyone was up and dancing til late. Couldn't have wished for a better evening of great entertainment. Many thanks! Appreciate it was quite a trip...."

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"The feedback has been absolutely superb, and our main client said your sessions were a massive addition to the whole event! Please pass on my thanks to the rest of the guys! You were all really professional and very easy to work with."

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"Having a great band that played the music we love and that people would talk about was hugely important to Sarah and I. We wouldn't hesitate to book you again and recommend you to anyone. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Straight Up were beyond brilliant as the evening entertainment for our wedding. The dance floor was full the entire time and we had so many comments about how brilliant they were - their manager was great at communicating in the run up to the event and they were willing to tweak the set list so it was perfect for our friends and family! Would thoroughly recommend. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"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:

"I’d really like to have you back again soon. You fit in perfectly with the clientele, I just wish that some of the crowd we had during the day where still there in the evening. Next time we have a day event, it will be better to have you perform in the garden at about 3pm. I’ll be in touch. Many thanks in advance for the cd. I absolutely loved the good bad and the ugly theme you did. You are one of the most professional bands I have had the pleasure of seeing. All the best. Lee."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"More like full house than housewarming! Friends and relations all said they would pop in during the evening but none went home again! Gary had them all up dancing including my mother who never sat down. She loved dancing to the slow numbers too. Can't wait to move again. Nice one Gary; nice one son!!"

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"CATS WHISKERS PLAYED TODAY SATURDAY 3 JULY 2021 GUNNERSBURY PARK MUSEUM DRAWING ROOM GREAT SET ALL VISITORS IMPRESSED REBOOKING FOR SUMMER EVENTS ( (ELLE )MUSEUM ORGANISER "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Totally amazingly nostalgia inducingly awesome. The tightest cover band I ever did see, they had everyone dancing and singing along and were basically pretty amazing. Thank you so much !"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Great performance, lovely guys, very professional, I would recommend. "

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"We had a fantastic day and the evening was excellent. Thank you so much for making it all so easy for us, from talking beforehand we knew we were in good hands. Everyone made a point to tell us how brilliant you were, the songs you played appealed to all and got everyone up dancing. You know yourselves that we didn’t want you to finish!! We couldn’t recommend you highly enough: totally professional, laid back and with a heap of talent. Thank you for making our night truly memorable!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Hi Ben, Was lovely to meet you and hear you perform. Thank you so much for being so easy-going and flexible. The music went down a treat and your performances got me through the day!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Hi Ben, The guys were great! Thank you. Ryan"

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