Tent what you do, it's the way that you do it

As I say, we have played some unusual venues...

Wedding reception in a marquee? Pffft, ten a penny those are! Everybody's doing it. 

What you really want if you want to stand out from the crowd, is a teepee.

Oh yes, indeed.

 

Not unlike the Tardis, it looked way too small from the outside, but proved to be surprisingly roomy inside.

Very nice. Not just a random choice, either, there's a story behind it. The couple met on a ski-ing holiday and wanted an "apres ski" feel to the party, but rather than try and transport a whole alpine log cabin across to Birmingham, they settled for a teepee done up in much the same way, cue much log and goatskin decor. 

Kept banging my head on the fairy lights, mind you....

"We're going to need a bigger boat....."

Bookings for our band cover the length and breadth of the country and as a result we have played all kinds of interesting and odd venues. Most often, our shows are booked by our agent and the beauty of playing shows that are arranged by a third party is that you never quite know what you are letting yourself in for until you arrive...

Take that time we played a wedding reception on a boat. 

Yes, a boat.

The rather nice "Under The Stars" venue in Bristol: 

Check their website out here

The only slight issue with this is that the toilets are at the very back of the boat...right behind where the band needs to set up, necessitating a clear gangway right through the band's equipment. Eek!

Quite odd to be playing on one side of the boat with the drummer across on the other side and the bassist perched halfway up the stairs...but it worked well and a good time was had by all.

Are you the band...?

Welcome to the first post of my blog! 

Together we shall explore the triumphs, trials and trips to the buffet table of a working wedding band from the UK. Don't worry, I'll not be endlessly plugging the band, I simply want to share some of the good, bad and frankly bizarre things we come across in our travels as we criss-cross the country playing rock stars (to other people's songs) in front of the ever-inebriated throngs.

But...why "Are you the band...?"....?:

Much to our never-diminishing bemusement, as we're unloading what are clearly drums and guitars and speakers and amplifiers from the vehicles into the venue, this is the one question that we are asked on a remarkably regular basis, by venue staff and wedding guests alike. 

But where I once was totally confuddled by the question - I mean, we're carrying musical instruments into the place, of course we're the band, durrrr - I have now learned to see it for what it is, it's an interest in what we're doing - most folk immediately go "..oh sorry, of course you're the band, daft question", but they can't help saying it ..it's shorthand for "Hey, a band! Wow, that's cool, I wanna talk to them, see what they're like..."

And so these days I take it as a compliment, rather than a daftness. And hey, at least they talk to us, it's the ones that DON'T ask us if we're the band that we really worry about...

So next time you see a bunch of guys taking drums and guitars into a venue and you find the daft question spilling from your lips before you can stop yourself...YES, we are the band, and you are most welcome.

Come on in, let me tell you all about our adventures......