Party Entertainment Ideas: Live Bands, DJs & Musicians
We're experts at finding the right band or DJ for any party, so we’ve written this article to guide you through the process of choosing and booking live music: we’ll help you choose the right style, played by the right musicians, at the right price.
It can be quite a challenge to choose and book live music for a party: the music scene is more diverse than it has ever been before and offers a huge variety of styles; party venues come in all shapes and sizes and guests often have different tastes, with some wanting to dance and others preferring to mingle – and all this is before you even consider the budget!
The right style of music
Booking a band will make your event stand out from the rest because of the special atmosphere that live music creates, but the style to choose will depend on what you want the band to do. Do you want a loud, exciting band who will fill the dance floor and get everyone singing along? Or would you prefer your party music to add a sophisticated atmosphere that won’t interrupt conversation? Party bands are available in every format: we supply everything from full carnival bands complete with limbo dancers to covers bands playing chart hits to acoustic duos and solo harpists.
If you have a wide range of guests and want to get them all dancing and singing along, book a covers band. These party bands tend to have extensive repertoires – including everything from Buddy Holly to Gnarls Barkley - and will have something for everybody. Most will be happy to learn a special song for you, and many include soul and funk (such as James Brown and Aretha Franklin) as well as chart pop and rock.
If you’re particularly keen on strutting your funky stuff, choose a specialist funk and soul band. These range from small and compact singers with backing tracks to big show bands with keyboards, horn sections and extra vocalists. They play funk and soul classics by artists such as the Jackson 5, Chic, and Kool and the Gang, adding modern Amy Winehouse and Jamiroquai. Some fit their set around a theme, focusing on 70s or 80s disco hits, and add costumes.
If you have a theme for your party, why not book live music to match? Tribute and novelty bands make great party entertainment, particularly when your guests are all roughly the same age and remember the era. Tribute bands can focus on a certain decade, or a specific artist – so you could hire an Abba tribute band for a 70s party or an Oasis tribute band for a 90s party.
For a similar level of entertainment, and something to suit guests of all ages, ceilidh bands can be a great choice. Your guests don’t need to know the steps beforehand – most bands provide a caller, who will teach everyone the right moves. Ceilidh bands can also provide quieter moments, mixing shanties, ballads and folk songs to give tired feet a break!
A less traditional alternative for those keen on dancing is Latin, which is becoming increasingly popular at more colourful and exotic parties. It’s popular with every audience, and the music ranges from well-known chart favourites by Ricky Martin and Miami Sound Machine to obscure standards to delight serious Latin fans. World music can be a wonderfully original addition to your entertainment – choose from options such as steel pan bands, flamenco and bluegrass – and will certainly give your guests something to talk about!
If your venue has a sound limiter, or the party is formal, a Rat Pack-style singer is great entertainment and will provide a sophisticated soundtrack. Swing makes a glamorous accompaniment to cocktail parties and won’t break the bank, with many acts singing to backing tracks or able to modify their bands to suit your budget.
Jazz is equally cool and sophisticated, but comes in a much wider range of styles and formats, so might be a better option if you want both quiet moments and something to accompany dancing later on. Choose from a long list of standards, or ask the band to learn something special for your event.
Once you have chosen your style, you need to work out which band you want to hire.
You can get to know more about a band by looking at the information they provide; most usually post a biography, photos, videos, samples of their playing and their repertoire online. Many will also provide testimonials from previous audiences, so you can see what other people thought! Covers bands usually aim to make their version of a song sound as much like the record as possible, though others specialise in creating new arrangements and medleys, or add acoustic options.
Many bands also offer a DJ service between sets so that the dancing doesn’t have to stop, but this tends to be more limited than hiring a specialist DJ, who will carry far more music.
Choosing between a band and a DJ
Bands are a great addition to a party, giving your guests something to talk about long after the party has finished, and creating a special atmosphere, but sometimes the budget or practicalities can make it unrealistic to book a party band. A DJ can’t give you quite the same entertainment value or spontaneity as a party band, but will mean you get a bigger choice of songs (many of our party DJs carry as many as 10,000 songs to each party) and that your audience can make requests on the night. Our party DJs can also compere your event and make announcements, and many create state-of-the-art light shows.
The right band for your party venue
Make sure you choose a band who make it easy for you to stay in touch and discuss your arrangements for the party – remember that you’ll need to tell the band when to start and finish their set, let them know if you would like to hear certain songs, and possibly ask them to wear the right kind of clothes. A good party band will be used to accommodating the arrangements for events and will be able to work with you to make sure everything goes smoothly. They are usually self-contained, providing all the equipment they need, so that you don’t need to hire anything – but it’s always worth speaking to them beforehand and checking!
Party venues range from clubs and theatres that are designed for loud, live music to small rooms, restaurants and bars that require special arrangements. Many venues are now fitted with noise limiters and, although most party bands are used to working with these, it’s best to make sure the band knows about the noise limiter beforehand, so that they can bring the right equipment.
There are party bands to fit all kinds of venues, so don’t worry if your venue seems small or there are noise restrictions. Many bands can change their lineup, or play more quietly, so that they can fit in modest function rooms as well as large halls and venues designed for live music. Always tell your band or agent as much as you can about the venue when you book them (for example, size of the room/marquee, size of the performance area available, and noise limiters) so that they can organise the best possible show for you.
Prices
Function Central can provide live music and bands for parties to suit every budget: from pianists for intimate dinners and shallow pockets to large party bands for lavish corporate entertainment for hundreds of people. If you find a band you love, but can’t afford the full line-up, it’s worth checking to see if they can still work with you using fewer people or by making other changes.
Price guide
Soloist – eg Rat Pack-style singer: from £250
Tribute duo playing to backing track: from £375
All-live tribute band: from £850
60s-00s cover duo or trio playing to backing track: from £500
60s-00s 4-piece cover band: from £800
4-piece soul and funk cover band: from £800.
Soul and funk cover band with horn section: from £995.
Ceilidh band: from £500
Mobile party DJ: from £260.
We keep our rates as low as possible – but if another agent offers you one of our acts at a lower price, or on better terms, we’ll match their offer. The price we quote for an act includes all costs (such as travel, VAT, and any accommodation necessary), unless we say otherwise.
Function Central makes booking party music easy
Function Central is a live music agency providing young, professional bands and musicians for parties all across the UK. We take over 300 party bookings a year and get great feedback from our clients. We make choosing and booking party music easy, providing support and advice right up to the event, and even a 24-hour helpline.
Booking the right live music for your party doesn’t need to be a chore – we hope you enjoy browsing the site and listening to our bands! If you’d like more information and suggestions, please get in touch.