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FAQs
Questions...
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Here is a list of commonly asked questions that we hope will help you in planning your ceilidh wedding / event but if there is anything else you need to know then just drop us an email or give us a call.
You can get James on 07970 744986, though it's usually best to drop him an email with the date – that's the first thing to get straight! He'll get back to you usually within 24 hrs to let you know if we're free for your ceilidh. |
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Can we come to see you play? |
Please see our Calendar. Here you'll be able to see the most convenient Ceilidh for you to visit.
It's generally best if you pick a public Ceilidh to attend. If it's a private wedding or function, you must be discreet, you must dress smartly & you must not approach us or other guests on the night. Please stay only as long as you need to. Contact us the following day if you liked what you saw. If you didn't, you must have gone to the Ceilidh in the other function suite! They were rubbish.
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| How long do you need to set up? |
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We always arrive at your venue at least 1 hour to set up, more often 2 hrs, especially if there's a disco too. Provided that we can get the band van close to the stage the setup time is normally round about 60 minutes. The extra time is just in case there are scores of steps & a rabbit warren of corridors to negotiate, to give us extra time to check things & relax for 20 mins after setting up. We'll do a sound check for 5 minutes after we've completed our set up.
If the stage is in a room separate from where your guests are eating / speechifying, etc, that's ideal. If it's the same room though, our stage has guests eating on it or if speeches have started, we may have to wait to avoid disturbing them. Do think about this when planning your wedding / event, but we're very used to setting up discreetly & it's much better to let us do this than have us pressed to set up quickly. It can be quite interesting for guests, & relaxing for everyone - especially the couple, to see the band setting up! We do the upmost not to draw attention to ourselves.
Let the hotel/ venue management know if you're happy for us to do this as it's their staff who we'll meet on arrival.
If you need us to set up much earlier, there will be an extra charge, as we have to commit more of their time to being at your event. This is generally as per the table below but will depend also on where your event is / how many vehicles the band is split between.
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| early set up time costs... time between being set up & start time: |
| 1 hr |
£50 |
| 2hrs |
£80 |
| 3hrs |
£100 |
| 4 hrs |
£115 |
| 5 hrs |
£130 |
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You may use our PA for your speeches if you've opted for an early set up. |
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| We can send you a SMS message to reassure you we haven't forgotten you. Simply tell us when you'd like us to send it on the booking form. |
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How long do you play for? How long is your break?
It's up to you! Though it's usually 4 hours with a 40 min break or for 3 hours (30 min break). We're very flexible! You can see the different charges at our Prices Page. We are usually pleased to play on later than our booking states when requested on the night. Currently £30/hr per musician per hour. So a 4 piece for another 30 mins would cost you £60 extra. Occasionally, there are logistical problems to this (someone's has had enough!!).
We play an MP3 player through the break. Perhaps you'd prefer us to use yours??, please bring it along! Please note: heavily compressed MP3 files will sound very poor through our PA system. It's a good idea to plan who's player you're going to use & make sure the files sound OK through a PA. If downloading ones for your event, do choose a larger file size. It's worth it, honest. |
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How 'live' are you? |
Very! What you see is what you get. What is a sequencer anyway? In a 2 or 3 piece band, our accordion player may plug in an expander which gives midi bass & chords. With a 4 piece or larger outfit, this would generally be turned off. |
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How will you dress? |
We always dress appropriately. The caller will always be Kilted up. For weddings and functions the rest of the band will also be dressed accordingly. For a village hall or out-door ceilidh they are usually a little more relaxed. |
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| First Dance?? |
This is usually our question to you! A Snowball Waltz is a great way to get everyone up. The bride & groom are up for the first tune & as each new waltz tune starts, a cymbal crash signals each couple to separate & find a new partner to bring on the floor. The floor is usually full after 7 tunes.
Many couples choose to plug an iPod into our PA & dance or do a wee routine to a special tune. The ‘wedding party' will be invited to join them after a short while & then all the guests. Please let us know if we should skip the ‘wedding party' invitation & just get everyone up. |
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Will you be too loud? |
Our priority is to keep the dancers up but sometimes at weddings & ceilidhs, some people just want to listen & talk. We balance the volume to suit both dancers & those wishing to relax, listen & talk. Do come up & tell us if you think the volume is not quite right. We promise not to take offense!
What are your terms of payment?
Full terms are on the Ceilidh Booking Form
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Do you have any other advice for us to ensure a great night? |
Oh Yes! Break the mould! Tradition is OK but it can get stifling. It's your wedding so make it your own! Great ideas that have been a little different from our guests include:
- Themed clothing.. hats… etc,
- A ‘different' First dance – eg The Smiths ‘There is a Light that Never Goes Out' was hilarious accompanied by a wee routine by our bride & groom
- Hiring a barn in stead of a Hotel! Comrie Croft or Kinkell Byre are great. Things are just more laid back.
- Having an open mic slot during the bands break!
- Fish & Chips or bacon rolls for the buffet. A great leveller!
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Most importantly of all relax & enjoy yourself!! So if there is something your not sure about or would like changed please let us know straight away, we're here for you! If there are dances you'd like to do, let us know at any time.
We find it crucial to create a good atmosphere to encourage your guests to come up and dance. A couple of good ideas are to make sure the lights in the venue not too bright, especially at the start of the night & it also makes a huge difference if the bride and groom are up dancing. If your guests see you having a great time they will join in.
We find most crowds are dancers! Some are fired up all night & we can't keep them off the floor. But just occasionally people don't want to dance, & that's fine too! We won't harangue your guests all night if they simply want to relax, talk & watch. We'll find dances that suit just a few people & play more songs / airs, waltzes - & some interesting foreign tunes & the odd rock / pop track, esp with a 4 piece band. |
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Things Change: We need to be flexible & we reserve the right to replace musicians at the last minute.
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