bristol wedding band|a blog by the Moon Loungers

The Moon Loungers’ manic spring continued on the weekend with 2 more weddings.

First up on Friday was a trip to a completely new venue for us, Donnington Valley Hotel in Berkshire.  It was a little bit further afield than we are used to – okay so it was about an hour away, we don’t like to stray too far from home…

Once set up for the evening we headed to the bar and were immediately bought a beer each by the generous father of the groom.  We were particularly grateful when we discovered the bar prices – £4.40 for a Heineken, eh?!?

The live music kicked off with a first dance of “Make You Feel My Love”, followed swiftly by “I’m Yours” and then a first ever performance of Olly Murs’ “Army of Two”, all at the special request of the bride and groom.

After the first set we enjoyed some buffet (and finished every last drop of those pints), before returning for an enjoyable second set. Some guests took a fair bit of coaxing to get onto the dance floor, but we managed to get everyone up for the “last song” – and promptly played 3 more encores!

The subsequent disco was hijacked by the Irish contingent of guests brandishing an iPhone, and their selection of traditional Celtic tunes took things nicely up to midnight.

The following day Chris and Steve headed to Wick Farm for a daytime + evening combo.  For the drinks reception the chilly and blustery weather forced us to set up inside. At least on this occasion we called it right, as most guests joined us in the lower barn to sip their welcome drinks (I think it was cider, which would explain the drunkenness on show later…).

Once we’d finished our acoustic duo duties we found a recommended nearby pub for some food, and then joined up with Stu back at Wick Farm for the evening performance. The room took a little longer to clear due to this rather precarious looking cake having to be dismantled before being shifted:

The first dance on this occasion was Savage Garden’s 90’s classic “Truly Madly Deeply” (another first time performance), and we followed it up with two great sets that really had the place rocking.

The second set was particularly boisterous, and when it came to the encore we played a rare 3-piece version of “Sweet Child of Mine” (the groom had missed our duo version of it earlier in the day, so it was the least we could do).

This was followed by “Moves Like Jagger”, which proved too much for one female guests (it’s always the girls…) who lost her footing and ploughed into Steve’s mic, taking his music stand with her en route to the floor.  Professional to the end, we barely missed a beat – Stu taking over on vocals while Steve played bass with one hand and repositioned his mic with the other!

Thankfully the disco took things to midnight with no further casualties to cap a great weekend’s work. Congrats to both couples and well done to everyone!

Spring continues to bring with it a sackful of gigs for the Moon Loungers… on the weekend we once again played at two weddings, the venues in question being Leigh Park in Bradford-on-Avon and Wick Farm (below) near Bath.

At Leigh Park we were booked for both daytime and evening performances, so we arrived bright and early to set up for the drinks. Miraculously, the weather was actually looking fairly settled so we positioned ourselves on the patio (with a satellite speaker inside for those not prepared to venture outdoors this soon in the year…).

The wedding party turned up a bit late from the church, so we played solidly for the entire drinks reception to keep them all entertained while they sipped on bucks fizz and munched on canapes.  The amazingly rickety patio table (see below)  inevitably resulted in a smashed glass at one point, but other than that it went really well!

We were then able to set up for the evening in the partitioned off section of the function room, before tucking into a splendid steak meal and hob-nobbing with the photographers and videographer.

Before we knew it Stu was arriving with his drums, and we were soon kicking off the evening performance with a first dance of Jason Mraz’s “I Won’t Give Up”.  This was swiftly followed by “My Girl” for a bride and Dad dance, and then “Candy” for the couples’ daughter.

Whilst the rest of the first set enticed a smattering of guests onto the dance floor, the second set saw it fill up with revellers (by this stage the evening guests had clearly loosened up sufficiently). An abiding memory has to be one female guest slipping on the contents of a spilled drink and being flung into the air before coming down to land firmly on her backside, the poor thing…  we think she may have suffered a broken wrist, so be careful with those drinks on the dance floor ladies and gents!

Anyhoo, we finished things in style with a specially requested encore of “Back for Good”, and it was then over to the disco to take things up to midnight to complete a cracking day’s work.  Before we left we enjoyed an amusing chat with the bride and groom (Emma – I did promise you’d be on the blog!), who had clearly had a great time:

On Saturday we headed to Wick Farm for an evening wedding bash.   For once we turned up at the perfect time, just as the room was being cleared, and were set up nice and quick for the first set.  At one point Stu did get caught up in a microphone cable, but we managed to free him from it eventually.

We started with a first dance of “Stand By Me”, not one we’ve played before but it sounded great and went down really well.  After an enjoyable first set we grabbed a beer each, some buffet (great ham!), and also a bag of sweets to get us through the break. We also found a piece of cake with an amazing ice to cake ratio…

It was then time for a lively second set that saw most guests enjoy a dance.  The encore featured a rare outing of “It’s Not Unusual”, Stu dusting down his much-loved Tom Jones party trick to an enthusiastic response, and “Moves Like Jagger”, in which Steve played his melodica in a way that suggests he hasn’t yet really improved (despite playing it most weekends this year!).

All in all a great weekend, congrats to both couples and thanks to everyone who danced and were generally pleasant and friendly to us!

We finished a hectic April with a couple more weddings over the weekend, first at Kingscote Barn on Friday night and then at Priston Mill Tythe Barn on the Saturday.

The Kingscote wedding was memorable mainly for the amount of time slippage we were faced with (even by the standards we are used to this was well behind schedule!). Due to a “pub quiz” taking place during the wedding breakfast, we arrived at 7pm to discover the speeches hadn’t even started. Thankfully Stu was on hand to keep us entertained with his throat sweet…

The upshot was that we started setting up at the point where we had planned to start playing the first dance. Unperturbed, however, we got ourselves ready in super-quick time and kicked things off around 9pm with a first dance of Video Games by Lana Del Rey.

The first set was played out to a packed dance floor (the guests must have been keen to stretch their legs after being seated for most of the afternoon!), and after a very brief break we returned for a similarly boisterous second set.

Our last glimpse of the bride and groom came at around 10.30, after which they must have retired to their room!  The guests kept partying, however, and we played them a few well-earned encores at the end of our set.

The following day the acoustic duo arrived at Priston Mill bright and early to set up for the drinks reception.  With the weather in typically unpredictable form, we chose to set up two sets of equipment inside and out in an attempt to be in two places at once.  Wishful thinking…

With the wedding guests arriving late due to terrible traffic (and the bride and groom even later), our performance wasn’t as long as it could have been.  It was also spent constantly moving from outside to inside as we tried to keep up with the movements of the guests, who seemed determined to keep us on our toes!

Before we knew it the guests were soon being coaxed inside for the wedding breakfast, leaving us to head to a nearby public house for refreshments.  We returned to the venue to meet Stu the drummer for what would be a more successful evening performance, kicking off with a special “bride and Dad dance” of My Girl.  The subsequent first dance of “Endless Love” saw all the guests join in after a few minutes, and we managed to keep a hardcore dancing for the rest of the first set.

Unlike the previous night, our break was considerably longer (giving us an opportunity to mess around with some of the props from the fancy dress photo booth, see above), but we were soon back on for a splendid second set that had most guests on the dance floor come the end.  One chap in particular danced so intensely he left the 3 of us in complete stitches after one song – somehow we regained our composure to complete the set, but I’m not sure how.

After another well-deserved encore we handed over to the disco, which featured a bride and groom selected playlist including the theme from Fresh Prince of Bel Air, “Tribute” by Tenacious D, and the marvellously sweary “Little Lion Man” by Mumford and Sons.

All in all a great night, and a storming weekend to finish what has been a great month for the Moon Loungers.  Well done one and all!

Yes, last weekend was our second 3-wedding weekend in a row…

Instead of spending this week recovering, we’ve been busy recording our version of Lana Del Rey’s new track “Young and Beautiful” – be sure to check it out on
YouTube…  The upshot is not much time to write up the weekend’s events, but here’s a brief synopsis:

On Saturday we played a double header of two separate weddings, something we’ve done a few times before – and as usual it was an intense but highly rewarding experience!

Up first was a ceremony and drinks reception at Kingscote Barn, which both went really well. The ceremony featured “One Day Like This” as the bride entered, and “Happy Together” for the exit, and the we played outside for the entire drinks reception – a real treat due to the great weather (is spring really here?!).

With another drinks reception coming up the following day at Kingscote, we were able to leave our acoustic guitars at the venue and then head to Old Down Manor (a new venue for us) for an evening party. We set up in the orangery and prior to the first dance the videographer somehow managed to choreograph a brief spot of “marryoke” from the guests (this is clearly all the rage at the moment) which was fairly amusing to watch.

The first dance itself was “Wonderful Tonight”, and we followed this up with a couple of lively and enjoyable sets of music that a hardcore of party animals danced and generally messed around to (a number of the lads became inseparable from the inflatable guitars they had commandeered…).  Oh, and during the break Stu was mesmerised by the sheer volume of condiments on offer – see below:

The next day we returned to Kingscote Barn, where we played a drinks reception and evening party (all the same venue this time – bit easier, admittedly).

The weather wasn’t quite so good, but we still managed to play a first set outside during drinks before heading inside (where we’d prepared a second set up) to complete the performance.  During the break we were treated to food from the barbecue courtesy of Strawberry Fields (always a treat), and it was soon time for the evening party to kick off.

This time the first dance was “Mechanical Wonder”, an Ocean Colour Scene track that we’d learned specially (it only has 3 chords, happy days…).  Considering it was a Sunday, the crowd were absolutely fantastic all night, dancing and getting into the spirit like it was actually a Saturday.  The groom’s son in particular did a great job dancing to “Gangnam Style”…  oh, and special mention must go to the “SPAM” wedding cake, in tribute to the couples’ combined initials S.P.A.M – check it out:

Well done one and all…

So there you have it – 3 weddings in 2 days.  Just the two this weekend, easy peasy!

April is a manic month for us, exemplified by the 3-gig weekend we just completed!

Up first was an evening party at Clevedon Hall (above) on Friday night.  On previous occasions at this venue we’ve set up in the large entrance hall, but on this occasion the bride and groom had requested that the evening bash take place in the “library” – an excellent decision…

And before you think, hmm “library” and “party” shouldn’t really crop up in the same sentence, the libary at Clevedon is basically a large function room with walls that appear to have books on them.  Mess around with the books and you’ll soon discover James Bond-style secret compartments and hidden doors – lots more fun than your typical library.

Anyway, you get the idea… so we set up and kicked off at around 8.45 (30 minutes later than planned!) with a first dance of “Only You” by Yazoo.  We’d learned the song especially and really enjoyed the performance of what is a great song. The crowd all joined in after a couple of verses and stayed on the dance floor for pretty much the rest of the night!

During the second set we dusted down “Mustang Sally” at the request of the bride and groom, inviting the bride and bridesmaids up to add backing vocals like the old days – with suitably shambolic and hilarious results…  Stu managed to take a picture during the breakdown of “Suspicious Minds” (see below), and we followed our finale of “Hey Jude” with a few encores to reward the fantastic crowd for their night of partying.

The next day we headed to Kingscote Barn (a second home for us this month) for another evening performance.  Timings had slipped in a similar fashion to the previous night, and we once again kicked off the live stuff at 8.45 with a specially learned first dance – this time “Gravity” by Embrace (another top song).

As is usually the case at Kingscote, it turned out to be a brilliant bash with plenty of revellers enjoying the party atmosphere.  We managed to drag almost everyone up to the dance floor for the final song – and promptly played a few encores to keep them there a while longer!

Sunday was certainly not a day of rest for us, as we found ourselves setting up our equipment for the third night running – this time at the Hare and Hounds at Westonbirt.  The function room at the venue is always a pleasure to play at (nice atmosphere, plus plenty of space, great acoustics, easy access and other boring band-related perks), which made for an enjoyable end to the weekend.

The party in question was a Silver Wedding anniversary, and despite it being a Sunday we managed to entice a decent number of guests up for a dance and a sing along – well done to those who danced for our entire hour and a half second set, great work.

All in all a fab weekend – well done to all concerned!

Alongside regular haunts such as Kingscote Barn and Coombe Lodge (at which we’ll often play a couple of times a month) the Moon Loungers also have a number of venues that we seem to frequent only once every couple of years…

Into this bracket falls the Barn@ Berkeley, where we had the pleasure of performing on Saturday night.  With its stage, excellent acoustics, easy access and spacious interior it is always an enjoyable venue to play.

Once set up we kicked off with the first dance at about 8.15, and the evening took on a familiar format to the norm with our two sets fitting around the 9.00 buffet. The evening food in question was fish and chips, which were absolutely spot on – so well done to the chef for his efforts!

Highlights of the second set were a number of guests forming a line to dance along to “Uptown Girl” in the style of Billy Joel in the original video (check out the Moon Loungers’ video of the song for their clumsy attempt at this simple piece of choreography!) and a rowsing performance of “Sweet Caroline” to complete a 3-song encore.

As we packed away, a remote control inflatable fish (the real star of the show) made its way around the dance floor, see below.  A surreal sight to finish the night off!

An excellent night, and an enjoyable start to what promises to be a busy April of weddings…

The wedding season seemed to kick off proper for the Moon Loungers on the weekend.  Given that it is officially now spring, this made perfect sense – although the weather sadly wasn’t playing ball…

First up was a wedding evening bash at Leigh Park Hotel, a new venue for us (yes, we are still finding them after 7 years of wedding gigs).  Weather update – cold and wet, but thankfully not snowing (here’s the venue in warmer times):

As we waited to access the room, the groom emerged from the wedding breakfast and sat down with us for a few minutes to catch his breath – only for the photographer to immediately appear and start taking his photo.  The co-ordinator then walked in and asked if he wanted the lights up to help with the photos…  a vignette of how intense the wedding day experience can be if we ever saw one!

We were able to set up in a partitioned off area of the function room whilst the meal took place, which meant we were all set and ready with plenty of time to spare.  The first dance was “I’ll Be There”, which we played acoustically – and minus the bit that says “if you should ever find someone new” as it didn’t seem appropriate… The rest of the first set was good fun, the bride and groom continuing to dance for quite a few numbers and a solid smattering of guests joining them.

During the break we munched on buffet and enjoyed some amusing banter with the guests, before returning for a fantastic second set that saw us play to a packed dance floor. The groom and his best man in particular produced some impressive moves, and come the end of a euphoric “Hey Jude” it was the least we could do to play a few encores – including our new rendition of “Locked Out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars.

The disco then took over for the last half hour, during which time we had to politely ask the staff to refrain from bringing the lights up (always a party killer..).  And then it was time to pack the Berlingo and head of into the freezing night, another splendid gig under our belt.  Congrats to a really, really nice couple and thanks to the guests for being so friendly to us as well!

The following day we headed to the more familiar environs of Kingscote Barn for a drinks reception + evening band booking.  With the weather now even colder than the day before (0 degrees), there was at least little doubt that we would be inside for the drinks…

We set up in the reception room, and the wedding party duly arrived – looking absolutely freezing! We played solidly for 1.5 hours, omitting the likes of “Here Comes the Sun” and “Sunny Afternoon”, and then took a break whilst everyone entered the main barn for the meal.

We were treated to a main course and the company of videographer Ben Bruton-Cox (friend of the Moon Loungers) during the wedding breakfast, and it was soon time to set up for the evening party.

We’d managed to rope Ben into sticking around after the first dance to film the whole of the party, and also secured the services of a sound engineer friend to record the audio. So the set up took a bit longer than usual, but we were still ready to start by the planned time of 8.15 (ish).

The first dance was “My Girl”, a live favourite of ours during which we enticed a few reluctant guests onto the floor.. this theme continued for the rest of the first set, lots of girls dancing whilst the lads presumably sampled the delights of the bar.  YouTube videos to follow!

During the break a hog roast was served up outside (brrrr…) that we tucked into, and it was then second set time. With cameras trained and record pressed, we played a lively set that enticed a decent crowd onto the floor, although the lads seemed resolutely glued to the bar!

Once again the disco took over, and this time the guests were quick to make their exit – it had been a long (and cold) day, after all…  the good news for us was that we were able to leave some of our equipment in the venue ready for Sunday’s open day – what a treat (it’s the simple things in life!).

And so Steve and Chris returned to Kingscote the following morning (or later that morning, should we say), actually passing some guests who had stayed over as we approached the venue… we were soon set up and joined by Uncle Al (see him below with no less than three logo festooned garments!) for what was a hugely successful event.  At one point the barn was so packed with people you could hardly move, and we took it in turns with a piano and violin duo to provide background music.

Well done to the team at Kingscote Barn for putting on such a good open day, and thanks to the various caterers on site for the constant supply of nibbles!

The Moon Loungers headed into Somerset on Friday night for a wedding bash at Coombe Lodge – and it was one of those nights where the guests provided as much entertainment as we did…

We arrived as the speeches were happening, and were greeted by the sight of one female guest slumped on a sofa outside of the main function room.  Once we had (a) confirmed that she was under the influence, and (b) spotted the official photographer taking a photo of her, we decided the best course of action was to take a snap of our own (and tweet it, of course):

Once the speeches had finished we got ourselves set up, and kicked off with the first set around 8.45.  The first dance was “Time of Your Life” by Green Day; after a bit of coaxing we firstly managed to get the guests to surround the dance floor and support the bride and groom, and secondly got them to join the happy couple on the floor after a couple of verses.

And there many of the guests stayed for our first set, which took things nicely up to the buffet.  During the break we munched on bacon sandwiches and enjoyed a beer that had been bought for us courtesy of the groom (what a lovely chap!). There was a fancy dress photo booth in one of the side rooms, and it inevitably wasn’t long before one guest emerged wearing a delightful outfit – see below (that’s a prosthetic backside, by the way!):

Once we’d stopped laughing we returned for the second set, which was also a funny old affair. Early on one female guest demanded we play a Jam song, to which we immediately obliged, only for her to demand “another Jam song”.  Steve’s words over the mic – “you appear to be someone who is used to getting her way” (she nodded, for info!).

The set became increasingly rowdy as time went on, and the last glimpse we caught of the bride involved her being spun around on the floor on her back at around 11.00 – following which we think she retired to the bridal suite (and who can blame her?).

The side effect of the bride’s absence was a sudden lack of guests on the dance floor – not something we are used to at this time of night – but we cracked on and once again managed to coax those left standing onto the floor for a rousing rendition of good old “Wonderwall” to close our live performance.

It was then over to the disco, as usual, to close proceedings.  Well done to those who were still going at midnight, and congrats to a smashing bride and groom.

Oh, and if anyone is wondering what happened to the lady in the picture above, well we saw her dancing later in the evening with a couple of brandies in her hands.  Perhaps she just wanted to skip the speeches?!

Yes, we know, you’ve read that blog title before…  but what can you do when you have certain favourite venues that you always seem to return to?!  And so it was that the Moon Loungers played another hugely successful wedding party at Kingscote Barn on Saturday night.

What was unusual was that we arrived to find the meal and speeches finished and the room cleared ready for us to set up!  As a result we were able to get ourselves ready with time to spare, and the first dance kicked off at the planned time of 8.00(ish…).

For the first dance we’d learned James Morrison slowie “You Make It Real”, which went really well and was followed up with a satisfying first set  – one of those where some guests danced whilst others set up chairs around the dancefloor to sit and watch us.

The buffet was bacon sarnies, which we tucked into, and we were soon back on for a raucous second set (the guests’ sarnies had clearly been washed down with a few alcoholic beverages).  We’d debuted a cover of Robbie Williams’ recent hit “Candy” (a more upbeat departure from our acoustic version to be seen on YouTube), and this seemed to go down really well. Other highlights were  a well-received performance of “It’s Not Unusual”, the usual euphoric “Hey Jude” sing-a-long at the end, and the obligatory follow-up encores.

This week we were thankfully not bombarded with disco requests (see last week’s wedding!), with guests instead slowly filing out of the barn and boarding buses and taxis during the final half hour of the evening – it had clearly been a long day…

Well done all and congrats to the bride and groom!