bristol wedding band|a blog by the Moon Loungers

No gigs to report on over the weekend, so we’ll take this opportunity to promote our new itunes releases.

We currently have two albums available  for download: the first is “Down the River”, an original album we recorded a few years back as an acoustic duo and have recently added to itunes.  All the songs were recorded at Toybox studios in central Bristol. Please note this album can also be purchased from our web site (www.themoonloungers.com).

Our second offering is an album of acoustic covers, with 10 tracks drawn from various studio recording sessions and also a live wedding performance.  There should be something for everyone here, with the selection of covers ranging from Mr Bojangles to Mr Brightside…

We’re hoping to add a 3-piece album to the list later this year so watch this space (and get downloading!).

Latest news – some videos of us performing at an evening wedding party have recently been added to our ever-expanding YouTube channel, including this one of our version of Suspicious Minds:

Our videographer did have another camera set up but it decided to stop working (brilliant), hence why we only have the one camera angle, but hopefully this will provide a flavour of our evening performances!

Happy New Year to everyone!  The Moon Loungers are now back in the office so it’s time for a quick update on our last few gigs of 2011…

Just before Christmas (23rd December) we performed at Kingscote Barn (above) for a festive wedding evening party.  It was no major surprise to find that the meal was running over, but we kicked off the first set around 8.15 after a super-quick set up. The first dance was “Sea of Love” by the Honey Drippers, which we played through our lap top, and then it was a case of playing a solid set of floor fillers with the inclusion of “Let It Snow” at the end for a nice festive touch!

During the break we were provided with baguettes and chips, and Chris also partook in some of the fish and chips served up to the guests. Then it was back on for a boisterous second set that for once didn’t finish with “Hey Jude”, but did include Slade’s “Merry Xmas Everyone” – what a shame that whenever we get this song perfected we have to shelve it for another 12 months. I’m sure during the encore that even more food was being served up, so rest assured the guests certainly didn’t go hungry!

After a few days off over Christmas we returned to action on the 28th, this time heading to a new venue for us – Cricklade House in Wiltshire.  With the stage and dance floor curtained off during the meal, we were able to enjoy a more relaxed set up on the very compact stage (Stu’s drum kit basically took most of the space up, and we somehow squeezed in either side of him). The good news was lots of disco lights were provided – always a bonus.

“All You Need is Love” was the first dance, and after the first set we tucked into the bacon sarnies and spent some “quality time” listening to the thoughts of a couple of drunk guests…  The second set eventually (after a bit of persuasion) saw the dance floor fill up, and following a couple of encores we let the disco take things up to midnight.

Our final wedding band engagement of the year took us back to Wiltshire and specifically to Grittleton House. Once again we were playing for the evening party, and for the 2nd gig in a row we were able to set up while the wedding breakfast was taking place elsewhere. Unprecedented!

The first dance was “I’m a Believer” by the Monkees, and a hardcore following kept us company for the rest of the first set. After a break we returned for the second set, and for the first few songs one guest stood in front of us and led the packed dance floor on a choreographed dance routine – surreal but brilliant stuff!  Come the end we played a few encores including a rare outing for “One Day Like This” by Elbow before handing over to the disco for the final time in 2011.

Congratulations to all the newly weds involved, and indeed to all those couples for whom we played during a brilliant 2011. 2012 promises to be another busy year, although we do have a few weeks off before the next wedding…

The Moon Loungers are in the midst of a busy Christmas season.  On Saturday we performed at a wedding at Cheltenham College, followed by more weddings at Wick Farm near Bath and St Audries in Somerset.

Our appearance at Cheltenham College was our first since forming, and we played in the cavernous dining hall – straight out of a Harry Potter novel…

The first dance was “Make You Feel My Love” – originally by Bob Dylan but covered brilliantly by Adele – and this was followed by two enjoyable sets of music that echoed around the massive room and had all the guests up dancing.  We played a few songs for an encore, including an annual dusting down of Slade’s pension fund “Merry Xmas Everybody”. All in all a great night.

We then had a rare Monday wedding gig, the venue being Wick Farm just outside of Bath.  The bride is a wedding photographer and so all the suppliers were (a) very pleased to have been selected by someone who has seen a lot of weddings, and (b) on their toes to ensure they delivered the goods!

We started by playing in the ceremony, performing for a good hour as guests assembled and the bride kept everyone on tenterhooks… the entrance music was “Marry Me” by Train, a tune we’ve (amazingly) only just been introduced to. It worked really well, and the ceremony proceeded smoothly from there on in. During the register we played “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “I’m Yours”, followed by “One Day Like This” as everyone exited.

It was then a quick pack down and dash to the bar area where our second set up was waiting for us to play during drinks.  We threw in a few Christmas numbers to add to the festive atmosphere, and played up until the point where the guests were invited to sit down for the meal. Another excellent wedding and congrats to a lovely couple.

Tuesday then saw us head to St Audries, on the Somerset Coast, for another evening performance.  We’ve played at this impressive venue once before, and the memories flooded back as we set up in the splendid main hall.  “I’m Yours” was aired again, this time as the first dance, and we knocked out two sets of music that seemed to go down particularly well with the lads.

Oh, and in between we were treated to a delicious buffet featuring bacon, sausages AND burgers…

The disco took things up until midnight, and it was then time to brave the elements and pack up in the rain before driving home on the extremely windy A39 back to the M5!

Three excellent weddings, and three more to come before the end of the year!  Happy Christmas everyone.

Saturday was a busy day for us, with a wedding gig at Chipping Sodbury Town Hall during the afternoon and then our traditional Moon Loungers Christmas meal in the evening.

A festive scene greeted us as we headed down Chipping Sodbury High Street, with lots of Christmas decorations up and hundreds of people shopping and generally pottering around.  Parking was at a premium, but we managed to unload the gear and find a space in the jam-packed car park.

The gig took place in the upstairs of the Town Hall, and involved us cramming all aspects of our offering into a 3.5 hour period between 2.00 and 5.30… first off, we played as an acoustic duo during the lunch buffet, then took a quick break before playing another set with the backing tracks to get the guests up dancing.  Midway through the second set we were treated to a specially prepared dance routine by the bride and groom’s daughters, and once we’d finished playing live it was over to the disco for the final hour  – phew!

The evening was spent in the Frampton Balti for the Moon Loungers’ Christmas meal.  In addition to the BYO booze we also brought our own crackers, and a good time was had by all. Highlights included Uncle Al’s traditional graph charting our progress over the years (the X and Y axis remain unidentified), Stu creating lots of amusing objects from his serviette (including a chicken and a bra), and a special gift from Uncle Al to Stu that we won’t go into now…

The year isn’t over yet though – on the contrary infact, as we have 6 gigs in the next couple of weeks. A busy festive period awaits!

The weekend was a busy one for the Moon Loungers.. On Friday we returned to the Miners Club in nearby Coalpit Heath for a rare public performance for friends, family and also various brides and grooms for whom we’ve played for in the past! This year we decided to donate all the proceeds to local charity Paul’s Place, a thoroughly worthy cause – for more check out the Paul’s Place web site.

With both Steve and Stu struggling a bit with their voices, and Stu also happening to move house on that  very day, the build up to the event wasn’t the smoothest.  Once the doors opened, however, the people flooded in and got stuck into the raffle (and also the cheap bar).

Stu summoned the “spirit of Gary Barlow” to introduce opening song Greatest Day, and we played a couple of enjoyable sets of music that had the hall singing and dancing along.  In the break a representative from Paul’s Place did a great speech and picked out the raffle tickets, and it was with much pleasure that we handed him the takings from the door.  Thanks to everyone who turned out and made it such a good evening!

The following night, voices now recovered considerably, we headed to the Barn at Berkeley (located on the Cattle Country Adventure Park in Gloucestershire).  The venue of one of our very first wedding gigs, this cavernous barn was just as big as we remembered it; thankfully on this occasion we turned up with a decent sound and lighting system (and also a drummer!).

Enjoying the ample space afforded to us (and the luxury of a stage), we set up nice and quick before kicking things off with “We Have All the Time in the World” by Louis Armstrong for the first dance. Given the enormous dance floor, it was always going to be tricky keeping it filled for the first set, but we managed to retain a hardcore following. As we approached the end of the set a hog roast was set up literally in front of Steve – the advantage of this being that once we’d finished playing and announced that food was ready we were straight to the front of the queue…

After a break spent tucking into delicious pork sarnies we returned for a second set that eventually enticed a good number of guests onto the floor.  Suspicious Minds went down particularly well, and for an encore we reverted to the same genre with a rendition of Sweet Caroline. After finishing with Back for Good we put the the disco on until midnight.

Another successful weekend – thanks again to all concerned on Friday and congrats to the bride and groom as well!

On Friday the Moon Loungers headed to Orchardleigh House in Somerset for wedding band duties at both the ceremony and the evening party.

The ceremony was held in Orchardleigh’s very own chapel, hidden away in the sprawling grounds of the estate. A couple of firsts for us: (a) we’ve never played a religious ceremony before, and (b) we’ve never played without power!

Always up for a new challenge, we positioned ourselves at the end of the chapel and belted out various songs (literally unplugged) as guests assembled, before performing “Fill My Little World” for the entrance of the bride.  With the only light coming from a few stained glass windows and numerous candles lit, it was a really atmospheric ceremony.

We played “You’re My Best Friend” as everyone exited, and (with no amps or mics set up) were packed down within 10 seconds! It was then back off to Orchardleigh House to relax before the evening party. We were able to set up whilst the wedding breakfast took place, and at around 8.30 (with Stu the drummer now in tow) the first set kicked off with “Friday I’m in Love” by the Cure.

Despite the presence of a free bar, plenty of guests enjoyed a dance throughout the evening, and come the end of our second set we received a hearty encore (the free bar had definitely done the trick!).  After a couple more songs it was time for the disco, and a well-earned rest for the vocals!

As we packed away the party continued into the night, the guests demonstrating impressive stamina after a long day of revelling.  It had been a splendid day so well done to all concerned – and congrats to the bride and groom!

The Moon Loungers returned to the Matara Centre in the Gloucestershire Cotswolds for the first time in a while on Saturday.  We arrived in the morning and set ourselves up in a corner of the “Hilarium”, a spacious hall with some very bizarre acoustics, and that was pretty much where we stayed for the rest of the day!

First up was the ceremony, and we played for a good 40 minutes as guests assembled and waited for the arrival of the bride.  Slightly behind schedule, she entered to “Annie’s Song”, and we managed to get through most of the song before she reached the front of the room.

During the signing of the register we played “Chasing Cars” and “Your Song”, with the registrar surprising/scaring us a bit by using the “finger slitting the throat” mime to ask us to stop… we then played Take That’s “Greatest Day” as everyone exited the room to complete a succesful ceremony!

We then popped over to Hunters Hall (where we are now becoming regulars) for a drink and a bowl of chips, before returning to play a couple of sets during the wedding breakfast. We finished by performing “All I Have To Do Is Dream” (for the first time in a while) as a special request, and then it was time for a bit of food while the speeches took place.

Once the speeches had finished Stu the drummer arrived and we set up for the evening party.   The first dance was “I’m Yours”, with guests being invited to join the bride and groom on the dancefloor after a couple of verses. From that point in there was no need for us to encourage anyone to dance – everyone was clearly up for a party!

After a break (during which some excellent sausage sarnies were served up – yes, I know, we’re always eating!) we returned for what would be an extremely boisterous second set. From opener “Honky Tonk Woman” right through to “Hey Jude” the dancefloor was packed with revellers, with one guy in particular dancing in such an exuberant manner that he almost knocked Steve’s teeth out after clattering into his mic during “Johnny B. Goode”….

We responded to the inevitable encore with a specially resurrected version of “It’s Not Unusual” in honour of the sizeable Welsh contingent at the wedding.  The Tom Jones classic is a song Stu used to sing regularly in his and Steve’s old band, but it’s not one the Moonies have ever performed – so it was nice to dust it down for a very appreciative audience.  After a second encore we handed over to the disco for the final half hour.

We knocked things on the head at midnight, but as we packed away a few traditional Welsh songs were heartily sung as the party continued… the guests were very complimentary to us, with a number of them trying to perusade us to “come to West Wales” and play, and all in all it had been a fantastic day.

Well done to the bride and (no doubt sore-headed) groom, and thanks to everyone concerned for being such a great crowd!

The Moon Loungers returned to regular haunt Kingscote Barn for a wedding ceremony and evening party last Friday.  There are definitely worse places to be than the Cotswolds on what was a stunning autumn day…

The wedding itself was a fairly late affair with the entrance of the bride scheduled for 4pm, and everything in the barn was decorated in a tasteful black and white theme (we even took the trouble to wear our black suits, white shirts and black ties in order to fit in. Okay so that’s what we always wear, fair point). We played away as guests assembled, keeping an eye on things from our lofty position on the mezzanine gallery.

The entrance song was “Make You Feel My Love” (our cover of Adele’s cover of Bob Dylan’s original), and we played a couple more songs during the register signing before performing the Greatest Day as everyone exited for the drinks reception.

It was then off to the Hunters Hall for a spot of food and a read of the paper before we returned to meet up with Stu the drummer for evening duties.  Things kicked off a bit later than planned, the first dance being “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”.  Early on in our set we played “Place Your Hands” in honour of Reef’s bass player Jack Bessant who happened to be a guest at the wedding!  Jack is about 6ft 4in and has a long grey beard (and lots of long grey hair), and it made for a memorable scene watching him dance along to his own song whilst being mobbed by his mates…

We ploughed through a marathon single set to a jam-packed dancefloor before putting the disco on for the final throes of the evening, finishing on the bride’s request of “All That Jazz” from the musical Chicago (which the girls clearly loved and the blokes were fairly non-plussed by – I guess that’s musicals for you!).

It had been a great day and an enjoyable evening all told, and we even had a quick chat with Jack at the end of the night to put the icing on the cake.  Congrats to the happy couple and well done to everyone who got into the party spirit.