Archive for the ‘Corporate Events’ Category

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Bands that go with the flow are the ones in the know!

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010

 It seems like over the years, your ideas seem to be changing when it comes to your requirements and ideas for live music & entertainment. This is the case when it comes to a wide variety of factors, especially when it comes to music tastes, which I’ve mentioned in my blog many times before, but another factor has been coming up lately and I wanted to write about it.

Just lately, I’ve met a huge number of clients who have said to me that their ideal live band for their wedding/event would be a band that have fun, play the music that they LOVE, and are free with arrangements and can ‘go with the flow’ when it comes to the dynamics of the evening. So, in the words of one of my clients the other day, ‘If you feel the urge to take an extra solo here and there, or play a song that you just love to play, please go ahead, we’ll enjoy it even more!’

 It makes me smile when people say this, and I’ve been shocked, because I think a lot of bands make such an effort to be exactly the opposite – making sure they rehearse so much that they get the arrangements of songs down to a tea (therefore never really ‘going off on a tangent’ and playing to the crowd), playing songs that they know are ‘safe’ crowd pleasers (even if they personally don’t like them), and sticking to their usual tried and tested playlist no matter what.  But its so refreshing to now be speaking to clients who are keen for a bit of musical expression at their wedding. I think they’re right – the more the band has fun, the more you and your guests feed off their energy and enthusiasm, and the more dynamic your evening gets!

 Obviously, you don’t want the band to go too far the other way…there’s nothing worse than a band playing a load of self indulgent songs that most of your guests don’t know, and doing 10minute drum solos!  However, I’ve been finding lately that the more freedom we are given as a band, the more dancing/shouting/singing/jumping for joy/crazy air guitar we get from our audience!  A band that give themselves the freedom to extend songs if they’re going down really well, add in extra solos (which builds a massive rapport with the audience), and pull songs ‘out of the bag’ at the given moment when they are most appropriate, are undoubtedly going to create a bigger and better party atmosphere than a band who are perhaps less flexible.  Flexibility is fantastic for you as a client too as it means the band will probably be up for performing any requests from you or your guests on the night, and happy to deviate from their original plan in order to get the party going!

 What do you think? I’d love to hear peoples feedback on this subject – I think it’s a bit of a matter of opinion and a good band will always listen to what you personally want for your Wedding or event. But its food for thought anyway!

Love & Hugs

Sera x

Posted in Charity Events, Corporate Events, MIB, Private Parties, Tips & Advice, Weddings | No Comments »

Song of the Week – Funkin for Jamaica

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

I put together a setlist for one of our clients yesterday and got ever-so-excited that she’d asked for us to play this song, which I love! I hadn’t thought of it before for us to play live, so am really excited to give it a try. Such a great tune! Check it out…

Posted in Corporate Events, Day In The Life, Private Parties, Song of the Week, Weddings | 3 Comments »

Corporate Family Fun Day for Heinz

Friday, August 13th, 2010

We had the pleasure of playing at a fantastic family fun day for the employees of Heinz a week or so ago at their HQ in Hayes, Middlesex. The lovely events team at the company had organised a brilliant day for their staff to bring along their family to – a fun packed day featuring bouncy castles, face painting, jousting, a gorgeous BBQ, and of course, MIB to keep all 300 of the guests entertained with three afternoon sets of fun, uptempo music.

We had a great day! Heinz were very specific about the songs they wanted, their spec being to keep the music family orientated, so we put together 3 x 40minute sets of live music, as well as a 4hour playlist of ‘family-friendly’ songs to fill our breaks. We had fun warbling away to 90s tunes like ‘Somebody Elses Guy, and ‘Always There’, disco classics like ‘Blame it on the boogie’ and ‘I Want You Back’, and even some modern rock like ‘Chelsea Dagger’ and ‘Place Your Hands’.

All in all, it was a fantastic afternoon. I thought it was a lovely idea to arrange such a family-orientated day for the companies staff. I know its something I would have definitely appreciated if I’d worked there, and the fact that there were free ice creams available….well that was just the icing on the cake! :)

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Undercover Superstars are up for Act of the Year – vote now!

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

Well its safe to say we are brimming with pride in the MIB Music office today! Our very own Undercover Superstars have made it through to the finals of The Event Awards ‘Act of the Year’ category. Apparently this is one of the most prestigious awards the industry has to offer, so we’re very excited!

The winner is decided by votes online, so please help us out by voting here  – we need your votes!!

Sera xx

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Whats Your Thoughts On Your DJ Playing All Your Requests, No Matter What?

Saturday, July 24th, 2010

We’ve recently had an issue come up and I’ve been wondering how to handle it….I thought, who better to ask than our clients & contacts themselves…so I’d really appreciate your feedback on this one…

We offer a DJ option with all our bands, which is very popular and clients for Weddings, corporate and private events are always keen to book this. As always, especially with Weddings, people are very keen to submit a list of their requests beforehand so our DJ can make sure he or she has a good idea what the client would like to hear. However, its been coming up lately that the Bride & Groom give us a list of all the songs they want played, however occasionally this suits their taste and not the rest of the guests. Our DJ then has the difficult decision of does he play the songs that were requested, or does he play to the audience and try to fill the dancefloor by playing the guests choices/guaranteed floor fillers? Its an awkward one – we’ve always gone by the rule that its their big day, and therefore pretty much, what they want, they get! However we’re finding when this does happen they tend to get frustrated that nobody is dancing to their favourite tunes!

What do you all think? Perhaps it should be something thats down to each individual client and we should check what they think on this matter for every booking? Or do you think we should just stick with their requests no matter what? Or would it be better to play some of their requests, and if they’re not making people dance, then transitioning to more popular tunes? Comments on this, or taking part in our poll below would be very useful!

Sera x

Posted in Charity Events, Corporate Events, Private Parties, Tips & Advice, Weddings | No Comments »

Should we choose the playlist for our band or DJ?

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

‘Should we choose the playlist for our band or DJ?’ is a question I get asked a lot. It’s a tricky one because I totally understand that when you’re organising a big company event there’s a lot of pressure, and there’s always that worry of wanting to be in control of every single detail, especially if you know that you and your other guests are really into their music.

However, I tend to advise clients that although it seems like a good idea at the time, it really is best to leave the song choice and design of the band or DJ’s playlist to the experts. I myself (with a ‘slight’ tendency to feel I have to please everyone!) used to let clients take free reign of the playlist whenever they wished to be involved, and sadly it rarely worked as well as if the band could be left to their own devices to put something together themselves.

There are a few reasons for this….

  1. Don’t forget that your band or DJ is experienced and talented at what they do, and part of their talent is their ability to judge what songs will work well. Even just this one small statement has a lot of factors involved. For example, there are plenty of songs that a DJ could play that just wouldn’t work with a live band – tunes that would be ‘dance-floor fillers’ when the DJ plays them, but ‘dance-floor killers’ when the band plays them!  Certain songs may really suit your singer’s voice (or not!)… Some songs work best at different points of the evening…Bear in mind that if you’ve booked an experienced act, their playlist will be ‘tried and tested’ at hundreds of events, and they’ll know exactly what works and what doesn’t.
  2. In order to keep a crowd up and dancing all night, the playlist needs to be constructed in a specific way. Any great and experienced band or DJ will know how to structure their set-list so they can work your audience in the most dynamic way possible. This consists of analysing tempos and styles of songs so that the playlist can ‘peak’ in the right places, or perhaps for a band, thinking about the ‘key’ of the songs so they can seg-way songs together (or similarly a DJ would need to analyse tempos so he can mix between one song and another). Certain songs are natural ‘openers’ (i.e. for the start of a set) and ‘closers’ (a big high impact finish!) and other songs are those classic ‘winners’. It’s all a bit scientific and there’s a lot to think about!
  3. With Live Bands, and to some extent DJs, keep in mind that their usual set-list will be rehearsed and gigged every week. Most professional bands that work regularly will have spent months rehearsing their playlist, and then years performing it! If you’re booking a band that are busy and popular, their set-list will undoubtedly flow together. I know with the bands I run at MIB Music (www.mibmusicltd.com), we always make an effort to either seg-way each song (go from one to the other without stopping, like a DJ would), or start the next song as soon as the other is finished, so you don’t have any ‘awkward’ silences between songs. However, if the band had a playlist that you have specified, it’s never going to be as flowing and smooth as the songs that the band always play week in and week out. Of course, a good band will always make an effort to perform this as well as they can, but what I’m trying to advise is how to get the best performance from them.

Bearing all this in mind, I tend to now recommend clients to try to relax about song choices and playlists.

‘But I’d really like to have some sort of input….what would you suggest?’

I totally understand you want some kind of input…the last thing you want is a band to start playing your most hated song, have your guests running for the door and ruin your evening! Or a DJ who pulls out something awful like ‘Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny’ and clears the dance floor.

My advice is:

  • Ask your band for their standard ‘playlist’ and then a list of their entire repertoire. I would definitely not recommend putting together your own list from the repertoire, however what would work better is to look through and pick out any songs in their playlist that you absolutely hate, or anything from the rest of the repertoire that you love. Then chat with the band representative and see how they’d feel about replacing them. Bear in mind that there are some songs which would need a lot of thought to replace, so let them get involved too. For example, if you want to change the opening number, you’ll want to work alongside the band to decide on an opener that you’re happy with and the band feel will have just as good an impact.
  • You could always give your band or DJ an idea of ‘theme’… for example, perhaps you’d like your DJ to start off with music from the 50’s and 60’s, and then play mostly 70s with a little bit of modern music at the end. A suggestion like this is not too restrictive, and means your DJ or band can still ‘work their magic’ to ensure everything is well constructed and do the best job possible. This is quite a common idea that a lot of our corporate clients have because they will quite often suggest ‘mostly modern music with nothing too cheesy’, or ‘a cheesier 1st set followed by a younger, cooler second set’. This works perfectly, and means as a band we have the flexibility to still be able to put something amazing together for the event.

The most important factor to think about is that everyone you hire will want to do the best job possible. Remember that they are the experts, and you are paying them for their expertise. If you let them perform in the way they know works well, or compromise with one of my tips above, you can guarantee your event will go swimmingly and you have a full dance-floor all evening.
Happy Planning!
Sera

Posted in Charity Events, Corporate Events, Private Parties, Tips & Advice, Weddings | 2 Comments »

What the people say…

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

Check out this HUGE thank you card we got from Lisa & Lee (from last post)! I have to say this brought a big smile to our faces when this turned up in the office :) Thanks Guys xxx

And here’s just a little snippet of some customer feedback from the past few weeks…

Undercover Superstars

‘I loved the concept of the Undercover Superstars so when it came to booking an act for the launch party of my Design and Marketing agency deciding who to work with was a no brainer. I have to say, Sera and her team exceeded my expectations in every respect. She came up with a fantastic concept and story behind each “superstar”, briefed them perfectly and even kept the idea a secret from my team!

On the night each and every superstar lived up to their name. they were fantastic actors and their voices gave us all goosebumps. They had even the stiffest of guests moving by the last song and made the night! Anyone that had come under the mistaken impression that this was a networking event soon realised they’d come to a party once the Undercover Superstars got up and sang.

The company was professional throughout all our dealings with them and I would have no hestitation in recommending MIB Music or the Undercover Superstars. They were fantastic.’

‘It all went really well on Saturday, the guest was the best bit!  The friend who was with Rachael (‘the guest’), Graham is good friends with my husband and the look on my husbands face when Rachael stood up to sing was brilliant.

Everyone joined in, though a little shell shocked!  Rebecca loved it and the choice of songs were great.  The hotel were delighted too as it was the first time that they had ever had undercover waiters and I believe they were helpful and accommodating to your ‘stars’.

I will be passing your details to a friend who was there, who’s daughter will be doing her bat mitzvah in a year or two and you may well get another booking.

Thank you so much it was really memorable and worked really well.’

MIB

‘The band were ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! They could not have been any better, they were very accommodating with the CDs before and between their sets, and had obviously taken on the note about sticking more to 60s than 70s.  Everyone was completely amazed by them, they really couldn’t have been better. The party overall was a fantastic success and throroughly enjoyed by all… thanks so much for your help.’

‘What a party! The band were outstanding…I can’t imagine a band that could be easier to deal with…and such a great performance. My boss was super duper pleased with me for finding such a great entertainment act…so I’ll be using you time and time again.’

SuperTrouper Abba

‘Can you please pass on a huge thanks to all involved on Saturday night. It was my wife’s 40th birthday, it was a great success, which was all down to your girls and Dan’s professional and very helpful approach to the night. Everything went to plan and your staff were absolutely fabulous, all our neighbours haven’t stopped talking about the party.’

Funkadelics

‘We just wanted to send a note of thanks for the excellent Funkadelics on the 1st April at our wedding. We thought the band were excellent and played a perfect mix of songs to compliment the day’s celebrations.Thanks again and we will definitely recommend the band to friends and family.’

‘We had a great time on Thursday night and the Funkadelics were brilliant! We managed to get everyone onto the dance floor for the final set. Please pass on our thanks.’

21st Century Riot

‘What can I say, apart from I LOVED IT! And most importantly, my hubby did too, which was the plan! You guys are fantastic – great selection of tunes, fantastic chemistry on stage, and got the crowd going more than I could even have imagined….thank you so much!’

Posted in Charity Events, Corporate Events, Private Parties, Weddings, What the people say... | 2 Comments »

Undercover Superstars…How Singing Waiters Can Work At Your Event

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

People constantly ask us at MIB Music that age old question, ‘How do I find something truly different for my event?’ When you’re putting on a corporate product launch or seasonal do, deep down in your heart your ‘inner Hyacinth Bucket’ comes out (come on, we all know there’s a piece of her inside us all!) You want this to be the best party anyone has ever been to… You want this to be something your guests will comment on for years to come… You want this to truly be a spectacular occasion…Most importantly; you want this to be different to all the other events you and your guests have been to…

 

So why not consider singing waiters?

How it works

There are various ‘Singing Waiter’ companies out there, all of which work generally in a similar way. We’ll hide three vocalists undercover at your event. Traditionally this will be as waiters and waitresses, although some companies (Undercover Superstars especially!) will now offer a multitude of characters such as chefs, bar staff, firemen, policemen, event managers….even undercover guests!

The characters will work undercover at the event from when the guests arrive, lulling the crowd into the false security of believing that they are indeed staff for the event (but subtly drawing attention so they get noticed – perhaps an overly clumsy waitress, a chatty chef or a maybe a ridiculously pushy ‘networker’ at your corporate event).

At the given moment, one of the characters will draw attention to themselves – perhaps the chef approaches the mic to ask how the food has gone down, or maybe a waiter and waitress have a rather loud argument to attract everyones attention…and so then launche into a jaw dropping performance, shocking your guests at their stunning voices. One by one, each character comes out of the woodwork, each performance climaxing the next, and your guests getting more and more stunned each time!

Why Undercover Superstars? www.undercoversuperstars.com 

We run ‘Undercover Superstars’, who are one of the UK’s leading singing waiter companies because:

- We are the first, and currently (as far as we know) the only company to offer this service with modern singers (all the others are opera). We find the modern option is incredibly popular and appeals to a huge range of people, young and old! Our singers perform tunes from artistes like Robbie Williams, Christina Aguilera, Aretha Franklyn, Queen, Frank Sinatra…and many more

- We taylor make each scenario to suit your event, which means working closely with you as the client to come up with a scenario that will keep your guests fooled, and absolutely shocked and speechless at the end of the night!

- Our vocalists are all incredible performers and have a huge wealth of experience, not only from performing at functions but also topping the charts with their own original material. If you fancy seeing a gorgeous ex boy-band member getting your managing director up to dance with him, or twirling your accounts manager round the dance-floor, Undercover Superstars is the place to come!

- Our vocalists have a huge amount of energy and vibrancy – they love to perform. Our Undercover Superstars have been known in the past to dance on tables, run round the room, perform back-flips across the dance-floor…one of them even ripped his trousers in excitement! We are proud to say that out of the all the singing waiter acts we’ve seen, we are the most high Impact, exciting to watch and memorable! (If we do say so ourselves!)

- We include a PA system and sound engineer in our basic price, which means you always get a smooth show! (A lot of other companies will not provide this unless you pay £600+ extra on top of their normal fee, and if you don’t, they expect you to find someone to deal with the sound engineering. This is something to watch out for when booking this type of act – the sound engineering is an imperative part of the show and we think its crucial to have someone who is experienced with working with the act).

- Our sound man will also DJ for you and your guests before the performance, and up to 2 hours afterwards, which creates more of a ‘whole package’ for your evening.

What Previous Clients Have Thought…

‘Just to say we had a fantastic time on Saturday night. The guys were superb and got the crowd dancing til the early hours. Thanks for everything!’

‘A big thank you to you and the rest of MIB Music, and of course ‘Undercover Superstars’ for making my party such a big success. Everyone has been talking about how great you all were. No one guessed Rachel was an imposter and the guys on her table were dumbstruck when she got up to sing! The waiter was a big hit in more ways than one…I have a queue of women here all wanting his telephone number…poor guy! Thanks again….’

‘What a fantastic performance…I was looking for something really different, in order to impress our clients from overseas, and wowee thats exactly what we did! Thanks so much to all of you! Your attention to detail and customer service was fab, and a lot more than I was expecting. And of course the singers voices and comic timing was incredible! What a hilarious show….I’ve had nothing but great comments…’

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