We are excited to introduce a new act, Francesca Young.
Performing soulful based piano and vocal interpretations of modern & classic songs perfect for drink receptions, wedding ceremonies or background music over a meal.
Francesca Young comes as a self contained act, providing all the equipment needed for her performance and is available for events all over the UK.
Please contact us for more information and prices. enquiries@mibmusicltd.com
Band Name: Undercover Superstars
Describe what you do in less than 10 words: Undercover singing act (waiters, guests, firemen) booked to surprise and entertain. (That was almost 10!)
Top tune you like to perform: ‘Dont Stop Me Now’ always works well as the begining is slow and often we do that bit from out of site so therefore the guests are thinking ‘where is this voice coming from!?’ then we burst out into view as the song gets going and as it’s a really high impact song, it gets everyone buzzing!
Favourite gig ever: There are so many amazing stories with this act. Because every gig we do involves a different scenario, we have out set scenarios but every event is different so it always involves a little thought. One gig I will be a waitress, the next I’ll be an Army Office! It’s so exciting! My favourite gig however would be one we did many years ago down in Torquay. I think this was actually one of our first events and it was just amazing to see the reaction from people. We had a waitress and a waiter who broke out into an argument half way through service, then after the waitress had stormed off our lovely waiter Tommy decided to make it up to the crowd by singing them a song. The show unfolded from there and we literally had people dancing on the tables. It was madness!
Best piece of advice you can think to give someone planning an event and booking an undercover act: Just to let your imagination run wild! There are so many possibilities of songs and scenarios, think outside the box and make your event different. We can help tailor make the scenario to your event but just give us as much information as you can on the timings/ the types of people at the event / what music you like or think would work well. It is so much fun to plan these gigs!
Tell us one performance you are looking forward to right now: It’s hard to talk about the events in advance as often we are the surprise element, so I don’t want to spoil any surprises by mentioning them however! We have a fantastic Wedding coming up where the Bride & Groom have really thought about the event and created something fantastic with us.
Band Name: Motown Supreme
Describe what you do in less than 10 words: Motown Tribute act, performing at parties & events worldwide : )
Top Tunes you like to play: ‘Hit The Road Jack’ and ‘Can I Get A Witness’ are very much favourites however the Jackson 5 numbers always go down really well. We have recently added a few modern, Motown-esque songs into the set which also work really well along with the oldies. Things like Rolling In The Deep, Rehab…they always get people singing along!
Favourite Gig Ever: There are so many amazing events we play at, it’s extremely hard to choose. There are quite a few bookings where we have been booked back the following year, Trentham Gardens for example. That’s always a fantastic event! It is set in an open air theatre amongst the Trentham Gardens and the crowd are always up for a boogie! We always really enjoy that one, and it is really nice going back to an event year after year.
Best piece of advice you can think of to someone planning an event and booking a band: I think ‘know what you are booking’ is pretty important. It sounds obvious but some people for example book a ‘funk’ band and not realise how obscure funk can be! We are a Motown band, so we specialise in Motown music however we do add in a few modern numbers, but we predominantly are a Motown Tribute band.
Tell us one performance you’re looking forward to right now: We are looking forward to the Spring wedding season as we do love performing at weddings! There is so much love in the room and that really electrifies the audience!
Motown Supreme are available as either the full 7 piece live band line up or the trio of female singers performing with backing tracks. The trio works well for smaller events with space or budget restrictions.
We are reminiscing about some of the wonderful events we have been involved in..take a look at a couple of the Undercover Superstar events..
A couple of years ago in December, our Undercover Superstars Rachael & Damien surprised a Natwest Lunch at Althorp House. Rachael had been working Undercover at the lunch as an events supervisor when all of a sudden a lost German walker came wandering into the room. All the guests were sat down enjoying their after dinner coffees in such a beautiful room, when in walks a man in muddy walking boots and a wooley hat! ‘Excuse me’ he announced in his strong German accent, ‘I am trying to find the Diana Memorial’. When Rachael explained that he was interupting a Natwest Lunch he burst into a rage complaining about how he couldn’t get a mortgage. The guests obviously found him quite humorous and one lady shouted out ‘Step into my office’ as she pointed towards her knee for him to sit on. After a lot of comotion, Rachael ushered him out the room and apologised for the disruption. Then suddenly out of no-where came a voice…’Toniiiight, I’m gonna have myself…a real good time’ and out bursts our German wonderer singing ‘Dont Stop Me Now’ as he runs around the room, pulling people off their chairs and dancing with them. After a lot of applause from the crowd, with Damien milking it with several bows, no one seemed to notice there was another song starting and then suddenly, Rachael burst through the door singing ‘Im So Excited’ by the Pointer Sisters. Everyone stayed on their feet and joined in dancing and singing, some even made it onto the tables! The guests were all so shocked that the event planner had now transformed into a dynamic performer and was now racing round the room belting out a disco track!
After Rachael had sung her song, both the singers announced they were actually the ‘Undercover Superstars’. The crowd joined in and sang along to a finale song of ‘Aint No Mountain High Enough’ and then were left to go back to their coffees. What an entertaining Tuesday afternoon lunch!
The above picture was taken at a recent wedding where we had the Chef, the Event Planner and the Waitress scenario.
At another event we hid three undercover superstars at a Military event, dressed as Military Police! Half way through the meal, three of our artistes interrupted the meal and announced that three people had illegally parked their vehicles (which just so happens to be a HUGE no-no in the military, and they just so happened to be the three top MPs there). The whole audience looked shocked that these three very important people had not parked in the appropriate place, and there was an embarrassed hush as they all got up to leave the room.
Before they made it to the door, all of a sudden, one of our undercover ‘officers’ whipped her beret off, shook her beautiful long blonde hair down her shoulders, and began to sing ‘Santa Baby’ (it was Christmas time)… the whole room went crazy as they realised she wasn’t actually an officer at all! The other two undercover ‘officers’ then burst into song, and before they all knew it everyone was on their feet partying away with our Undercover Superstars!
The great thing about the Undercover Superstars concept is that we can tailor make it to suit your event and ideas. We have our scenario templates we can use however every event is different and needs to be addressed individually. The same applies to song choices, whilst we have our standard ones that we offer, we can be very flexible with this. Often we are asked to learn a companies theme song which as you can imagine, goes down very well at their corporate parties.
Take a look at the website and please do contact us, even if just to brainstorm ideas on whether the Undercover Superstars are right for your event.
Band Name: Funkadelics
Describe what you do in less than 10 words: Perform at amazing events and parties all over the world : )
Top Tunes you like to play: We play a real mixture…love all the old disco and Motown tracks…’Disco Inferno’ ‘You Cant Hurry Love’ …but also a lot of the modern songs we do are really cool ‘Forget You’ ‘Firework’ ‘Price Tag’…..there are so many to name! Although! Thinking about it…the ABBA Medley we do is probably one of the top songs, mainly because it always has such a great reaction from the dancefloor.
Favourite Gig Ever: That is a very hard question to answer….. NYE’s in the UAE spring to mind…there was this really lovely wedding we did once in North London where the bride and groom joined us for our second set dressed in 70′s costumes! We always offer a costumed 2nd set, and when people do choose them they are always great fun! But this was extra fun because the bride and groom joined in, they had really cool, authentic 70′s outfits. They joined us on the dancefloor with some 70′s moves for the first number and then handed out lots of fun accessories for their guests to wear. It was a really fun wedding and really intimate and thought out. But every gig we do is awesome and special in some way, it’s very hard to choose one!
Best piece of advice you can think of to someone planning an event and booking a band: I think the timings are really important. The worst thing is when you put the band on too early and no one is ready for dancing! The later you can put the band on the better really. If you want to have the first dance earlier, then perhaps ask the band to do 3 sets rather than 2. For exmaple we offer 2 x 70mins or 3×40′s. Generally the 2 sets works better than the 3 but in a situation where you want the first dance early (7/7.30) wewould suggest this. It’s also really important to make sure you are not wasting your band by having them playing at the same time the buffet is out. We always suggest to leave a 45minute gap for the buffet to be served and digested!
Tell us one performance you’re looking forward to right now: We have one coming up next week at a venue we have played at before (quite a few times now!) called Captains Club in Christchurch. We are very much looking forward to it because not only are the parties there always fab, but they have an amazing dressing room which is basically an apartment overlooking the harbour, and the staff are really lovely.
A NEW and exciting all-male 4 piece version of MIB.
More details coming soon…….
Here are some pictures of our lovely lads…
Thanks to our photographer Matt Pereira.
Happy 2013 everyone! We have had a re-fresh, with some new photos as well as new, lower prices for 2013, we are very much looking forward to a busy year!
Have a browse below at the new pictures, take a look at our website for more information such as our repetoire and demo’s and please do contact us with any questions or to get a quote!
Funkadelics 4 piece.
The Funkadelics 3 Piece – option without the drums
Funkadelics 4 Piece
A big thanks to our lovely photographer Matt Periera.
I thought it might be nice to do a little interview with our girls from Motown Supreme… we’ve had all sorts of enquiries for them recently, from corporate events, to Summer festivals, weddings and birthday parties, even theatres are booking them up for Motown-themed evenings. The band has been going from strength to stregnth, so I thought its about time we introduce you to the girls properly….
So….introducing, Steph, Becca and Eirini….
What’s your favourite thing about performing with Motown Supreme?
Becca: Motown Supreme is like no other function band that I have worked with…. Not only is it great fun performing with such experienced players and singers, it’s also amazing how authentic the band are to Motown.
Eirini: That I get to sing with two amazing singers! What I love the most is the work we do with the girls. I have always loved singing in harmony and I love the challenge of having to figure out the harmonies, memorise them, blend our voices and give a great performance at the same time!
Steph: I’m the same as Becca & Eirini really – its all about performing with such fantastic musicians and singers. We always have a great time! But also, I just love singing motown – for me, there’s nothing better! Its great to see such timeless songs always going down so well at every event we play at.
How long have you been singing/performing for personally?
Eirini: I have been singing since I can remember, always sang at home with my mum and sisters, then learnt to play a couple of instruments and started performing professionally at the age of 11.
Steph: I’m not sure I ever stop singing…haha…I’m a nightmare to live with 
I’ve been doing it professionally for around 10 years now, and I love it!
Becca: I have been singing professionally for 9 years, spreading myself out in all areas of the industry – Session singing, vocal coaching, songwriting and performing.
What/who were you inspired by as when you first started performing?
Steph: Definitely artistes like Aretha, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner…
Eirini: The artist that first inspired me to sing in English was Avril Lavigne. Later, I was influenced by soul singers, mainly by Aretha Franklin.
Becca: When I first started singing my inspirations were drawn from all the great female vocalists that were around; Whitney Housten, Annie Lennox, Kate Bush and many many more. Motown was never part of my music vocabulary until I discovered it in my teens,
which is when I fell in love with it.
What sort of events does Motown Supreme work at?
Becca: The great thing about Motown Supreme is that we suit any event/party you can think of. We have performed at festivals, weddings, anniversaries, birthday parties, corporate events and many more events where they have wanted a party atmosphere.
Eirini: We do all kinds of events, everywhere in England and abroad!
Tell us your favourite gig moment ever :
Eirini: It was when we played in Trentham Gardens, it was the most beautiful surroundings I had ever played at, next to the most gorgeous lake on a summer’s night. We had the loveliest crowd and the night was great success and now we were called back to play again in the summer!
Becca: Yep, Trentham Gardens was just amazing!
Steph: Agreed! We can’t wait to do that one again this year!
Favourite ever Motown tune?:
Eirini: What’s going on – Marvin Gaye
Becca: My favourite Motown song would have to be Jimmy Mack by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
Steph: Hard to choose….I love singing ‘Can I Get A Witness’…
So whats next for Motown Supreme?
Becca: This years diary is starting to look very busy for Motown Supreme which is amazing. There seems to be lots of work coming our way in the shape of more festivals, weddings, corporate events and even some theatre booking are in the pipe line
Eirini: We are really excited about getting into the theatre side – its a whole new ballgame for us!
Steph: We’ve also been put forward for some international gigs so hoping to do some travelling this year, which is always good fun!
You can check out Motown Supreme’s website here – www.motownsupreme.com
I thought it would be nice to feature a few events suppliers that we’ve met along the way. For me, whether I am choosing a bank or choosing where to buy a new dress, what really sells things to me is ‘people power’. If a business is run by nice people, I am sold! Working in the events industry is such a social business, and we are lucky enough to be constantly working with some of the biggest and best events suppliers in the industry. So… I thought we could introduce you to a few great people that we’ve met who are fab at what they do and share our ethos when it comes to their service!
Today I want to feature Marie Travell from Rainbow Cakes.
So, Marie…Give us a basic description of what you do…
I make cakes for pretty much any occasion you can think of – from decorated cakes for weddings and christenings, to birthday cakes for adults or children. I can even make undecorated cakes for meetings, to sell in shops and cafes, infact, anywhere you’d eat a cake, I can provide the cake for the job!!
What made you go into the cake making business?
I LOVE cake, which is always a good place to start 
Also when my eldest daughter was coming up for her 1st birthday, I couldn’t find a cake that was ‘just right’ and tasted nice (I never really liked the mass produced shop bought ones), so decided to give it a go and make it myself! That first cake was far from perfect, but tasted yummy and from then on I’ve always made birthday cakes for my husband and kids and Christmas cakes for family. It wasn’t until I offered to make a cake for a raffle prize, and peoples reaction to it that things really started to take off. For the six months following that raffle cake I slowly had orders for more cakes from friends and family, and realised that this was something I could actually turn into a business……and the rest is history!!!!!
Whats your favourite celebration cake you’ve done so far?
Eeeek that’s a tough one – I love them all as I put so much time and love into each one (as corny as it sounds!!) I do think the Las Vegas wedding cake is my favourite so far – it’s a small cake, but I just love the caracature figures of the bride and groom, who are also good friends of mine.
How long does it take, on average, to prepare one of your wedding masterpieces?
A very basic cake can take 20 hours where a cake with several tiers and lots of sugar flowers can take 70 hours or even more. The Vegas cake for example, while it was only one tier, and didn’t look complicated, took a long time to get the models just right and to make sure all the handpainted pieces were right. Also, that’s just pure man hours – models and sugar flowers etc all need time to dry, so need to be started sometimes weeks in advance!
Do you allow your clients to make suggestions as to what they want, or do they choose from a selection?
Most people who come to me have at least a rough idea what they would like. I’ve only ever had someone tell me a colour scheme and flavour for a cake and nothing else once. It can be tricky if someone has a definate idea what they would like, and it just woulddn’t work in cake/sugar, but that happens so rarely, and I’ll give anything a try! If you watch ‘Ace of Cakes’ on tv then you’ll know that with enough determination, anything is possible!
Whats the craziest suggestion you’ve ever had?
I haven’t had crazy suggestions really – the crazy bit usually comes from me trying to go the ‘extra mile’ to make someones cake amazing. I can remember when I dreamt up the idea for the Vegas cake with the models in an awkward pose (for sugar models) I explained the idea to a lady who’s been making cakes and teaching sugarcraft for years, and she looked concerned, then quickly smiled and said ‘good luck!!’
Any predictions for the biggest wedding cake styles of 2012?
More traditional style wedding cakes but with a modern twist are still really popular – all starting from the Royal Wedding last year, and I think with the Diamond Jubilee celebrations this year, that will continue. Also gorgeous rich reds and purples look like they’re going to be really popular – especially bold statement sugar flowers on a crisp white cake.
Whats the best part of your job?
I work with cakes everyday – what is there not to love?!?! My husband would say the best part of my job for him is when I’m concocting new recipes as he gets to try them all out! I love every bit of my job, but even though it sounds cliche, I do love unveiling the cake and seeing people’s faces – it makes it all worthwhile!
You can check out Marie’s website for more information – www.rainbowcakes.biz
I really wanted to make this ‘song of the week’ because a) ITS BRILLIANT! and b) the band features some of our MIB musicians, and we are super proud and would love if you could all go out and buy the single (and/or the album which is out next week!)
I must say though – what a great band, and its not just because we know and love them, but having seen these guys play live – they have such an amazing chemistry, fantastic songs and they obviously love what they do. Thats something I love to see, and I can’t wait to get the album!
Enjoy….
