I wanted to make this song my ‘song of the week’ this week, because a) its just a FANTASTIC tune, and b) you may spot a few of our MIB musicians in the band! 
The single is out on Monday 31st October, so please do buy it on itunes and support the guys…. The song has already been A-listed by Radio 2, so we’re hoping its going to be a big hit!
Happy listening 
One of our fab acts, Funkadelics, is booked to perform at the Captains Club’s ‘Fire and Ice’ Party on Friday 25th November, in Christchurch, Dorset. You may have seen our blog post a week or so ago about this venue – we performed at one of their other events and it was just stunning, so I’m sure this will be another fantastic evening!
This is actually a public event, so if you’d like to get tickets, have a look on the website here
We hope to see you there for a boogie!
This is a question that really depends on personal preference to the bride and groom, but here are a few factors to think about:
Its more dynamic for the band to play the first dance
In our experience here at MIB Music, we do find that the first dance is a fantastic opportunity to kick off the dancing/evening reception with a big bang! So…making your first dance as dynamic as possible is a good idea. If you get the band to play your first dance, its always going to have more impact than having the DJ play it, or a CD, and its then a great moment for the band to get straight into the rest of their set afterwards, taking advtantage of everyone being gathered around the dancefloor! (In fact, even if you do choose to have the DJ/recording played, its a good idea to have the band straight on after that anyway!)
However, bear in mind it may not sound exactly like the original…
If you’ve chosen a song which is personal to you, chances are you LOVE the original recording – and so, how would you feel about it being sung by a different singer? Also, instrumentally, it won’t sound exactly the same…no matter how great the band are! The recording will probably have multiple instrumental parts, and the band will need to simplify what they are playing in order to make it suitable for a live band.
This is something to also consider if you’ve practiced a choreographed dance and have moves to remember… if you’re waiting for that one cymbal crash or guitar part before you go to your next move, it may be missed out by the band and mean that you get confused in your dance!
Some bands won’t learn a specific first dance song, and you’ll have to choose from their list…
All of our MIB Music bands will learn your first dance song (as long as there’s enough notice and its a ‘band friendly’ tune), however a lot of other bands out there prefer not to, and will give you a list to choose from… In a way this is a good idea because at least you know they will be comfortable with the song, however it does mean you are limited as to what song you can choose.
The general consensus from us….
…is that if you’ve chosen a song that works well with a live band (and please do feel free to ask if you’re not sure if it will), and are Ok with it not sounding exactly like the original, then definitely go for the band playing it live! However if you’re really fond of the original recording, or worried about choreography (and want to practice at home), it might be better to go for the original recording.
A few suggestions… (although this is totally a matter of opinion of course!)
Classic tunes like ‘The Way You Look Tonight’, ‘Cant Take My Eyes Off You’ or ‘At Last’ work really well with a live band
Songs by artistes with particularly original voices like James Morrisson, or John Ledgend, you may prefer to have the original recording.
Anything thats very electronic (like a dance classic) or particularly orcehstrated (like Shirley Bassey) may be better to have the original recording
Songs like ‘Greatest Day’ (Take That), ‘Still The One’ (Shania Twain) and ‘Lets Stay Together’ (Al Green) are very popular tunes for a live band to play.
Funkadelics had the pleasure of performing at The Captains Club Hotel, in Christchurch, Dorset, last week, and I just wanted to say ‘WOW’, what a venue!
The hotel is absolutely stunning – set right at the waters edge, and the design of the building just blows you away…it certainly is a beautiful place for a special event. The thing that really makes it for me though, is that the staff and management were all SO lovely – and I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, its all about the people! I just think it makes such a difference when people are friendly and accomodating. For us as a band, of course it means we are much more comfortable, which I think naturally leads to a better performance – but also more importantly, if a venue is friendly to us (who is, essentially, their staff for the evening!), I think that reflects really well on just how fantastic they will be for you and your guests.
We were given the most AMAZING dressing room – a 3 bedroom apartment, which was just stunning!
Everyone certainly seemed to have a fantastic time at the party! There was a full dancefloor all night and a room full of smiling faces
The hotel has various events throughout the year, and I’d definitely reccomend popping along to one if you’re based in the Dorset area. We spoke to a few people on the night who said they had got married there, or will be in the future, and I must say the photos on the website look absolutely beautiful for weddings! So definitely one to check out
Here’s a lil pic of us too, taken by Joe our soundman!
Today I’ve been having all sorts of fun writing my latest article for The Wedding Community (The article will be published in the next few weeks, but you can check out my previous articles here). The subject was ‘how to incorporate Christmas Music into a Christmas Wedding,’ and it got me thinking!
Christmas is officially the most popular time of the year for proposals, and also incredibly popular for getting married. Its such a wonderful, romantic time of year – and weddings are just beautiful when everyone is in that gorgeous ‘christmas spirit’. So… I had a little think (well, I shouldn’t really take credit – myself, the guys in the office, plus all our friends on facebook and twitter got involved!) and have come up with some top ideas for Christmas music throughout the different parts of your wedding. Obviously, you probably wouldn’t want to go too overboard with this, but here are a few ideas for you to pick and choose your favourite bits:
The Ceremony –
To Walk Down The Aisle: ‘Silent Night’ in the Style of Beyonce’s version – I think this could be gorgeous performed live by a solo singer, or singer and pianist. Have a listen to Beyonce’s version here:
Performed in place of a reading: ‘A Christmas Love Song’ Barbara Streisand
While signing the register: ‘Baby its Christmas’ Amy Grant, ‘Silent Night’ by Boys ii Men, ‘Joy To The World’ Aretha Franklyn.
The Aretha Franklyn one is my absolute favourite – soooo full of happiness (and, Joy!)
The Drinks Reception – ‘Driving Home For Christmas’ Bruce Spingstein, ‘Let It Snow’ Dean Martin, ‘Rockin Around the Christmas Tree’ Brenda Lee
As Your Entrance Piece to the Wedding Breakfast – ‘What Christmas Means To Me’ Stevie Wonder – imagine walking in to this happy tune:
The Wedding Breakfast – ‘2000 Miles’ Pretenders, ‘Stay Another Day’ East 17, ‘Please Come Home For Xmas’ Eagles, ‘The Christmas Song’ Nat King Cole
The First Dance –
‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ Mariah Carey (if you fancy a fun choice – starts off nice and slow and then launches into full on Christmas fun!)
OR
‘Santa Baby’ (if you fancy something a bit sexy!)
OR
‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ Frank Sinatra (for something lovely and romantic)
OR
‘Merry Xmas Baby’ by BB King (for some awesome Christmas blues!)
During the Reception –
‘Merry Christmas Everyone’ Shakin Stevens (my personal fave!)
‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday’ Wizzard
‘Merry Christmas Everybody’ Slade
‘Step Into Christmas’ Elton John
‘Do They Know Its Christmas’ Band Aid (for nearing the end of the night when you fancy a sing-along!)
Last Song of The Night –
‘White Christmas’ Bing Crosby – beautiful classic to end on
OR, if you’re feeling a bit ‘80s’…
‘Last Christmas’ Wham!
Let us know if you have more ideas!
Last weekend we had the honour of playing this beautiful track for Anthony & Dejana’s first dance at their wedding in East Sussex. It was just gorgeous – what a lovely choice! I couldn’t wait to share it with you all…
This is Adele’s stunning cover of ‘lovesong’ by The Cure.
Enjoy xx
This is a little sneaky peak of some of the footage for our new ‘MIB Experience’ video, but I couldn’t wait to show it to you all…
A few little snippets for you
A few weeks ago, MIB performed at the wedding of the lovely Claire & Jules at the beautiful Four Seasons Hotel in Hampshire. I just wanted to share with you a few parts of the day as we feel that Claire & Jules went for a fantastic combination of our acts and extras.
Claire & her Mother met with us back in April this year to discuss the big day. It was clear that they wanted a package that would cover most parts of their day, and something with a touch of class! Claire’s mum was keen on the more traditional atmosphere, whereas Claire prefered a younger feel, and I think they got the combination perfectly.
The entertainment started off with a gorgeous saxophone set, playing jazz standards and setting a lush atmosphere while the guests chatted away.
Over the meal, our wonderful pianist Francis entertained the guests with well known classical numbers, movie themes and ballads.
The 7 piece band then took to the stage and entertained the crowds with 2 x 70minute party sets, which included a highlight for everyone at the end where Claire’s brother and a friend joined them to sing, which sent the audience into a huge frenzy!
All in all it was a fantastic day – thank you so Claire & Jules for looking after us so well!
Here’s a little feedback from the happy couple themselves:
Your performance was amazing, especially Rachael singing ‘Halo’ for the first dance, I have had so many comments about how well you played and sang it…wow!! And all the other songs…I thought the playlist worked really well. You all looked like you were really enjoying yourselves, which makes such a difference.
All the guests loved the performance with my brother, Stuart & Caroline. You were great letting them join in with you. My brother Stuart had a great time, so thank you.
Plus I loved the sax set played by Lindsay. I only got a glimpse of her playing at the reception as we were having to be photographed, but again I had great feedback from the guests at how refreshingly different it was. All the guys thought she was very sexy
You were all so lovely & friendly, the stage looked great once you were all set up, and again I’ve had so many comments from friends and family as to how lovely you all were.
I just want to say a massive thank you for being over and above what I was expecting for a wedding band, you were such a big hit with all the guests! And to let my brother sing with you was excellent! Choosing a band for a wedding is really hard as its such a big day and I’m really fussy, but I’m so happy that you played my wedding and I will be reccomending you to everyone in need of a band for a wedding, or any big occasion. Thank you all so much! x
Many thanks to Reportage By for the beautiful photos!
Ooh we haven’t done a ‘song of the week’ for ages…but this one has tempted me! I love his voice…. obviously the first single was just awesome, but I’m really loving this tune too… what do you think? (Makes me a bit wobbly inside!)
Yesterday we were incredibly pleased to announce the launch of our latest product and website – The MIB Experience. This is something we’ve been working on for absolutely ages, and it’s really exciting to now be taking bookings!
Something many of our clients have said about us is that they loved the fact that we have a number of different bands, a huge circle of musicians and a wonderfully flexible attitude when it comes to putting their entertainment together for their event. This has helped us to provide some fantastic packages for weddings, corporate events and private parties over the past few years. More and more clients have been going for our package deals, and we wanted to put together the absolute ULTIMATE package for people who want something unequivocally top class.
The idea of being able to use just one supplier for the whole of your entertainment, sound and lighting is very attractive to a lot of people. Not only does it save oodles of time and hassle for you, but also usually means it will save you money too.
Not for the faint hearted, The MIB Experience features live music for the whole of your event, from start to finish. For weddings, this means your ceremony, your drinks reception, your entrance music to the wedding breakfast, during the meal, and of course the evening reception. We provide many options for each part of the wedding, so you can tailor make your day depending on your tastes and ideas. To finish off the day, the stunning MIB 12 piece band will perform during the evening reception 2 x 70minutes sets, backed with a DJ and full sound, lighting & staging.
This has been designed with clients in mind who want something super special and bespoke, who love live music and want a real sense of ‘wow-factor’ to entertain their guests.
I’d highly recommend checking out the website for more information. It’s an interactive site (which is ever such fun) and means you can play around with different options for each part of the event. There are also lots of ‘optional extras’ which add a little to the cost, but are well worth having a look through. These include things like having a song especially written by one of our in-house writers for your big day (perhaps for your wedding ceremony or your first dance), or perhaps adding in our ‘Undercover Superstars’ (singing waiters) into the package.
For anyone who is interested in package deals, it’s well worth checking out a few of our smaller packages also, to be found here on the blog. And any ideas you have, just let us know. We can completely tailor a package for you based on your own original thoughts & ideas.
Thanks to Matt Pereira & Ken Buist for the lovely photos for this blog