Function Band Hire in East Midlands

The Catalogues frequently have the word "amazing" in their reviews and are a professional, experienced live party band for events who also offer a DJ service. Read on to hear about their interesting history and how years of experience have given them plenty of insights on what you need to know when booking a band.

What do you need to know from an organiser in order to provide a comprehensive quote?

In order to make sure we give the most accurate quote possible the most important bits of information we require are the Date, Time, Location and a good idea of the type of event and the age range of the audience. With this, we can make a quote that is guaranteed not to change but still have the flexibility to tailor our service for the client as we discuss the detail moving forwards. We have performed at just about every type of event possible and for all budgets and getting this information early on in the process really does streamline the process for both parties.

What advice would you give to a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?

Booking musical entertainment is always going to be very personal and subjective. What works for one person will not be right for another. It is important to remember though, that at most events the audience will range in terms of age and background and a successful event usually requires a band or performer that can cover a range of styles and genres well.
Ideally, you would go to see the performer in a live setting before committing, but as this is not always possible you should definitely make sure they have some recordings to listen to, or even better a live video. Beware of over polished 'mimed videos' that are not actually a reflection of the performance you will receive!
Once you start talking to the band, you need to make sure they respond to messages promptly, are flexible in what they can provide and take an interest in your event. If they are hard to deal with initially, this will almost certainly get worse as you go further through the process. The band/performer should be doing everything possible to make the booking and the performance as straight forward as possible for the customer. Do not be afraid to ask for reviews or contact details of previous clients that can provide a reference. The supplier reviews on Add to Event are great for this!

Please tell us a little bit about how and why you started the business.

The Catalogues started about 10 years ago, originally consisting of myself and my two brothers plus 2 musician friends. My brothers and I had been performing semi-professionally since we were in our early teens (in fact my youngest brother joined us when he was 8!) and so already had lots of experience in a wide variety of events. The concept for The Catalogues was not only to play the big hits and current tracks that most rock and pop function bands perform but also to include tracks that made people faces light up with "I've not heard this for years!!" or "I've never heard a live band pull this song off".
Most importantly, we pay a lot of attention to detail and try to replicate tracks as faithfully as we possibly can. We are all passionate about live performance and love the buzz of a happy audience. We pride ourselves on always having satisfied customers at the end of the night and every show from our perspective is an opportunity to further craft our show.
About a year ago we recruited a fantastic female vocalist to form an acoustic duo (sometimes trio depending on the event) with Jay, our lead singer. This has been a very popular choice for customers wanting a more relaxed vibe.

Please tell us about a booking you've had through Add to Event, how did it go? Would you recommend us to others?

Add to Event has been the best thing to happen to us in the last year or so! It makes the process of quoting and dealing with clients so much more streamlined than the enquiries we get from other sources. Not to mention the fact that we don't have to pay an agents fee and can, therefore, be more competitive in the quotations we give to customers. The interface is simple, yet incredibly usable and reliable and enables us to select events that we know we can make a great job of. I am always recommending the site to other musicians and event suppliers I know.
One of the best bookings we took through the site was a beautiful wedding in the Peak district. The Bride and Groom booked Embers Duo to perform during their afternoon drinks reception and to sing them down the aisle! They then booked the Catalogues function band to provide the entertainment for the evening reception. The ceremony was a delight to be a part of and the dance floor was full all night. The caterers and other entertainers had also been booked through Add To Event and we have worked with them at several functions since, which actually makes the whole event run more smoothly.