Bookings

Read Our Terms & Conditions

How Do I Book A Band? 

1. Select acts you like

Search through all of the different bands profile pages. You will find photos, audio clips, band biog’s, full repertoire list and in most cases videos. Add your favourites to the basket. If you want some help choosing the right band then please feel free to call or email and one of the team will be more than happy to help you find the right band for your event. All of our entertainment coordinators are active within the music industry and are highly experienced in placing the correct acts at all kinds of events. Tell us what you like and we can send you suggestions – 0345 647 7679.

2. Making an enquiry

Once you have all the acts you like in your basket then fill out the enquiry form. Please ad as much information about your event as possible in this section as possible. This will help us give you an accurate quote. We will be back in touch straight away with a quote!

3. Securing the band and payment

When we have replied with quotes for the acts you have sent over you can then make a decision on which act you would like to go with. You can confirm by email or phone. We will then draft a secure and comprehensive booking contract between you and the chosen act. We ask you to sign and return the contract within 7 days along with a small deposit. Deposits can be paid via bank transfer or cheque. The outstanding balance is then due direct to the band leader either the week before the event via bank transfer or on the night in cash – the choice is yours!

5. What happens after the booking is complete?

Once the booking is secured then we are here every day should you have any questions leading up to the event date. We will also send over the band leaders details so you can speak with them direct about logistics, repertoire and first dances – if a wedding.

What Is A Pricing Guide?

Price Guide on our website

The prices on the site show the minimum fee’s for a band performance. This price can move depending on several factors, the main one being  the location of the band to the venue.

How prices are calculated

The prices we quote you depend on depend on several different circumstances:-

1. How far the band needs to travel.

If the band is based in London and the event is in Manchester then this will add on more travel costs than an event in Surrey.

2. If the band needs to pay congestion charges or parking

If the event is at a hotel in a major city like London then congestion charges will be added on. Most hotels in London don’t provide parking so this will be added on as well.

3. The time of year and day of the week

Week day events (Monday to Thursday) are generally cheaper than weekend dates. Some bands are also cheaper in the quieter months of January to March and November.

4. Premium dates

There are a few dates of the year when most bands will charge a little extra, like New Years Eve, Boxing Day and some bank holidays. The pricing for these dates is up to the artist and will be confirmed on enquiry.

What Is Included In The Price?

Quotes for an evening performance are based on the act arriving at 6.00pm and being set and sound checked by 7.00pm. If the event is of a large scale and the band is a large funk/soul outfit then arrival time will most likely be earlier.

The act will be available to plat at any time until midnight. Usual set times are 2 x 1 hours or 3 x 40 minutes. Additional live sets, earlier early arrival time and post 12 midnight finish time can all be arranged at an additional fee – ask you one of the team for more details about this if you are interested.

Afternoon performance times will differ from event to event but are usually based on an arrival time of 1 hour before the performance. The act would leave straight after, unless they were asked to leave the PA system set up for additional recorded background music – this would be charged at an agreed fee.

All prices quoted are fully inclusive. Some bands are VAT registered but most are not. VAT would be specified within the quote you would receive from us.

Every band will provide all equipment needed for their performance as standard including PA and lighting. If the event is of a large scale 200+ then we usually suggest the band brings in and additional sound engineer with extra production to fill the venue out. We would discuss this in the early booking stage though and make suggestions to you. Some of the bigger bands come with sound engineers and large systems as standard.

If the band needs accommodation then this would be added to the quote from the outset.

All of our acts can provide recorded music before, between and after their live performances up until midnight as standard.  Most acts will be happy for you to suggest some songs from their repertoire list. We recommend that the bands have some input into this as they know how to build the night up and fill the dance floor. All bands will also learn 1 request that is not on their repertoire – 1st dance at a wedding ect.

The price also includes our the security of  that in the highly unlikely event that a musician/performer  or full line up can’t attend your event due to illness or circumstances beyond their control, we will offer a suitable replacement. We have many different bands and musicians and always someone on standby. The act you would be sent would be in the same price bracket or higher – Just for the record we have never had a band let us down!

For acts booked for evening events the band ask to be provided with food and soft drinks. This is the only thing that is not included in booking fee.

What Is An Act Rider?

What is a rider

A rider is list of requests from the band in order to make the evening run smoothly. This is very simple and straight forward.

Food and soft drinks

On an evening performance band members are out of the house from afternoon until the early hours of the morning. Many venues are also in the middle of the country side with no amenities nearby. For this reason we ask that each band member is served a hot meal after set up. This does not need to be anything expensive and they don’t expect the same meal as the guests, just something hot and hearty to keep them going. Sandwiches and crisps will not suffice. Buffet food is fine but the band will need to time to eat and digest before performing so eating in a break is not ideal. If a hot meal is not possible then we ask for some extra money, usually £10 per head so the band can either order some food in or pop to the nearest eatery. The band also ask for some soft drinks. If it is cheaper to put bottles with glasses and ice in the dressing area then this is fine.

Acts that are only at the venue for 3 hours only need water and soft drinks provided. If there is food available they would appreciate it but it is not essential.

Changing Facilities

All acts who are playing an evening performances ask for need a private room with seating, access to mirrors and running water, This is important more so for the female performers as they need to prepare hair and makeup. Many bands have suits and dresses that need to be hung up and some change in-between sets. If no changing is available please let us know in advance so we can sort an alternative.

Performance area

Most bands are self contained and only required 2 x 13amp power sockets (standard house plugs) and they can do the rest from there. For performance space this will alter the bigger the band gets. Below is a guideline to work from.

ACT TYPEDepth (M)x Width (M)
Solo1.52
Duo22
Trio without drums22.5
Trio with drums2.53.5
4-7 piece band34
8 and 9 Piece bands35 metres (depth of 3.5 if possible)
10 to 12 piece bands36 metres (depth of 3.5 if possible)

If an event is outside then we ask if electrical equipment can be under cover.

If the event is overseas in a hot country then this may not need to be the case.

What Certificates Do Bands Need To Play At Venues?

PLI – Public Liability Insurance

Many venues that allow entertainment now require all performers to provide proof of Public Liability Insurance. All of our acts carry this as standard and can forward this to the venues prior to the event date. This will usually cover between 5 and 10 million pounds.

PAT – Portable Appliance Testing

Most venues that will ask for a PAT certificate from all performers coming to the venue. This is to ensure all equipment coming into the venue has been tested in the past year and is safe to use. All of our artists have these and will send them on request to you or the venue.

What are Sound limiters?

Many venues that are near built up areas or have neighbours nearby will have been asked by the local council to fit sound limiters to their venue so noise levels do not go over a certain decibel (DB). Some limiters are fine and are set to an adequate level so that a band can perform comfortably others are not.

Before booking a venue we suggest if they do have a sound limiter and if so what it is set at. If you do want live music in the form of a party band or DJ then choosing a venue with a DB meter set less than 90 is not good. Ideally a band can play comfortably within 95DB, they can work with 90DB but would need to play slightly quieter. Anything less would cause issues. Jazz bands, soloists, duos, trios and quartets without drums can play under any circumstances.

We know most of the venues in the UK and most of the Like it Live team have played at them at some point so we can guide you on this.