What are the absolute essentials?
Anyone who’s ever seen us will tell you that we make an impact, so it’s best if everyone’s seated, and had a drink or two before we start. Then we can really bring the fun! We don’t generally provide background music as we’re an interactive band.
Do you play on a stage?
Being interactive we don’t play on a fixed stage. The magic happens when we play sets among the tables, between courses.
How loud are The London Essentials?
We don’t follow a DJ, live band or loud amplified music. If there’s background music before we perform it must be really light (that means not much bass) and turned right down five to ten mins before we start.
Turning the music off when we start doesn’t work. People’s ears get used to a certain volume and, as we’re primarily acoustic, our impact will be seriously diminished if we follow loud music. We’re a hard act to follow, but the upside is that whatever DJ or amplified band comes on after us will have volume on their side.
Our event is very large, can you still perform?
Yes, we have performed at events with up to 5,000 people. For events with over 80 guests it’s generally best for us to use wireless headset microphones (tech rider on request). However, when we’re mic’d at the beginning we still like to keep the intimacy of playing to tables whilst allowing other guests to talk. This also means there’s room to increase the volume later in the evening when things get crazy!
Do you need a sound check?
We only need a soundcheck if we’re being mic’d up – see previous question.
How much space do you need?
If a waiter can get there, so can we!
Can we have your set list?
We don’t really have one! It’s always good to know if you have a favourite style of music, and if it works with our line up, given notice we’ll always be happy to learn a song, but because we move table to table we need to feel free to choose whatever song we think will work in the moment. We also take requests from guests on the night. I’m afraid you’ll just need to trust us!
Do you need to feed the band?
With all the travelling we do, and the energy we put into every performance, we have to stay as healthy as possible so a good hot healthy meal will always guarantee a smiling band, and that our suits still fit! It’s better if we eat beforehand. A chef will
– quite rightly – want to serve the guests first and then us, but as we start performing while the guests are eating, that’s impractical. We find that, if this is
explained to them, chefs are fine with it.
When’s the best time for you to start play during the meal?
The best scenario is when guests are seated and we start half way through the starter or main course.
Can you round up the guests and lead them through to another room?
We have tried to do this in the past and it just doesn’t work. We suggest an official master of ceremonies for this job.
Do you travel?
Yes! We play at events worldwide on a regular basis. In fact we never leave home without our swimming trunks! 🙂
When flying to an event can you bring all your instruments?
It’s difficult for us to transport a double bass to events involving flights, as airlines don’t like an instrument that large! We usually ask that a double bass be supplied for us to use. It makes everybody’s life easier. We bring all the other instruments with
us.
And finally...
Although we appear to be very spontaneous (and trust us, we are), in order to achieve maximum impact a lot of planning and organisation goes on behind the scenes. The show may look improvised, but there is always the ideal time to perform. The more information we have prior to the event, the better it will be. We look forward to entertaining you.