|
|
Soulounger are available to hire with prices starting at £699* for private parties. However, as you can imagine, every event is unique & there are many factors that will affect the quote you are given. This page has been specifically designed to give you a rough idea of the costs involved & answer the most common questions you will face when making an enquiry. Read on to find out how to save a fortune by asking the following questions. Q. How many of you are
there in the band? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q. How many of you are there in the band? A. Firstly, it should be obvious that the more musicians there are in your band, the more the band will charge you. If you hire a one man DJ, he will be significantly cheaper than a 14-piece big-band orchestra. It is worth asking the band if they come in different formats when you enquire. Soulounger are available as either a 5 or 6 piece band with or without an engineer. *The quote at the top of the page is for a 5-piece band with no engineer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q. Will you travel to my Wedding Reception? A. Most function bands will travel the world if the money is available but it is worth trying to find a local band to keep the costs down. For a local function, most bands will weave the costs of travel into their original quote but if they have to travel too far there could be additional costs for the fuel & time the players are hired from. It wouldn't make sense to hire a band 200 miles away because you could save a lot of money by staying local. Soulounger are based at London Heathrow Airport & will travel for approximately 30 miles before the costs increase. *The quote at the top of the page is for a local event under 30 miles away from Heathrow. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q. What do I get for my money? A. Most private functions are planned in a four-hour time frame. This could be from 7pm-11pm or 8pm-12am for example. When you book a function band, they will normally play 2 'One-Hour' live sets & supply a disco for the rest of the evening. You may be entitled to a reduction in your quote if you have a separate DJ to play on past the band's performance; but will that really save you any money when you're paying out to two entertainers? It may work out cheaper in the long run to go for an "all inclusive" deal from your function band. Every plan is flexible but a typical 7pm-11pm plan might look like this: 7pm-8pm Disco Most function bands
will charge more for a third hour of live music or a 5-hour party
plan. *The quote at the top of the page is for 2 "One-Hour" sets of live music before midnight with a separate DJ. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A. Setting up & Sound-check usually takes about 90 minutes. So for a 7pm start the band will need to arrive by 5:30pm. Obviously this will be 6:30pm for an 8pm start & if there is a separate DJ, this could be even later. Some events like weddings & corporate functions however require the band to be set up in the function room before the dinner. Obviously, you're going to break the bank if you hire a 14-piece Big Band Orchestra to sit around for 5 hours whilst a 5-course meal is eaten & speeches are made; so to save yourself a small fortune, always ask your band if it is absolutely necessary to pay all of the performers to be there before the event. At the end of the evening, you may be charged an extra fee if you plan to keep the band behind while a separate DJ finishes his set. If you are planning on partying into the small hours of the morning, you can save money by making sure there is a good access route through the function room for the band to get away. Soulounger plan to be at an event for a total of 6 hours. 90 minutes before the start of the event, four hours during the course of the evening & 30 minutes after the music stops for loading up & packing away. *The quote at the top of the page is for Soulounger to be at an event for 6 hours. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q. What is the most expensive time of year to hire a band? A. The normal supply & demand rules apply here. There are only 52 weekends in a year & Saturday nights are the ones that everybody asks for. You can save a lot of money by having your event on a Friday or Sunday & even more for a mid-week performance. The Wedding season hits a high point in June, July & August when the weather is good so a wedding reception in May or September is not going to be as expensive. The most expensive night in a function bands calendar is New Year's Eve, which is normally double-time but Saturdays in December can also go very quickly because of the demand for Christmas Parties. Many institutions also hold a ball some time around Valentines' Day but other than that, the cheapest time to hire a function band is going to be in January-April or October-November. *The quote at the top of the page is for an off-peak time of year. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q. What else can affect the cost of my party? A. Don't pay an agency or management fee when hiring a band as they generally add 20% on top of the bill that the band will never see. You can save a fortune by talking directly to the band. Also, using a band operating under the VAT threshold will save you a further 17.5% so as you can see, the costs can quickly add up without making a single difference to the course of the evening. Soulounger do not use agencies for private functions and operate below the VAT threshold. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So to briefly re-cap, save money by: · Hiring fewer
band members, ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please feel free to have a look at the weddings page for further information & answers to frequently asked questions. |