Before we get down to it, may I just stress again that these two blogs are in no way, a definitive look at this topic! They are in fact, just brushing the surface with a light feather…more of a pros and cons for each option!! I do however, hope that they encourage and inspire you – to look further into this subject and to get involved one way or another in using your gift alongside other like-minded musicians – there’s nothing like it!!

The Function Band.
Playing in a Function Band is quite a different experience to playing in an Originals Band. Though you may not get to play songs that you as a band have written, many musicians find that actually so many of the stresses that come with playing in an originals band are eradicated when in the context of a Function Band.

Function Bands are all about the fun!! Your audience is there to hear the classics…they know the classics…you know (and perform) the classics…BOOM!…You’ve got yourself an instant party!! The stress of getting your audience to know your songs is gone, because as long as you choose the right ones, they already will! … and what’s more, they’ll love you for playing them! Fun all round!!

You will get to play a whole variety of songs, from different eras, different genres and of different styles (assuming of course, you’re not in a tribute band!). This will not only give you the chance to expand your style and skill as a musician, but also means that even if you have to play a song or two that you really don’t like (lets face it, we all have our pet hates!), you will soon be moving on to something more of your taste! There’s not really many other contexts where you get to play so many different styles and songs in one evening!

The songs are already written! No musician, let alone band can become excellent without practice. The practice room just can’t be avoided! However, the stress of writing (individually or, sometimes even more so as a band) can be! Not everyone enjoys the writing process – the function band is a GREAT opportunity to perform great songs, with other great musicians to a great audience without the hours and hours of writing and perfecting the writing of the songs! The same can even be said of the arrangement, should this equally be a cause of boredom or stress!

So there’s some of the pros to consider before shrugging off a Function Band as your place as a musician. So lets briefly look at a few cons, just to keep your decision in balance!

Much of the cons are in fact just the flip side of the pros…
You may have to play songs you don’t like! As we’ve said, getting to play a whole variety of songs will inevitably mean that you may have to play some songs that you don’t really like! Even if you don’t choose them, Murphey’s Law would suggest that your hosts would request you learn some special song they want that you just happen to hate! This of course would not be the case if you played only your own songs…but that sits with the previous blog!

You won’t get to perform your own songs. If you are a writer, the Function Band would not be a place to perform the songs you are creating. However, this does not mean you can’t be a writer too – you would just need to find a different outlet for those songs! … Open Mic Nights are a great place for this..or why not be in both a Function and an Originals?!

Although you still have ‘creative license’, too much of this may not be appreciated! Audiences know the songs how they were originally written, released and performed, so it is generally best to stick fairly closely to that arrangement, even if you feel that your way of doing it is better! For some, this could require a level of discipline!!

OK, so these are not even close to all the pros and cons of playing in a Function Band, but I hope it is enough to get you thinking. Unfortunately, some musicians have an odd perspective on playing anything other than their own material, but in my experience, I would say that by writing off Function Bands as an option, they are missing out on a lot of fun and a great experience!!

That said…it’s your choice!

Check out afterdarkents for a sparkling entertainment agency in Berkshire which hosts some fantastic bands for all occasions!

Originals Band
Some (but not all!) super creative types find they struggle, to play precisely what they’re given. My husband is one of these – he is an excellent guitarist and has the ability to play almost anything you put in front of him, but he would always rather play his own take on it, mix it up a bit, or really just play his own stuff!! This isn’t a character flaw (like I used to think!) – it’s about knowing our strengths and weaknesses. It’s not that he can’t play them…nor that he wont, its just that to him, time spent practicing a cover to perfection is time that could have been spent writing his own stuff, and he will always get more joy out of having the chance to play something new, something that has come from inside him, something that he created! So he works to his strengths! He has played in Function Bands and thoroughly enjoyed, however, his main focus is, and will always be, writing his own music, and performing in an originals band.

When Originals Bands start to build up a following, they have the joy of seeing their fans sing along to songs they wrote, to get to play gigs that you can only play once you have a following (a lot of live venues-including pubs these days-will only let bands play who can guarantee a certain amount of people will turn up…and basically buy drinks making it worth the pub’s while) and for the lucky ones, to actually make a living out of it (although we must be realistic here and recognise that these are few and far between!). I guess one of the biggest pros of playing in an originals band is the sense of ownership gained and the freedom to create and play whatever style of music is your genuine love and passion. Your genre is the one you’ve chosen… you’re music is the style you’ve chosen…you can push the boundaries however you like, as it is your band, your music, your life!!
Of course, there are always cons… and unfortunately, they’re all too well known by us ‘creative types’!

As much as you can have the freedom to write whatever you like, if your fans don’t like it, (or if you can’t get fans in the first place!) then your music is stuck between the band and the practice room! Building up a following is immensely hard (even with the growth of my-space/you-tube/sound-cloud etc), especially if you are not in a social setting such as school/university. Without fans, you have no gigs, and without gigs, you have no money and no place to sell merchandise! Without money, you can’t buy merchandise, and you can’t record your music – which wouldn’t sell even if you could, without fans!! And so we see a vicious cycle which has trapped many a budding musician/band!

The other major con is of course, the pain of negative feedback of your songs. Of course, all musicians will get negative feedback at times in their lives! And it’s never easy to hear!! But you need to be ready to hear it and take it on board if you are writing your own stuff. Not everyone will like what they hear! If this is purely down to taste (you’re writing metal, your critic is into pop!) then don’t worry too much!…shake it off and seek feedback from those into metal! But if the feedback is regarding song structure/choice of lyrics/musical ability, you better get ready to be thick-skinned and to work harder than anyone you know! Without a serious amount of determination and self-belief melded with a humility to listen to what others have to say and realistically wight it up, the harsh reality is, you will not make it in an Originals Band.

Playing in an Originals Band can be immensely rewarding and freeing, but it can also be extremely frustrating and disappointing. Knowing yourself – your character, your strengths and weaknesses is vitally important in deciding to play in an Originals Band. But if you do, then play with people you get on with and you’ll have the time of your life!!

In the next blog, we will look at part 2b: The Function Band.

Check out afterdarkents for a sparkling entertainment agency in Berkshire which hosts some fantastic bands for all occasions!

Although the live music scene is not what it was, there is still a great need for live music in a whole heap of settings.

Large well-known Originals bands get to play the biggies…The Festivals and the massive arenas such as Wembley, NEC Arena, MEN Arena etc. They will have supporting bands (who may or may not be so well known), and people will pay as much as is asked for a ticket.

Smaller original bands of course, don’t have the privilege of charging (or making!) so much, and so may be available for hire for a smaller fee.

As a customer, if you have friends in a band, or you’ve come across one on you tube and just love them, you may choose to hire them for your event. However, aside from this, for the average wedding/birthday bash/ball/function event, the obvious solution is to choose a good quality covers or Function Band.

Now Covers and Function Bands have, in the past got a bit of a raw deal, but there are some extremely talented and professional bands out there for a good price if you know where to look!

So apart from price and availability, why would you choose a Function Band?

Your guests will know the songs as they’ve been made famous by someone else!
You may feel this is stating the obvious, but the link of involvement (on the dance floor / singing along) and the ensuing level of enjoyment to the knowledge of the songs is huge…you can’t sing along if you don’t know the song!

Function Bands often come fully-equipped.

Many bands will provide their own sound and lighting rigs, with smoke machines the lot all included in the price. They will set it all up and pack it all away at the end of the night – relieving a lot of hard work on your part and extra cost for the expensive individual hire of this equipment.

The Musicians are used to entertaining your kind of audience.

Some of these bands have been around a while. They are well rehearsed and practiced at motivating your guests to get down and boogie on the dance floor!
But it is not just about motivation and the musician’s character and performance on stage…

The Musicians know what songs to play!

Experience is knowledge! Bands who have played to an excited crowd only to drop in a song which flops know not to play that song again! They equally know which ones get audiences going… love them or hate them ABBA will get almost every female over the age of about 40 up and dancing (Dancing Queen never fails to get my mum on the dance floor!) A good Queen medley will always go down a treat with the 30 plus, as will Justin Bieber for the youngsters!

Experienced bands will also know to recognise when something that may have worked before isn’t working for this specific audience. They should be well practiced enough with a big enough repertoire to be able to change direction to suit their audience, should the need arise.

All this adds up to an experience you won’t forget or regret!!

Finding a quality function band has never been easier with the growth of the internet and subsequent on-line agencies.
You will find set-lists, pictures, reviews and contact details so you have everything you need to organise your best event yet!

Check out afterdarkents for a sparkling entertainment agency in Berkshire which hosts some fantastic bands for all occasions!

Originals bands are obviously focused on their own material, and whilst they may throw a couple of covers into their set, they will only be in the style of their own writings. Equally, tribute bands, (whilst ever so enjoyable!) stick with the one band’s set of songs which they are a tribute to.

Function bands however, get to cover all kinds of songs! Many function bands are wanted for such events as weddings, ‘big’ birthdays, proms or balls and so forth. At such events, they often get to cover songs from he 50′s, 60′s and so on right through to the present day.

The sets tend to be quite long, giving much more opportunity for each band member’s favourite song to be played! But equally, where there may be a particular dislike of a certain type of song such as say, ABBA (love them or hate them!), you will only need to play a couple of them (at most a small medley!) before moving on to something else!

But this isn’t the only bonus of playing a covers set…

A good mix of genres and styles means the set is most likely to appeal across the whole demographic of the ‘audience’. If chosen well, there will be songs for all ages, and the songs chosen will be well known ones that people can sing along with and will encourage them to get up on the dance-floor for a good boogie!

A happy crowd which gets involved, sings and dances along is just what you want as a band – it gives energy and a buzz which inevitably releases a better performance. A better performance makes a happier crowd… and so on!

A great way to find a wide mix of function bands is by using an Entertainment Agency.
After Dark is a great Entertainment Agency in Berkshire.

“The bitter taste of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten”

In these rather challenging economic times, we are all tempted by bargains and deals but it’s important to prioritise value for money rather than just a cheap price tag. At After Dark Entertainments, we make sure that every client gets excellent value for money and that high quality remains at the forefront. We know all the acts that we recommend and as such, we know that they’re good, reliable and will make your party successful, fun and memorable! It’s so important to get the right act for your event – we could re-write this saying into:

“The bitter taste of a poor quality act remains long after the sweetness of it’s low price is forgotten”

Don’t let this happen to you – trust in the experience and knowledge of a company that knows the entertainment business and be assured that we will give you sweetness of quality and a competitive price!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Wendy runs a Entertainment Agency called After Dark Entertainments hosting the best acts and live entertainment in the south of England. She also fronts Function band Chemistry and After Dark Duo. You can find out more about her on the Entertainment site here.

http://www.afterdarkents.co.uk/about

Have you ever got to the end of a gig feeling shattered and ready for bed but having to face all the packing down and the journey home??! As the singer in After Dark Duo, Trio and Chemistry bands, I often felt this until I started drinking Fusion energy drink. Both myself and my husband who also plays in our music bands, now use it each and every gig and we really feel the benefit. The great thing about Amerisciences who produce these wonderful energy boosting drinks, is that they know what they are doing, they are passionate about it and they have solid evidence to back up all of their products.

The company has recently been featured on NBC and Fox TV because these drinks have been proven to significantly fight against harmful effects of radiation. The multivitamin and antioxidant formula have been proved to lessen the effect of radiation which we are all exposed to on an everyday basis.

The study which was commissioned by NASA has been broadcast by American TV and radio stations and is incredibly exciting for the natural food and drink supplements industry. We will certainly be drinking AS10 and fusion from now on and we are also starting to use Headstart in the mornings as a great boost for the day! This citrus flavoured drink maximises both physical and mental performance quickly and increases energy levels throughout the day. It contains essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids including taurine that our bodies need every day.

These products are available in many green rooms for festivals, concerts and famous performers are able to try them – it would be interesting to see if they feel less tired after a gig like I and Bill do – please write in and tell us about your experiences as we would love to know!

Our web site is www.afterdarkduo.co.uk and www.chemistrylive.co.uk. If you are using other natural energy drinks and supplements to maximise your energy levels, please tell us about them as well. It’s so important to feel at your peak when you’re performing – it takes so much out of you, you have to put something good back and we don’t like to use artificial and unnatural products – we simply don’t have to anymore!

This is a famous saying by a sensible chap called Billie Burke. As a singer with After Dark Duo, Trio and Chemistry, I have come to increasingly support this claim the more times I perform at 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th and 70th birthday parties and wedding anniversary celebrations.

I am constantly inspired by the men and women I see dancing all night long on the dance floor, regardless of their age. We played at a 70th birthday party at a golf club in Hertfordshire last week and the dance floor was packed with people in their 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. We love an audience who do not feel inhibited about getting up and “having a good boogie” and we make sure that we play the right type of music to make this happen!

I then consider another quote by Burke which further supports this:

“A woman past forty should make up her mind to be young; not her face.”

I believe that there is far too much ageism and stereotyping about age when in fact we can all enjoy a good party whether we’re 18 or 80. Age is just a number – I actually mentally feel around 25 although I might physically feel around 50 when I wake up on Sunday after a great gig! I may wake up feeling exhausted but it’s really worth it and I just hope that each and every person in our audience feels the same – we know that we are doing our job properly then!

About the author

Wendy is lead singer of one of the best live function bands in the UK and also runs her own Entertainment Agency After dark Entertainments – have a look at her sites for more info:

After dark Entertainments
chemistry function band
After dark duo