Hi dudes and dudettes… It’s been another hectic few weeks in the Deadbeats camp as wedding season really hits full flow, so here’s what we’ve been up to… Thanks and love to everyone who’s booked us for weddings, parties, functions etc… Read on for more…
The summer party run kicked off properly mid-May with Simon’s birthday bash in Whitegate. Guests got stuck in singing up a storm with us on Bandeoke, keeping the dancefloor and the stage packed all night for a messy affair including an incident involving tinned tomatoes and champagne (don’t ask!)… All the best Simon, hope you had a great night 🙂
And so began a 4-gig weekend, continuing on the Saturday with a really lovely garden party in Carleton for Frank Brogden’s birthday. After our initial reservations (we were playing outside and it was raining heavily when we arrived!) the sun well and truly got its’ hat on for a great afternoon of music, dancing, food and drink to celebrate. Our thanks go out to the family for their hospitality and help on the day. Glorious.
Around 5 o’clock we sadly had to leave Frank’s party (which was still very much underway) to perform at Rachel and Ben’s wedding at the Glendower on St Annes Promenade. Luckily it turned out to be a cracking night all round with a lively dancefloor and a great atmosphere. Congratulations and best wishes go out to the happy couple but we really ought to mention the Bride’s stunning rendition of a Celine Dion song at the end of the night – amazing! A fourth gig followed on the Sunday at Ribby Hall to celebrate the marriage of the new Mr And Mrs Griffiths, another top night with a distinctly indie-loving crowd dancing to Stone Roses, Oasis and Arctic Monkeys hits, our congrats and thanks go out to them.
The following weekend brought a gig for the Blackpool and Fylde District Law Society Ball at the prestigious Royal Lytham Golf Club for a glamorous crowd who loved to dance. On the Saturday we played at AKS school hall for Bethany and Lawrence’s wedding and what a night that was… The happy couple booked the ‘Bandeoke’ option and some of the performances blew us away – some really talented singers including both the Bride and Groom up singing with us! We had a great response to our two live sets as well from a large and friendly crowd that loved party hard. Lawrence and Bethany had this to say – “Thank you so much for Saturday night. You guys topped off an incredible day. All of the guests who mentioned you were blown away by how brilliant you were and how much fun the bandeoke was”…. Aww, thanks you two, we loved it!
On the Sunday it was on to Jules and Jason’s wedding at the stunning Salmesbury Hall where the band played Elbow’s classic ‘One Day Like This’ for the happy couple’s first dance and partied with their guests till the early hours – another great night and, again, thanks and congratulations to the happy couple. We concluded the Bank Holiday weekend by taking Monday off to have some well-earned rest…Just kidding! We spent the day at Blackpool Pleasure Beach for Nic and Leanne’s wedding which turned out to be really good fun. After playing a well-received acoustic set in the Paradise Rooms for the drinks reception the party moved on to The Attic Room where the guests went for it like it was still Friday night! Ged and Hayley, stars of Radio Wave’s Breakfast Show, were in attendance (Leanne is Hayley’s sister) and Ged Mills did a great job both as an MC and on the dancefloor, but a special mention must go out again to the Bride for her air guitar heroics to Queen in the early hours! Once again all the best to the happy couple.
Which brings us on to the 1st of June and Ella & Rob’s wedding at The Swann in Newby Bridge where we played the brilliant ‘If I Had A Gun’ by Noel Gallagher for first dance after which everyone packed the dancefloor and had it big time. After the band finished, a number of DJ requests ending up turning the rest of the night into an old-school rave with Dave mixing up a storm of 80s and 90s club classics! Ella and Rob sent this; “Just wanted to thank you all immensely for playing at our wedding. We all had a fabulous night and thanks for doing the first dance so last minute. You definitely know your crowds,we will no doubt see you playing around Lytham St Annes area in the future and give you a wave. Thanks again, Ella and Rob” 🙂
Saturday night’s wedding was at The Clifton Arms hotel in Lytham, a regular venue for us with lovely staff and a great vibe. Julia and Mark requested Olly Murs’ “Dance With Me Tonight” to kick off proceedings and both them and their guests were on the dancefloor right from the start. Many thanks to them and everyone at the Clifton for making us feel so welcome.
Still here??… We’re really busy boys at the moment with a wide and interesting variety of gigs, but the weekend just gone was a something a bit special, kicking off with the massive party at Hillbank on The Wirral for Helplink (detailed on previous blog post) followed by a trip to the Lingholm estate in Keswick on Saturday for Alice and John’s wedding. The happy couple pulled out all the stops at a truly beautiful venue next to the Catbells, booking the band for acoustic music for the drinks reception and adding the Brass Section for the evening party which took things to the next level! They and their friends wasted no time in getting on the dancefloor to funk, soul, ska, indie and rock classics performed by us truly (all eight of us!), augmented by Trumpet, Trombone and Saxophone but the highlight of the night must be their choice of Take That’s “A Million Love Songs” for first dance (complete with live sax). Once again, we’d like to extend our gratitude to a lovely couple, their friends, and the staff at Lingholm who really looked after us for our first appearance there, hope to go back there soon!
Coincidentally, Amy and Mike Evans also chose the same Take That song for their first dance at Sunday’s wedding, also in Keswick (at Armathwaite Hall), after which things got very lively indeed! Both Bride and Groom found themselves on top of the crowd a few times and again the dancefloor was packed for the whole time we played, including for a rendition of Ed Sheeran’s “Castle On The Hill” which wedding guest Gav sang and played guitar on.
That brings us up to speed. Wedding season continues apace for us over the coming weeks and months – we’re escaping into the real world for a couple of gigs though! First of all, we’ll be at The GrapeVine in Poulton this Thursday (15th June) for a special ‘plugged and unplugged’ show where we’ll be acoustic for the first half and live n loud for the second. Then in a few weeks from now we’re back playing at the massive ‘Our Big Gig’ show in Poulton’s Jean Stansfield Park for the 4th year running, along with a whole bunch of other talented bands and artists. More details on that coming soon but, for now, farewell and thanks for reading. It’s gonna be a long and crazy summer! Enjoy yourselves and take care out there…. xDeadbeatsx