Category Archives: Party Bands

Entertainment for a real surprise

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Events are an intriguing proposition. Depending on the stage at which you are at in life, certain acts may be perfectly suited to you. Others perhaps less so. You’re hardly likely to book a wine tasting for a child’s birthday party and the less said about the ‘Happy 75th’ bouncy castle booking the better. With that in mind, we thought it may be useful to run through a few ideas you may wish to have a look at depending on the life stage within which you currently reside.

Who can forget childhood? A time when you were completely carefree but were still liable to be dragged along to events at your parent’s insistence. Thankfully, many times there were acts at these events that were tailor made for you. Ah, life was hugely enjoyable when you were being entertained by such acts like a balloon modeller and a children’s entertainer that you happily got involved, all memories of missing your favourite cartoon on television completely forgotten.

One of the most important part of your day is the party entertainment. Everything else is window dressing but hey, you want the finest window dressing there is. To that end, splashing out for a great venue, nobody will forget a knock out venue in a hurry. Book party entertainment to suit the theme, stilt walkers and aerialists is a great idea. With the photo booth images providing a fun way to scrapbook your event, everyone went home happy.

Of course, many of the acts depicted here can’t really be compartmentalised and we have lots of ideas that you can look through on our entertainment directory. So have fun, pick some entertainers that would be a real surprise and make your whole event a magical one…

Helping you make the right choice

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Red Masque will help you filter available options. You can get several options when thinking of hiring bands, singers, musicians, comedians and other artists. You may be confused especially when you don’t know any of the artists in person. You can save yourself the trouble by ensuring that Red Masque only advertises the very best and whatever choice you make will always be the right on

An entertainment directory is known for offering unique services at wedding receptions, meetings, corporate events and other special gatherings. We at Red Masque have artists who may be musicians, comedians, and singers and so on. They can thrill your guests at any event. There’s a lot to gain from us. Here are some of the benefits:

We advertise artists which we think are exactly what you want. You are able to contact various artists of your choosing and meet if you so wish to choose suitable music or songs for your event.
You can save enough time and energy when you engage a good party entertainment directory. In most cases, we have taken care of the brain work you would have carried out, and have the best unique and highly acclaimed artists in the business.
With a reliable entertainment directory, you can get suitable price for hiring a band. You can also get the right price for other artists you may want to hire.

To locate us, you have to come online; which is the first step. There are lots of agencies offering unique services on the internet, but you need to consider some factors when looking for the right agency. You have to compare several agencies before making your choice. When you book one of our advertised artists you are able to arrange a private interview to help you make the right choice.

Dance the night away!

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Dancers are very entertaining, and if you had an event that demanded some dancers then why not consider hiring some great dancers from Red Masque corporate event entertainment directory.

A Dance Group could be hired to dance in sync where the chorography would be done to perfection, it could be any style of dance that your taste desires from Street Dance to River Dance, Male to Female Dancers. We think we have just about all Dance groups covered advertised within our Red Masque entertainment directory.

If you having a launch party that would require some eye candy of the female variety? If so, why don’t you hire some Podium dancers, a risqué burlesque dancer or some showgirls that would be quite a classy type of Le Lido but here in the UK.

These girls are professional, classy and have trained for hours to put on the perfect show for you.

You will be dazzled by the splendid costumes which will be worn by the Showgirls and Podium Dancers even though they’re maybe little of them!!! The burlesque will titillate and tease but done in the best possible taste!!

Salsa and Tango dancers are very now, most people want to learn the art of these sexy, sensual dances. You could hire dancers to teach. Or if you are quite familiar of these dances you could simply hire to put on a quite splendid show that would be breath-taking and remarkable, leaving you wishing you were indeed as talented as these dancers.

Snake and Belly dancers of course seem to go hand in hand, these amazing creatures – love them or hate them have something mesmerising about them that you cannot fail to be intrigued to watch or even (if you dare) handle them.

Belly dancers have been around for centuries and it’s also a great way to keep fit. If you ever wanted to master the art of Belly Dancing, then why not hire a Belly Dancer to teach you. You will have great fun, and if your tummy is not your most favourite part of your body – well rest assured a rounded belly is considered sexy in some parts of the world!!

Or, if you wanted some themed dance acts for your special event, then why not look on our gallery of special dance acts that will enlighten your guests and create that nostalgia needed for your themed evening.

They will be dressed in the most appropriate costumes and do all the dance moves from that era it will be truly like stepping back in time and feeling the past again.

Have a look on our directory to see which dance act you could hire for your next party!!

Private party organising made easy

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One of the simplest and easiest types of party to organise is a venue or marquee with a live band. Nothing gets guests excited like a live music performance as it’s far more interesting & engaging than a DJ or background music. You’ll need to choose a band to suit to the occasion, your guests and the type of atmosphere you’re looking for.

Popular types of party band include tribute bands, rock and pop function bands, or for an older audience try Swing and Jive or Rock n’ Roll.

Any private hire venue with a cool bar and space to dance would be suitable, but bear in mind parking and accommodation for those guests traveling beyond a taxi ride. For something a bit different try the Hard Day’s Night Hotel in Liverpool, complete with a live Beatles Tribute band.

Parties based around a live party band, especially a lively band, are likely to be quite loud so consider how many elderly guests you might have. Venues with sound limiters can be a real pain so before you hand over any money, make sure the venue you choose doesn’t have a limiter fitted (or if it does, that the threshold is set higher than 95dB). Also, make sure there is a dance floor and if at all possible, try to avoid venues where the bar is in a different room to the dancing as this can split guests and leave you with a less party atmosphere.

Good quality function bands will provide all of the equipment you’ll need, so all you need to do is ensure they have enough space and some light refreshments. Expect to pay upwards of £1000/£1400 for a really good 4-5-piece band.

For most private parties a really early arrival is not necessary so if you ask the band to arrive around 6pm they should be set up, sound checked & ready for guests to arrive by 7.30pm – 8pm. Most function bands will play 2 x 60 minute performances, and we suggest the first to start no earlier than 9pm so guests have time to get a drink and have a chat before the music starts.

Soul, RnB or Motown?

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These types of bands play music that is like the soundtrack of your life; up beat at one moment, soulful and heartfelt at another, but always delivered with style!

Rhythm and blues (R&B or RnB) originated from adding a strong beat to jazz and adding lyrics about life, love and freedom. Now it’s a genre of soul music that stretches from funk to ska, to hip hop, and encompasses artists as diverse as Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Elvis, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, and Mariah Carey.

Soul music is the love child of rhythm and blues and jazz, with American gospel as an auntie. Born in the late 1950s, soul music combines irresistible rhythms and powerful, heartfelt vocals that have defined pop music and funk alike. Think Little Richard, James Brown, Sam Cook, Jackie Wilson. Otis Redding and the queen of soul, Aretha Franklin.

Motown is a type of soul music named after the Motown record label, based in Detroit USA. The Motown sound fused soul and fledgling pop into a string of massive pop hits that have filled dance floors and discos alike ever since. You’ll know the sound when you hear it and you’ll certainly know the Motown artists: Smoky Robinson and The Miracles, Diana Ross and The Supremes, the Four Tops, Gladys Knight & the Pips, the Jackson 5 and Steve Wonder.

These types of bands play music that is like the soundtrack of your life; up beat at one moment, soulful and heartfelt at another, but always delivered with style!

What to look for in quality Soul, RnB and Motown bands.

Soul, R&B and Soul can be in all sizes, from stunning solo vocalists to full-on soul party bands and everything in between. So, how can you tell the soulful stars from the RnB also-rans?

Check their Profiles First, check out the artist and band Profiles here at Red Masque Directory. Their sample tracks and demo videos that’ll give you a good idea of what the band sound like. Is your toe tapping from the very start? Does the vocalist nail their notes and make it sound effortless too? That’s a good act. If you’re up and dancing around by bar eight, that’s a great act!

Wide range of repertoire Look for artists with a wide range of music in their playlist (it’s at the end of their Profile). The range and choice might sound a bit odd at first, as many mix modern and classic tracks in their sets. Actually, that’s a sign of great musicianship and will ensure every one of your guests has something they’ll know and love in each set – and want to dance to.

What space will my soul, RnB or Motown band require?

As you might have gathered by now, the space required depends largely on the type of band your booking. Since these acts specialise in providing a visual show as well as superb dance music, chances are they’ll need a larger space than comparative bands in other genres, such as jazz. What’s more, the more players and equipment they bring, the more space they will require both on stage and off. Also, don’t assume just because you booked a soloist they will come with just a small speaker and microphone. Chances are they will come with some very high-tech sound equipment for their backing tracks, to make sure they sound at their very best.

Everyone loves a Cheesy Party theme

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What’s Cheese? This is probably one of the hardest questions a party DJ has to answer as it can mean totally different things to different people. So we’ll let you tell us what it means to you and we’ll happily play the cheesiest, most fun party songs you can think of to keep you and your guests enjoying themselves all night (and yes the photos will prove you danced to the YMCA and Macarena).

Come On Eileen, we’re going to the D.I.S.C.O, so Dance Yourself Dizzy like a Dancing Queen! The well-loved party hits from all the decades were written with just one aim – to have a good time! There’s no snobbery here, do the YMCA and Macarena with everybody else, sit on the floor and row to Oops Upside Your Head – go on, enjoy yourself!

Top 10 Requested Cheesy Tunes

Dexys Midnight Runners – Come on Eileen

A British pop group with soul influences, Dexys are best remembered for their hits Geno and Come On Eileen which has become a “love-it-or-hate-it” yardstick defining the “Cheese” category! Jackie Wilson Said was another popular early 80s track by the group.

Abba- Dancing Queen

Possibly the most commercially successful act in the history of pop music, Abba have several “Cheese” tracks in their catalogue … arguably the most requested being 1976s Dancing Queen which can be heard at family parties across the land every weekend!

Rocky Horror Show – Time Warp

One of any cheese-fest’s top action dances, Time Warp is taken from the 1973 rock musical Rocky to this song and are first on the floor when the opening bars are played!

Village People – YMCA

This costumed disco group formed in 1977, quickly scoring a number of disco and dance hits many of which have action sequences, including party favourites YMCA, Macho Man, In The Navy and Go West. They tour even today and are a popular addition to any festival line-up!

The Weather Girls – It’s Raining Men

Now comprising two daughters of one of the original band members, The Weather Girls tour today, singing early 80s hits including the dancefloor-polarising It’s Raining Men. Always a big hit with the ladies at any family party, this cheesy classic works well with any 80s set.

Whigfield – Saturday Night

The summer hit of 1994, Danish-born Whigfield’s Saturday Night is still a popular dancefloor filler, with its easy-to-learn routine popular with ladies of all ages. Cue the blokes heading off to the bar!

Mud – Tiger Feet

The UK’s best-selling single of 1974, Mud’s Tiger Feet goes down a storm with party guests – perfect to follow a few jive classics, a twist, or in amongst a selection of 70s glam rock classics. Mud went on to have several minor hits throughout the 1970s.

MC Hammer – U Can’t Touch This

Dancer-cum-rapper Stanley Burrell (aka MC Hammer) is as famous for his harem pants as he is for his music! U Can’t Touch This is a must-play classic in any 80s set, loved by the boys as well as the girls. The song featured Rick James’ Superfreak riff.

Aqua – Barbie Girl

Popular late 90s / early 2000s pop band Aqua are best remembered for their global hit Barbie Girl, popular with the younger age groups even today. Follow-up number one singles Doctor Jones and Turn Back Time helped them become the best-selling Danish band in history.

Chesney Hawkes – The One and Only

Chesney’s 1991 hit single The One and Only still results in a rousing anthemia sing-along today, if carefully judged and played amongst the right tracks for the specific audience. Although he did have a few minor chart successes, Chesney was a bit of a one-hit-wonder.

Top Tips on Getting the Best Out Of Your Wedding Entertainment

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After the wedding dress, your wedding entertainment is the next thing your guests will remember about your wedding, so make sure their memories are good ones!

Don’t go cheap! Professional entertainment is like any other service… you get what you pay for. Remember if you pay peanuts you will get monkeys.

Booking a Band, DJ or Photo Booth just because they give you the cheapest quote, very rarely has a happy ending. Red Masque receive calls regularly from brides who have been let down by their entertainment supplier, often this is less than a week before the big day. You don’t want that worry for the sake of sometimes only a couple of hundred pounds.

Make sure you have a contract, which clearly states what their price includes. This contract should clearly state: arrival, start, performance and finish times and if you are booking a musical entertainer, make sure you know if they will be supplying the speakers and lights and any other necessary equipment for the performance.

Insurance! Anyone you book (even a non-musical entertainer should have public liability insurance. If they don’t, you run the risk of the venue not allowing them to perform. Check with your venue how much cover they will need, most venues will ask for cover between £2,000,000 – £5,000,000 some larger more prestigious venues will ask for cover up to £10,000,000.  This we may add is very important.

Find out what system they have in place if a member of the act is unable to perform. We all get ill from time to time and are unable to do our job. Most professional acts have ‘substitute’ performers in place can step in at short notice to replace the missing performer.

If you’re booking a band, choose one that will try and suit everybody’s musical tastes. You may be the biggest fan of heavy metal and plan to mosh on the dance floor all night long, but the chances of older guests wanting to listen to this is slim! By just choosing a band according to your own tastes, you may end up with a very quiet dance floor. Instead you may want to consider choosing entertainers who can play some of the music you love but also a mixture of classic floor fillers. We like to call these bands ‘Versatile Function Bands’.

Do look after your entertainer(s) to enable them to put on a better show. For an evening performance a band will typically arrive at around 5.30pm to set up and are not usually on the road again until after 1.00am. That’s a minimum of 7 ½ hours at your venue, not to mention the time it took them to get there and the time it will take them to get home.

A basic hot meal, soft drinks and a room to get changed in and chill-out in when they are not performing can make the world of difference to any hard working performer. No one can work to their full potential on an empty stomach or look their best by getting changed in their car. If you want to get the best out of your entertainers, treat them (almost) like they are a guest.

Check the minimum stage size that the entertainer(s) needs to perform. Stage areas that are the wrong size can cause problems for many performers and can sometime mean they cannot perform to their full potential.

Bands from every era…

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60’s bands and tribute acts are very popular, from Beatles to the Rolling Stones, most of us even if we were not born in this era have heard of the ‘swinging sixties’ where the miniskirts and beehives were all the rage. Why not have a 60’s evening where everybody can get involved young and old and have fun dressing in the sixties clothes of that bygone age, we are sure granny has some ‘get up’ still in her closet and if not she can advise as to what to wear. Then comes the fun part, where your 60’s band or tribute act comes alive on stage to make your 60’s party complete, all are extremely professional and will have everybody dancing the whole night away.

The funky 70’s where soul and funk was everywhere and the dress was bold, bright with lots of glitter, the Jackson 5 to Motown to name just a few, the music today is just as popular and dressing the 70’s way is a scream!! If you wanted a 70’s act or Tribute band then look no further then Red Masque entertainment directory. We have only the best advertised which are all very professional. Each act is able to work out with you to arrange your perfect 70’s event.

The 80’s are defined by lots of different genres of music, more commonly we remember Wham, Madonna, Aha, Bananarama  to name but a few. We all remember the dodgy hairdos and very strange fashion, but we cannot deny the music from that era was unforgettable. You could be having an 80’s party or a school reunion where 80’s music would be very nostalgic to your event which will take you back to being a spotty teenager again drooling over Adam Ant or Blondie.

What defined the 90’s with music?  Well, it seems that you were either into Rock Bands like Blur or Oasis or you were into Rap with the likes of Tupac or Jaz Z or R&B when it got a huge boost from talented singers like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, or bubble-gum ruled the latter-half of the decade thanks to the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears.

So if you were thinking of hiring a 90’s act or Tribute band you have so many genres to choose from depending on your taste of that era.

All you really need to know is that you will be booking the best bands from any era that you choose that will transport you back in time and make it an event to remember.

Make it a Birthday to remember…

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Why not hire a Character musician for a ‘special birthday’ to sing to your special someone, or a group of musicians to sing as you dine.  Songs can be chosen or you can even make it comedic every-time your host for the evening starts to speak you’re Character musician breaks into song!!

Another genre to consider is a Choir; Choirs are very uplifting and can instantly give any event a special mix of wellbeing and’ feel-good feelings’.  From Classical , ‘street style’  or Gospel there are many genres that your choir will be-able to master where young or old will enjoy these special choirs. You could be having a wedding, launch party, corporate affair or private party where a ‘surprise choir’ could start to sing.

A good DJ is a must, they are able to work a crowd and know which songs to play to get all your guests on the dance, we at Red Masque Directory have the perfect DJ and VJ’s just for you to hire. Using up to the minute state of art light shows on the dance floor, you are guaranteed your venue will be transformed into everything you dreamed of and more.

Classical music is a must if you are you having a very classy affair that demands the very best, or having a theatrical evening that needs a full orchestra to make your play even more dynamic then hiring our Classical music artists will be a very good decision on your part. An Opera singer is another classical act that can be hired for you event.  Singing the very best West End songs or traditional opera with the likes of ‘Nessum Dorma’ sung either by a tenor or prima donna.

Having a Jazz band, Swing Band, or even a Brass band at your event would be the ultimate showstopper.   You could hire any of these professional bands at your party or event depending on what ‘theme’ you were organising.  A Jazz band could be for a 20’s party where everybody is dressed in the era’s attire. The ultimate Swing band could be hired with a crooner singing the old hits of the 40’s or 50’s.  The choice is definitely yours.  It is good to know that Red Masque entertainment directory have only the best acts for you to hire at your birthday party event.

Hire just one, or mix it up a bit and have an extravaganza evening which will certainly be the Birthday celebration of the year!!!!

Swing away!!!

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Swing music, or simply swing, is a form of American music that developed in the early 1930s and became a distinctive style by 1940. Swing uses a strong rhythm section of double bass and drums as the anchor for a lead section of brass instruments such as trumpets and trombones, woodwinds including saxophones and clarinets, and sometimes stringed instruments such as violin and guitar, medium to fast tempos and a “lilting” swing time rhythm. The name swing came from the phrase ‘swing feel’ where the emphasis is on the off–beat or weaker pulse in the music (unlike classical music). Swing bands usually featured soloists who would improvise on the melody over the arrangement. The danceable swing style of big bands and bandleaders such as Benny Goodman was the dominant form of American popular music from 1935 to 1946, a period known as the Swing Era the verb “to swing” is also used as a term of praise for playing that has a strong rhythmic “groove” or drive.

Swing has roots in the late 1920s use of larger ensembles using written arrangements. The period between 1935 and 1946 is when big band swing music reached its peak and was the most popular music in America. This period is known as the Swing Era. A typical song played in swing style would feature a strong, anchoring rhythm section in support of more loosely tied wind, brass. The most common style consisted of having a soloist take centre stage, and improvise a solo within the framework of his bandmates playing support. Swing music began to decline in popularity during World War II because of several factors. Most importantly it became difficult to staff a “big band” because many musicians were overseas fighting in the war. By the late 1940s, swing had morphed into traditional pop music, or evolved into new jazz styles such as jump blues and bebop. Swing music saw a revival in the late 1950s and 1960s with pop vocalists such as Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and Nat King Cole, as well as jazz-oriented vocalists like Ella Fitzgerald.

In comparison with the styles of the 1920s, the 1930s represents a more sophisticated sound, but with an exciting feel of its own. The audience of young white dancers favoured Goodman’s rhythms and daring swing arrangements. “Hot Swing” and Boogie Woogie remained the dominant form of American popular music for the next ten years. Standards like “Moten Swing” by Bennie Moten and the Kansas City Orchestra were important in the development of swing music and the move towards a freer form of orchestral jazz. Audiences raved at the new music, and at the Pearl Theatre in Philadelphia in December 1932, the doors were let open to the public who came crammed into the theatre to hear the new sound, demanding seven encores from Moten’s orchestra.

If this all sounds like your sort of music, take a look on our directory to see which Swing or big band entertainers you could hire for your very own event or party.