Tag Archives: artists

Hosting a private party

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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 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.

Hire function bands that 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.

Female Solo Acts

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Our female solo artists are suitable for pubs and clubs, corporate events, parties, holiday sites, charity events and much more. Our female solo artists for hire can sing anything from country and western, contemporary, ballades; opera, classics or even soul the choice is yours…

Here at Red Masque your event/themed evening can perform a wide range of music that can span several decades or genres. Red Masque entertainment finder can help you choose the right female solo artist/singer for your party. Book a female solo artist, she could be the perfect complement to a nice chilled evening or makings of an upbeat party.

We have the very best solo artists available to hire in the Uk and will ensure that your event will be exactly how you imagined it to be and more…  Booking a female solo artist is very simple, you can look on our website and choose the female of your choice and fill out an enquiry form safe in the knowledge that our entertainment directory will do the rest. You can also contact your selected performer directly or sent us a contact form and we can help you choose the best female solo artist for your particular event.

Party Rappers

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Rap singers make great party starters with fun ways to get crowds involved and in the mood.

They represent of the newest styles of music genres. Created in the late 70s and 80s, rap artists popularity has spread more rapidly than many other music performers..

Here at Red Masque we offer our clients the ultimate rappers for hire, with only the best, highly talented and unique acts around. When it comes to rap performers for hire, we have it covered.

Red Masque supply the ultimate in event entertainment and to hire a rap act for a wedding, party or corporate event couldn’t be easier… Either find the act or acts you’re interested in on our website and fill in their booking enquiry form or simply give us a call. We’re here to help with any enquiries you might have so please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Click here to view all rappers for hire

Hire a Harpists

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The harp is known as the ‘instrument of the gods’ and dates back to ancient times. The magical ‘fairy tale’ sound of the harp will enchant any audience and it is capable of transforming a ‘run of the mill’ event, into an elegant, emotional experience.

Book a harpist for your party or event for that added bit of music magic. From harp players for weddings to hiring a harp player for a corporate event, most harpists have a wide repertoire, ranging from the classical greats, traditional folk, jazz and show tunes through to popular artists and modern day music.

Here at Red Masque we have a fantastic selection of harpists for hire and we offer only the best, highly talented and unique acts around. We guarantee amazing and memorable experiences every time and we understand that no matter how big or how small an event, to enable it to run efficiently and successfully, it’s always essential to provide an honest, reliable, effective and professional service at all times.

Red Masque supply weddings, parties and corporate events with the very best acts the entertainment business has to offer, enabling us to help create the most memorable and successful occasions every time. We’re here to help with any enquiries you might have so please don’t hesitate to contact us. Booking a harpist couldn’t be easier.

Click here to view all Harpists for hire

Make A Party Great

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When guests decide to get on the dance floor at a party, there’s a certain process involved of losing their inhibitions as they escape into the exciting world of music & lights. Memories and emotions can be ignited by the DJ’s choice of music and songs, often taking people back to their youth. What a great journey this can turn out to be if the DJ perfectly judges all the right tunes to play for your guests.

A good DJ should have a passion for all genres of music so that he can predict the response of people in the room when he plays certain classic songs from his collection. It is important for a DJ to read his crowd and he should instinctively know what kind of music will get people dancing. If you are providing a DJ with a playlist, it is advisable to allow the DJ some discretion to choose which tracks to play from your list and at what time to play them.

It is often surprising how late in the day, many people consider booking a DJ to provide their private party or entertainment despite how critical a great DJ is to the success of their event. This guide aims to help the first time booker understand what to look for when you hire a DJ, with tips and insights into how DJs work and what you need to do to get the best out of yours.

When guests share the dance floor it is similar to an audience laughing together at a comedian. Dancing helps people to unwind and relax and laughter relaxes muscles, boosts energy and triggers the release of feel-good chemicals. The feel good factor can also be promoted by the DJ if he plays positive uplifting music that is mainly found in songs written in the major keys.

It can be quite a challenge for a DJ to get guests dancing, especially early on at a corporate event where many of the guests might not know each other. Sometimes interaction over the microphone is required to help people feel more relaxed, and occasionally a little encouragement can be given to help create that essential party spirit.

There are a variety of different techniques which can be used and this is where DJ’s have varying styles and approaches. Some people like a DJ to be vocally interactive with their audience, whereas others prefer the more modern approach of minimal talking with the focus mainly on good music and taking requests.

The Living Statue

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Put simply the history of the living statue – at least where it all began – is lost to time. Arguably the first living statue can be traced back to the ancient Greeks where members of the public would pose for famous sculptors looking to mould their marble. Realistically though, the living statue as we currently know it first appeared in the 19th century as a circus performance. PT Barnum displayed living statues as part of his circus tours, a peculiar curiosity to the minds of those in the 1840s.

In the late 19th century and early 20th century, living statues became ever more widely known thanks to the emergence of the art form known as tableaux vivants; a group of actors would pose and be lit in a particular way so as to appear like paintings. The resulting performance was often shot on camera (which meant the performers had to stand still in their chosen pose) or performed on stage to the amazement of spectators. Cleverly, by tagging these performances as art, nude actors and actresses were able to perform erotic entertainment on stage, flouting theatre censorship laws. As long as the girls didn’t move, it was deemed okay by the masses. The most notable instance of this was under the stewardship of the famous Mrs. Henderson at the Windmill Theatre in London in the 1930s and 40s.

Since that time, living statues have featured prominently in both art and film – The Phantom of the Opera and Hot Fuzz are two recent films that have shown living statues on screen, whilst revered duo Gilbert & George utilised human statues as part of their gallery installations in the 1960s. Moving from inside to out, street performances too have flourished in the intervening years as various living statues appeared near famous landmarks all over Europe. Though varying in quality from person to person, they are a magnet for tourists, only moving when money is placed in front of their plinth.
If no money is thrown in front of the living statue, either because they are unimpressive as a statue or their costume doesn’t resonate with those walking by, the street performer doesn’t get paid that day.

With numbers still proliferating throughout London and the UK, it’s clear that the living statues are still well loved and make the perfect addition to your corporate event or private party. Despite their presence on the local high street, nobody will be expecting them in your back garden!

Hire some excitement

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Do you love to see acts that keep you at the edge of your seat or are toe curling? Do you in need of a bit of excitement? Why not hire a few acts that will do just that.

Be more creative and hire some party entertainers which would be a bit extraordinary and a crowd drawing experience. Dare to be different and make it a night to remember where your guests will be talking about your party for months to come.

Fire acts are very entertaining where the act or acts jump through fire hoops or indeed set alight!! Knife throwers are also nail biting, dare your audience to participate while this professional act throws knives at him or her.

A sword swallower is another act which is very intriguing to watch albeit between your fingers!! We’ve all seen the Britain’s got Talent sword swallower, that got everybody talking!!
Maybe you want to be ahead of the rest and want to hire some tightrope walkers or stilt walkers to draw in the crowds to direct them to your special event. Maybe you could be launching a new product where people will be curious as to what was going on.

You would have to agree a stilt walker handing out flyers would be a bit more unusual than your average Joe handing out leaflets.

If you need some inspiration think about Covent Garden in London. We think it’s not just about the shops or the great restaurants but the ambiance of the street entertainers. If you have ever been to Covent Garden, you will see there are always small crowds wrapped around a Mime artist or indeed Living statues intently watching their every move or lack of movement if they are a statue!!!

Tango Is The Music

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Some people see tango as primarily a dance – a connection between two people in a beautiful pas de deux. However most will say tango is the music, and the lyrics, and the dancers’ interpretation of that music, and the sentiments it expresses. Getting to know the music is part of learning tango. Learning both the general style and the individual compositions and recordings enables you to dance with much more confidence and enjoyment.

The classic tango orchestra or ‘orquesta típica’ is made up of bandoneons, violins, piano, and bass. The guitar is also a common instrument, especially accompanying singers, notably Carlos Gardel. Other instruments are added viola, cello, saxophone, lute, flute electric guitar, drums in various styles. The Bandoneon, perhaps the key to the tango sound, is a large and fiendishly complicated concertina, originally developed in Germany for churches that could not afford organs.

In the first years of the century the first tangos were written e.g. El Choclo(Angel Villoldo)’, Yo Soy La Morocha (Enrique Saborido, 1906), and were big hit and best sellers of piano scores. Recording came in in the 1910s and older songs, like La Cumparsita were arranged as tangos. Gardel recorded his first tango Mi Noche Triste in 1917, and became an enormous force in popularising tango.

As the music developed it became less rigidly rhythmic, more harmonic and melodic, and the hallmark tension and release was developed. The fraseo, phrasing, the soloist (or soli) bending the melody across the underlying rhythm, became a central part of tango. The ‘traditional’ orchestras played it simple and pleased the dancers. Composers and players, in the Decareano school such as Pugliese, Salgan and Piazzola were more interested in the music, and played for listening, and from the 1960s the dancing audience disappeared anyway.

In the 21st Century a new generation of musicians are mixing tango with contemporary music styles, re-imagining what tango music can be, and creating new arrangements of classics.

Different tango music tends to suggest different styles of dance when we hear it. Although many of the dance styles that were original danced when it was composed are now lost, with our mixed and reinvented tango we are able to interpret it. Some music suggests the use of cortes ‘cuts’ that reflect its strong rhythm, others are most flowing, while still others are full of tensions and accelerations.

In the end it is up to the couple how they dance, but it is important, and more interesting to really listen to the music, and not just dance the way same all the time.

Heavy Metal history

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To the uninitiated, any loud music is called heavy metal. In reality, there are a multitude of heavy metal styles and subgenres. Heavy metal is a wide umbrella characterizing a style of music that is generally loud and aggressive. There are genres that are very melodic and mainstream, and other genres that are extreme and underground. Here’s a brief overview of heavy metal and its many styles.

The term “heavy metal” was first used in a musical sense in the ’60s song “Born To Be Wild” by Steppenwolf when they referred to “heavy metal thunder.” Although there are debates among experts, most consider groups like ​Black Sabbath, ​Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple to be the first heavy metal bands.

From there the style evolved and branched into many different genres and subgenres. Heavy metal remains a vital force in music today, with sellout concert tours and CDs selling impressive numbers of copies without any radio airplay or MTV exposure.

The backbone of heavy metal is the electric guitar. You can’t have metal without at least one guitarist, and many bands have two or more. Certain genres have some quiet and mellow parts, but most metal is loud, intense, fast and aggressive. The vocal styles in heavy metal range from melodic singing to aggressive singing to unintelligible screaming, depending on the genre.

At the beginning, there was just traditional heavy metal. Shortly after it evolved and splintered into many different styles and subgenres. This site has a series of articles on many of the genres that will give you a more in-depth look at that particular type of metal.

As time has gone on, there are literally hundreds of subgenres

New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM)
This genre has influenced almost all metal that has followed it. These were the metal pioneers that took the original sound of groups like Black Sabbath and took out the rock and blues influences to make the traditional metal sound that we’re familiar with today.

Examples: Def Leppard, Diamond Head, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Saxon

Nu-Metal
Combining heavy metal riffs with hip-hop influences and rapped lyrics, this genre became very popular in the late ’90s through the early 2000’s and then fell from favor. There are a few bands of this style still doing well, although most have come and gone.
Examples: Korn, Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach, Slipknot

Power Metal
A very melodic form of metal that utilizes soaring guitars and strong vocals, usually in a higher register. It’s also an epic style, with long songs and many lyrics about mythology, fantasy, and metaphysical topics. Most power metal bands also have a keyboardist.

Examples: Blind Guardian, Fates Warning, Helloween, Jag Panzer

Thrash Metal
This genre evolved from NWOBHM and became heavier and more extreme. It’s characterized by fast guitar and double bass drum with aggressive but understandable vocals. Some of the most popular bands in metal started as thrash bands, although most evolved as they went along.
Examples: Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer

The great thing about heavy metal is that it is continually changing, evolving and improving. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any more extreme, something new comes along. Whether you prefer the melody and complexity of power metal or the aggression and intensity of death metal, it’s all part of this widely encompassing genre called heavy metal.

The Irish Harp

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We thought we’d provide a few ideas on Irish entertainment. When thinking about the Emerald Isle and the entertainment provided to the world, an obvious place to start is the harp.

But what is the history of the Irish harp? Unfortunately, the instrument’s origins are lost to time, but we are able to piece together a potted timeline from the past 1,000 years. The last High King of Ireland, Brian Boru, who died in 1014, was said to be an accomplished player whilst various documents state that the Celtic harp was the only music played during the Crusades in the 12th century. For those unaware, despite some minor differences, the Irish harp, Celtic harp and Gaelic harp are all terms used to describe the same instrument.

It is known that the harp was revered across Celtic culture and Europe in the 1100s with various leaders having their own resident harpist who enjoyed a high status and special privileges. What did they have to do? As one might expect, they were expected to play music in accompaniment to other forms of event entertainment – poetry recitations or reading of psalms, etc. Alas, no music for the harp is written down from this period.

As any lover of history may tell you, Celtic culture wasn’t as popular as it used to be and the social status of a harp player began to lessen as the years wore on. No longer retained amongst the higher echelons, they took to the streets, performing as travelling musicians to the delight of crowds. Perhaps they were enjoyed too much; although the Irish harp was a symbol of the country and embraced around the world, it was now see as an emblem of resistance against the Crown and England. It was henceforth banned from the end of the Middle Ages and in just a few centuries, the Irish harp had all but disappeared.

…Well, almost. In 1792, a group of harpists travelled to Belfast for a traditional harp festival. A passionate musician, Edward Bunting, noted down the music they played and it is thanks to him that traditional Gaelic music lasts to this day; it had never previously been written down on paper (presumably because nobody ever saw the point or most harpists couldn’t read or write sheet music.)

There are less than a dozen Celtic harps that have survived from the medieval period. The oldest one is also the most famous – the Trinity College Harp, upon which the official emblem of Ireland is now based. It can be seen if you decide to visit Trinity College in Dublin and no doubt, you’ll learn even more about this lovely instrument.