Q Branch Archive for posts tagged ‘wedding band’
Party Band
You’re having a parrrrtttaaaay? Well, there’s lots to think about and organise and one of the most important to organise is the entertainment and you need a party band!
Well look no further because you have found one of the best party bands around!
Doctor Chocolate are a 9 piece party band and we have been going for over 25 years. Yes, that’s a long time we know, and you may think that the band is made up of a lot of old farts, but it’s not! It’s full of very talented, experienced and professional musicians who know their craft and are exceptionally good at what they do. Especially when you think that many “party/function” bands have come and gone in that time! We’re still going strong so we must be doing something right, and we are!
What are we doing right? Well, let us tell you!! The sets are full of high-energy, non-stop party hits which are guaranteed to fill a dance floor for the entire evening. The music is stonkingly vibrant with the added energy and input from the brass section. The brass section play in harmony, which fattens out the sound and adds soul and funk to the songs and we ask them to multi-task and dance at the same time! If there isn’t any brass in a song then we add it into the song and “choccify it”. Doctor Chocolate has two high energy and interactive vocalists who have a great vocal range and can adapt to any style and they talk to your guests too! Songs are non-stop so there’s no awkward silence in between songs whilst the band decide what they are going to play next – songs flow from one to the other and the high-energy is maintained throughout.
Not only are we a fantastic party band with a great sound and performance we are professional too. By professional we mean that we are highly respectful of the guests, the venue, fellow entertainers and of course to all our clients. We won’t let you down with bad language, bad performances or by being rude and inconsiderate on or off stage. From the moment you enquire to the end of the event we are extremely well-behaved and polite as well as being great people to work with.
So yes, we’ve been going 25 years but it’s not the same people in the band now as at the start – we’ve evolved and expanded. The band is made up of 9 very talented musicians who all get along with no drama and no egos in sight! We are also extremely reliable and, in all the 25 years of performing, have NEVER let a client down!
Looking for a party band? Need a function band? Want to ensure your guests have the best band and entertainment as well as having music played throughout that will keep everyone happy and dancing? Check out our videos on our website or on the Facebook page – they are all 100% live with no studio editing or recording – just a simple camera in the corner of the room – but what you see is what you get and what you get is a fantastic party band guaranteed to get your guests on the dancefloor and having a great party!
Are you getting engaged this Christmas or New Year?
It’s Chrissssstmaaaassss!
That was written in my best Noddy Holder voice too!
Well, aside from all the Christmas shenanigans that are happening all over the UK this is the time of year, this is the time when we see lots of lovely people feeling the love and popping the all important question to their partners – the big “Will you?” question.
It’s easy to see why this is the perfect time for popping the question as there is lots of mistletoe hanging everywhere, corks are popping and bubbles overflowing, families get together to celebrate and the warm fuzzy feeling sets in meaning it’s a perfect time to ask!
Doctor Chocolate are a 9 piece party band and we have had the pleasure of playing for engagement parties and weddings all over the UK and abroad.
If you are looking for a long engagement but want to have a massive celebratory party then get in contact for a quote – Doctor Chocolate will bring the party and all the equipment so that you have a fantastic night of celebrating with your friends and family.
If you are planning a short engagement and are looking to book quality entertainment for your wedding day then we can certainly help there too!
Whatever your needs – we guarantee that you are booking one of the best bands in the South West and you will have non-stop, high-energy sets for your celebrations – we bring all the equipment, lighting, PA system and definitely bring along the party!
Who are Doctor Chocolate? Well, we are a 9 piece party band consisting of male and female lead vocals, drums, keys, bass guitar, lead guitar and 3 piece horn section of trumpet, saxophone and bass trombone.
We perform for two hours (2 x 1 hour sets) with a short break inbetween. The sets are full of non stop party hits – a really great mix of songs from the past 6 decades with a Doctor Chocolate twist to them. When the band are not playing we have recorded music to ensure you have music all night long. The band are interactive and fun with a front man who will guide your guests through the evening and get everyone involved.
So congratulations on the engagement!
Now we need to sort out the party! Contact us today by phone on 0796 7709018 or email sarah@doctorchocolate.co.uk or via our facebook page Doctor Chocolate.
Book a wedding band
Are you looking to book a wedding band for your evening celebrations?
You need to find an established, reliable and fun wedding band, a wedding band that has experience in engaging with all ages and personalities, a wedding band that can get everyone on the dance floor and having an excellent time!
Things to consider:
Guests. You have sat down and gone through all your friends and family list and have either managed to narrow the guest list down a bit or decided just to have a big party and invite everyone along. Whatever the size of your guest list there will be people there with different likes and dislikes on music, different ages, different backgrounds. You will have people that just want to sit and watch everything that is going on, and some guests who will want to throw themselves on the dance floor the minute the band start, and other guests who want to hang out around the bar and wait to dance until “a bit later on”. You need a band that understands the diversity of your guests. An experienced band that is used to ensuring that all your guests are involved from the start in the evening is paramount to the success of the evening. A disinterested band who just goes through the motions is NOT what you need. An experienced band who is lively, engaging, interactive, fun, plays all the right music and responds to your guests is what you need. You need Doctor Chocolate.
Music. You may love grunge. You may love swing. You may love classical. But your guests may not share that love of music. If you are certain that your passion for a certain style of music is played then consider having part of the afternoon/evening dedicated to that genre but then swap over to a party band who will appeal to everyone of your guests and get them involved in the evening too and having a great time. Unless all your guests have the same taste of music as you then you could end up with some making their excuses and leaving the venue early. The way to avoid this is to have a party band that knows and understands the evening format and how to engage with your guests and involve them all in the evening – someting in the sets for everyone – and ensuring that your guests stay for the duration and shout for more! You need an experienced party and wedding band like Doctor Chocolate.
Venue. The size and type of venue you have is important if you are considering live music. Many have installed sound limiters which will limit the volume that the live band/dj can perform. On occasions the limiter is set to a ridiculously low level which means anything more than a string quartet will set off the limiter. Others are set to a reasonable level but you may think that only a small band can perform there. That isn’t always the case. Doctor Chocolate are a 9 piece wedding and party band and we have played a large number of venues with sound limiters and small spaces. We have an excellent sound engineer who ensures we stay under the limit so we are often quieter than a 4 piece rock band as a result! Experienced and knowledgeable about our craft ensures Doctor Chocolate can cope without fuss.
Dance floor. Always ensure that there is enough space for your guests to dance and leave enough room for the band monitors so your guests don’t trip over. Also make sure that the dance floor is even and also free from drinks. Doctor Chocolate have played in many marquees where the floors are made up of hessian – which isn’t great for ladies heels when dancing unless they swap them for flip flops! It’s also a good idea to ask your guests to keep all drinks off the dance floor as this can make surfaces slippery but dangerous if drinks are served in glasses. Doctor Chocolate are an experienced wedding band and will always stay in contact with the marquee hire company to ensure that space is left between the stage monitors and the dance floor.
Doctor Chocolate spend hours sorting and compiling a set list. This experienced wedding band know what music works, where and when. Sometimes couples ask if they can choose the entire set list and format of songs but this isn’t a good idea – and we know some bands offer this. The reason it’s not a great idea is that you are only choosing the songs that you like, or you think your guests will like and the band you are booking are so desperate for the booking they will let you do this. But an experienced wedding band knows this isn’t the best way to plan for the evening celebrations as the songs chosen could be under rehearsed, badly performed and not appeal to all your guests attending. You are investing in a wedding band that know their craft, know their music, know their instruments, know their fellow musicians, know what songs work and where in the evening it’s best to play those songs. So use your investment – use the knowledge and experience that your wedding band has and trust them to make the right decision on the evening and you will have an incredible time. Doctor Chocolate know you are investing in them to provide you with the best evening’s entertainment and have the musicianship, experience and knowledge to ensure that the music played in the evening will be the best of the past 5 decades.
Fantastic Wedding at Cleeve Spa
Doctor Chocolate were asked to play for Sarah and Martyn’s wedding at the beautiful Cleeve Spa, Wellington at the weekend. What a venue!
We arrived early and sat outside in the gardens enjoying the last bit of sunshine of the day. At this venue you have the option of being married in the gardens and the set up of the wooden structure with the rustic wooden benches for guests with the aisle decorated with lanterns on hooks looked lovely.
When the wedding breakfast was over the staff moved quickly to clear the top table so that the band could set up. With ten band members we managed to unload the van, set up and sound check within 45 minutes!
The resident DJ was great fun and kept the party going with a good choice of wedding music and built the crowd and atmosphere really well.
In the corner of the room Kooky Booths had set up their photo booth with lots of props, wigs and funky faces – they even had a singing video option which resulted in a queue all evening waiting to use the booth! Great people working this booth so do get in contact with them for a quote and to find out how to add some fun to your event or wedding.
During one song the brass section from Doctor Chocolate slipped off stage to mingle with the guests and promenade around the room – we lost sight of them for a couple of minutes but could still hear them playing perfectly! We found out they had slipped into the photo booth for four cheeky photographs!
It was a brilliant wedding – the floor was rammed packed all evening and the guests were really responsive and up for a party! It’s the first time we’ve had the conga danced whilst playing a bit of Madness – check out our facebook page and you’ll see the evidence and the video footage! Whilst on the Facebook page – pop us a little “like” – and we’ll keep you updated on news and events as they happen!
The wedding of Sarah and Martyn – what a wedding. We wish them both every happiness & health for the future and we are so pleased they chose Doctor Chocolate to be their wedding band.
Wedding Music
Wedding music is such a personal choice and many couples don’t know where to start.
Working in the wedding industry we are often asked by couples What music do we choose for the wedding ceremony? Do we need a wedding music playlist? I want music for my wedding but need some wedding entertainment ideas? I want to choose the best wedding music but don’t know where to start?
Well, music is a personal choice but its also an extremely important part of any celebration.
The Wedding Ceremony – Church or Civil
If you are having a Church wedding ceremony then you’ll need to choose entrance music for the bride, hymns to sing during the service, music for signing the register and exit music.
ENTRY MUSIC
You can choose classical wedding music for your entry/exit or pick a song that means something to you – perhaps a song that was playing when you first met – as long as it’s also suitable for playing in a church!
You’ll need an organist to play the hymns for your service but the rest of the music can be played by a small band, solo vocalist with backing tracks, harpist or why not opt for an acoustic guitarist who would sound fantastic in a church acoustic.
You will need to choose hymns though – so pick hymns that are popular if you can. There’s nothing worse than choosing a hymn with a melody that nobody knows – they won’t sing along and the Vicar may feel a little vulnerable singing on their own!
Choose a entrance song that is beautiful, serene and gentle – this is the arrival of the bride after all. Be clear in your choice when you relay the song to the organist – if you want the theme tune for Robin Hood – stress that you want “Everything I do” by Bryan Adams not THE theme tune for the 50’s TV show – believe us – we’ve heard this one played before! You don’t want the bride galloping down the aisle to the wrong song!
If you are having a civil reception – then you have a wider choice of songs to play for your entrance, recessional and exit music – but you can’t have anything played that has a religious side to it – so no hymns or similar.
Here are a few suggestions for entrance music – a few classical and a few modern:
They Long To Be Close To You – Carpenters
Songbird – Eva Cassidy
Make You Feel My Love – Adele
Bella’s Lullaby – Twilight
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
Bridal Chorus (Here Comes The Bride) – Wagner
Clare de Lune – Claude Debussy
Canon in D
Nocturne – Chopin
You’ll need music for signing of the Register too. Something classical, emotive, wonderful lyrics and reflective music. If you are in a church then perhaps choose something classical or have a vocalist singing Ave Maria. If you are having a civil ceremony then you are likely to remain in the same room whilst you sign the register – so choose something romantic that sums the pair of you up.
After signing of the register it’s time to leave the venue as a married couple. This will be your first song you hear after the official side of the ceremony so pick something that is lively, fun and has amazing lyrics.
Here are a few exit suggestions:
Signed, Sealed Delivered I’m Yours – Stevie Wonder
Now That We’ve Found Love – Heavy D & The Boys
Better Together – Jack Johnson
Somewhere Over The Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
From This Moment On – Shania Twaine
Can You Feel The Love Tonight – Lion King
After the formalities are over it’s time for the Wedding Reception.
Lots of wedding entertainment ideas here! Perhaps a steel band in the garden for a drinks reception, or a jazz trio, easy listening band? A harpist is always popular or for something a little different a brass quintet! There’s also singing waiters which seem to be a popular addition these days – choose wisely though – there are some that should really stick to waiting on tables rather than singing! Go by recommendation or ask to see videos of them in action to make sure you hire the best ones!
Although Doctor Chocolate are a 9piece band we can also provide music for your wedding reception earlier in the day if required by scaling down to a 3/4 piece playing easy listening and soft jazz classics such as Fly Me To The Moon, Zing Went the Strings, Autumn Leaves, My Funny Valentine, Besame Mucho, Dream a Little Dream and lots of other hits by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Andy Williams and all the other great crooners!Lots of ideas here for reception music.
The Evening Party
This is where your imagination can run and run! You need to pick your evening entertainment based on your guests! You may both absolutely love hard core Jazz, House Music, A Michael Buble tribute etc. These are great for adding atmosphere to the evening and be exactly what you as a couple are totally into and you’ll love it! Remember however that you are inviting guests along to the evening to celebrate with you and they will be of mixed age groups. Remember also that not all your guests will also love extreme jazz – not everyone will be into hard house music – and a Michael Buble tribute may be excellent but you can’t dance along to it! If your guests are not entertained or if they have their ears bashed with hard core jazz or house music – you’ll find they will start to leave the wedding venue early. If budget is no option then book a tribute for part of the evening and get a live band in playing covers for the remainder of the evening.
If budget is a problem and you can’t afford to have lots of different entertainment – then we would recommend going for a party covers band who will play music that your whole wedding party will enjoy, dance and get involved with. They will know the songs played, they can sing and dance along, they will have a great night dancing no matter what age group they are and most importantly everyone will have a brilliant evening.
Doctor Chocolate are a fantastic party covers band and we are experienced at celebrations where there is a mix in age groups and musical tastes. The key is bringing everyone together to have a great night and help you celebrate one of the biggest nights of your lives!
The First Dance
This is definitely one that is super-personal. It needs to be a song that you both love, that means something to you both. Perhaps the song that was playing when you first met, had your first date, came on the radio when you had a special evening, was your holiday song or is just something a little different or it has lyrics in that just touch the very heart of you and sums up your relationship perfectly. Remember you also have to dance to it in front of your guests so pick a song that you are comfortable with. If you can’t dance – pick a song where you just have to shuffle together and hold each other, encourage your guests to join you on the dance floor after the first 20 bars of the song. If you can dance – pick something where you can bust out some moves and impress everyone with your dance prowess!
Moon River – Frank Sinatra
The Way You Look Tonight – Tony Bennett
All Of Me Loves All Of You – John Legend
Use Somebody – Kings Of Leon
Just the Way You Are – Bruno Mars
1000 years – Christina Perry
Falling In Love with You Again – Imelda May
Better Together – Jack Johnson
For Once In My Life – Stevie Wonder
Read more articles on Wedding entertainment here:
Wedding Entrance Music
Wedding Recessional Music
Wedding Exit Music
Wedding Receptions – Music
Wedding Music – First Dance
Wedding Evening Celebrations
Clevedon Hall
Doctor Chocolate played for a lovely wedding in June 2014 at Clevedon Hall. This is a beautiful venue in the South West of England and perfectly suited to wedding celebrations.
Doctor Chocolate have performed in this venue on many occasions for weddings, dinner dances, corporate events and celebrations of all kinds. Playing in the main hall at Clevedon Hall means the band van can just pull up directly outside and access is easy – we were set up and sound checked in no time at all! Normally Doctor Chocolate set up for a wedding reception/evening party at the bottom of the stairs in the main hall. With two rooms at the rear of the stage area it means the band have somewhere to store empty boxes from the equipment as well as have somewhere to change and wait before we go on for the first set.
In February 2010 the magnificent Clevedon Hall was, for the first time in its 150-year history, opened for private events. It is considered among the top venues in the south west region. It is constructed in Mendip and other local stones with some impressive carvings and pierced-stone ballustrading. It has Dutch gables, a very large orangery and conservatory. It also has a 19th Century French tower. The grounds are luscious with many different varieties of shrubs and trees and some (often playful) wildlife, including red deer, pheasants, foxes, squirrels and ducks. There’s also a resident heron which spends much of its time gazing into the lake hoping to catch lunch. Charles Hill, who owned the Albion Shipyard in Bristol, bought the Hall in 1877 as a family home, and promptly changed its name to Clevedon Hall.
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Reliable Wedding Band
Doctor Chocolate have been on the professional circuit of function, wedding, covers, party bands in the Bristol and South West area for over 20 years. We are experienced, interactive, reliable, fun, sound great, look great and, more importantly, in all that time not once have we let a venue or a client down.
Sadly, this isn’t the case with all bands. In 2014 we’ve received over 8 last minute telephone calls from couples who are desperately looking for a band for their wedding as the band they booked emailed or telephoned them to say they couldn’t make it! This is dreadful and, after all the hard work that goes into organising your day and evening – the absolute last thing you want to hear.
Your evening entertainment for your wedding can be just as important as the daytime celebrations and ceremony. It is the part of the day when you need to ensure your guests are fed, watered and looked after and have a great evening!
Sadly, Doctor Chocolate haven’t always been able to help out as we have a packed diary of bookings ourselves. For a 9-piece band this is fantastic and we are one of the most hard-working bands on the circuit. But this doesn’t help you when you’ve been let down by a band that isn’t professional and won’t think twice about the implications of letting you down at the last minute!
Please always check out a band before you book them – not all bands are as experienced and reliable as Doctor Chocolate. Nearly every band now have a series of videos and recordings on their website for you to view before booking – please remember that the vast majority of videos have been recorded in a studio with the band having been tweaked to within an inch of their lives by a talented studio sound engineer! Go and see them live! Ask for recommendations and references from other clients! Ask to talk to previous clients if you need to!
Doctor Chocolate have uploaded 22 videos to our main website – each and every one of these videos has been recorded whilst we have been performing live in front of an audience! Not in a studio! they sound great – they look great – and this is what you can expect for your event!
We won’t let you down on our performance and will guarantee you a fabulous night of music and dancing that all your guests will enjoy and talk about for years after! Don’t take our word for it – check out the testimonials on our main website page.
Can I see the Band before I book?
Doctor Chocolate have had a very busy summer bursting with some amazing weddings, parties, celebrations, proms, officers mess events and festivals! Visit our Main Website here!
Doctor Chocolate receive requests from clients who are asking about booking the band for their wedding, party or corporate event as booking a band for such an important occasion can be a minefield. There are lots of bands on the circuit and not all of them are great! As we are always out working some fantastic private events it means we don’t have the chance to play for many open events where people can just pop along and see/hear the band.
If you are booking a band for your event you should really go and see them live first – to get a feel of whether they suit your event and theme. You need to be sure they are experienced, reliable, professional, adaptable and most of all – they know how to interact with the guests you have attending for your event! Thankfully Doctor Chocolate are all these things!
Websites can look great! Recordings can sound amazing! But you need to know that the band you are booking are just as good live. Doctor Chocolate have uploaded 22 videos to our website – they were not recorded in a studio, they were not filmed under studio conditions! Any band can walk into a studio and record their performance. They often sound great as the sound engineer who works in the studio can work miracles! Hear them live – that’s a different story altogether!
Doctor Chocolate’s videos on our website were recorded whilst we were playing for 200 people at a charity event in November 2013. If you look you’ll see some guests on the dance floor busting out some moves! The videos and recording are 100% live – we don’t need to go into a studio to look or sound good – we ARE good! See for yourself by watching our videos on the website!
As Doctor Chocolate are out most weekends performing for weddings, celebrations, parties, corporate events and everything inbetween, we don’t get the opportunity to play at open events very often. When we do we publish the information on our Facebook page – join us on Facebook and find out all the latest news and information first! Check out the events page on Facebook and come along to see the band – we do about 4-5 open events a year. Sadly it’s not possible to come along to a wedding to see us – but at least you’ll be assured we won’t bring anyone along to your private event!
Stage Set Up and Lighting
Doctor Chocolate have an excellent PA system. Many bands say that – but actually turn up with an alright PA system – not a great PA system! Doctor Chocolate invest heavily in our equipment – we have the latest QSC PA system and it sounds amazing! Our sound is clear – you can hear every instrument playing, crisp – it’s not muffled or muddy in sound and it’s compact too so doesn’t take up too much room. Visit our main website here!
We’ve turned up at events where the DJ hasn’t wanted to go on after we’ve played as their PA system (which is HUGE in size) just isn’t up to the job for the night. Recently the DJ cranked his volume up so much he blew one of the speakers! Doctor Chocolate can increase the volume as needed – but always within the levels set by the venue and we always sound great! No sub-standard equipment for the Choccies!
In addition we also provide lighting for the stage so that you can see us and it adds ambiance! You’d be surprised how many bands don’t have any lighting at all and turn up at a venue where they also don’t have any ambiant lighting! The result? No atmosphere as the main lights have to remain on all night – have you tried “Dad Dancing” with the lights full on? Not a great look or atmosphere!
Other bands will charge you an extra fee for providing lighting for the stage and dance-floor! All these little extras can soon add up and take your budget over what you wanted to spend.
Doctor Chocolate – wedding, covers, party and function band quote you for your event and we include the PA system, stage lighting, 9 musicians, 1 sound engineer and include two hours of live music performed by an awesome band with songs that are guaranteed to get your toes tapping and your guests on the dance floor!
All our equipment is pat tested yearly and we have public liability insurance so your venue can be assured that they are protected too! Find out more on our main website, facebook page or contact us for more information on how we can give your event the WOW factor.
Come and see Doctor Chocolate
Looking for a wedding, covers, party, function band for your event? Doctor Chocolate have many years experience at playing for all events all over the UK.
We are often asked if it’s possible to come and see/hear us perform live. And – the answer is: Yes of course you can!
This may be the only time you have to book a live band for your event and you want to be sure you book wisely! If you haven’t been recommended a band then you MUST go and see/hear them! So we try and book in open/public events throughout the year and there’s a few in 2014 that you are more than welcome to come along to.
21st June – Burtle Village Hall for their Midsummer Ball – Tickets £10 and include a ploughmans
25th July – The Thunderbolt Public House, Bath Road, Bristol – tickets £5 on the door
31st October – Royal Hotel, WSM, Halloween Ball
1st November – Charity Fundraiser for Weston Hospicecare – £35 to include 3 course meal.
All our other fabulous events are private events such as weddings and corporate so it won’t be possible to come along to any of those and heckle the band. However you can be assured that if you book us for your private event we won’t bring anyone along to your event either!
If you can’t make any of these dates then check our website – we’ve 22 videos on there that are 100% Fully LIVE! They were recorded at a charity event in 2013 – this is how we look/sound for each event. These videos were not recorded in a studio – they were fully live.
So, get in contact and find out more about how you can book Doctor Chocolate! We’d love to hear from you!
All quotes are fully inclusive, with no hidden charges or extras to pay!
All our other events throughout the year are private: weddings, corporate, charity events and it’s not possible to invite you along to these events. However, you can be assured that, when you book Doctor Chocolate for your event – we won’t be inviting anyone along to listen on that night either. We only bring along band members!