Where will you travel to?

As FAQs go, this is probably the most important! We travel both UK-wide and internationally, so no destination is out of the question for us! We charge no extra travel costs up to 50 miles from the West Midlands. For venues further afield, do get in touch for an accurate quote!

How long do you play for?

We perform up to 2 hours of live music and will always tailor our timings to suit your event!

For example:

  • 2 x 60 minute sets
  • 3 x 40 minute sets
  • 45 minute set followed by an energetic 75 minute final set

What times can we expect you to arrive, start and finish by?

Arrival
Our standard arrival time is in the early evening, approximately 6pm. Although we can arrive earlier to suit your event.

Setup
Under normal circumstances it takes us up to 90 minutes to load-in, set up and soundcheck.

Start
Depending on the event, we find the most effective start time is to begin the first set at about 8pm for most weddings.

Finish
We then provide 2 hours of live music broken up with DJ’d music until midnight.

The band can finish later at an extra cost. If you get in contact this is something we are happy to discuss and sort with you.

What do you need from us (the client) on the day?

We don’t like to sound like operatic divas but obviously there are some requirements we’ll need in order to provide you with the best possible service.

Space
Our minimum space required is about 5 x 3 metres. 99% of our gigs are indoors but we are happy to do an outdoor event. For the safety of the band, our equipment and the guests we must be adequately covered over. If there is no stage, a substantial floor would be required too (we couldn’t play on grass!).

Power
For small events with our high quality equipment, we only really need access to one mains 13 amp plug socket. If you are using a generator that is fine. We usually request at least a 6kVA generator with an adaptor to a 13 amp socket.

Rider
Our typical working day lasts at least 12 hours from approximately 3pm to 3am. For this reason we do ask for something basic to eat and soft drinks. If you would like us to be ‘suited and booted’ we will also need somewhere to get changed. This can be a spare meeting room or similar at a hotel or wedding venue. And in the worst case scenario, we’ll just use the Gents!

We are more than happy to go through specific details with you when you get in contact.

How much space do you need to perform?

Our minimum space required is about 5 x 3 metres. However, we do try to make the most out of whatever space is available. We can go through these specific details with you when you get in contact.

How much does it cost to book the band?

Our standard price starts at £1600. If you see our prices page you can find out what this provides or contact us directly to check our availability and get an exact quote.

How do I book you?

You can get in touch through a number of different ways through our contact page. We can then let you know of our availability on your preferred date and the exact cost for your requirements.

We will then send you a Musicians’ Union contract and our invoice. Due to the terms and conditions, there is no need for a deposit. The balance is simply due by the day of the event.

That’s all, folks!

What happens after we've booked you?

Once we’ve received your signed contract back then the booking is complete. About a month or two before your event you’ll get a call from Mike (lead guitarist). Mike will work with you to make plans for the day. He will go through the logistical and musical details so that we can plan the best performance for you.

If you would prefer to make this call earlier for any special reasons/requirements then just contact us. We’ll make it happen!

We've seen House of Chords under a different name before. What's that about?

Like most bands as well as having our own independent site we still work with one or two agencies. However, when working with agencies they often insist on an exclusive pseudonym to avoid competition between their interests and a band’s own site. There’s nothing more to it than that.

If in any doubt then get in contact with the band you’re looking at and ask them about it.

Are you able to DJ/provide background music before, after and between sets?

One of our most FAQs, the answer is Yes! With the live band we provide a DJ service at no extra cost, so there will always be music playing between the live sets!

Members of the band will man our laptop running through a high quality interface into our HK Audio PA system. That way you get to hear your favourite songs through a clear and detailed speaker system – live band and DJ all in one!

We have thousands of songs available and our standard selection is to continue on a similar theme to our live set. If you have any specific song requests before the event then we can go through this when planning. Just send us a list or playlist and we’ll have it ready to go on the day!

Is it possible to see you live before we book?

Of course, with hiring a ‘live performance’ it’s hard to gain an exact experience before you book.

Considering the majority of our performances are for private weddings and functions it would not be possible to invite you along unfortunately. However we do have plenty of example material, including recordings, images and videos on this site.

When we are playing some events such as charity fundraisers or similar there is sometimes a chance for people to get to see us live at one of these. Please get in contact if this is something you are interested in.

Finally, we are blessed to have lots of great feedback & reviews from previous couples and clients to give you peace of mind we do ‘what it says on the tin’! You can find and browse them all here!

What will the band look like?

For formal events we mostly perform suited and booted. We don’t wear matching clothes but each dress in our own style that comes together to make the band look. At more informal weddings and other events we dress more informally, but it’s entirely up to you! Some might say smart/casual, others may say ‘smasual’.

There are lots of pictures of us in action across our ‘socials’ if you want to get a more accurate image of how we will look at your event.

There are noise level restrictions at the venue. Can I still book a live band?

We play at numerous venues every year that have sound limiters in place and have a number of possible solutions. With our professional sound engineering experience we will always work with the venue no matter what the restrictions.

Please make sure you mention this in the booking process so we can plan appropriately.

How long do you take to load-in and set up?

To be sure of setting up a full sound and lighting rig it is best to allow for 90 minutes. However, under normal circumstances we aim to load-in, set up and soundcheck in around 60 minutes.

Will you learn a new song for our event?

Yes we will happily learn, arrange, rehearse and perform a song for you (at a small extra cost if it is a song we don’t know!) We find this is very popular for first dances at weddings.

With our extensive musical training and professional experience we use our arranging skills to provide you with a version as authentic as possible.

Although we always like a challenge, there are some songs which may not suit our band setup in order to do the song justice (Mariah Carey is proably a step too far!) but this is of course something we can discuss! For context, we have performed hundreds of live first dances from REO Speedwagon to Taylor Swift, so there’s a very good chance we can play what you’re looking for!

Can we choose the songs you'll perform?

The majority of our clients book us because they, like us, love music. When you live and breathe music you often want that control over the tunes and one of our most FAQs is how do we write up a set list for the day! We aim to provide you with a bespoke service so really there are a few options:

  • If you want to leave it to us then great, we use our experience to build a set list of tunes we feel are the best for the occasion.
  • If you want to pick a handful of songs off our playlist that you definitely do and definitely don’t want to give us some guidance then even better!
  • Alternatively, you can pick the whole lot and we will use these to form our sets. 2 hours of live music usually works out at about 35 songs from our repertoire.

I have a friend who would like to perform on the night? Is this at all possible?

In some cases, yes. With enough notice before the event we are happy to make arrangements for that ‘special guest’ appearance. It can make for a very special touch at weddings for example, if either the bride or groom have a music background.

All musicians would generally need to bring their own instrument if they wish to perform and we do reserve the right to refuse people using our equipment if everything is not prearranged, but all this can be discussed beforehand.

Can we see some reviews?

As already mentioned, we have a reviews page with a list of our previous client testimonials.

Do you have PAT and PLI certificates?

All of our equipment is annually PAT tested and we have public liability insurance cover up to £5M.

If your venue needs evidence of these we are happy to email you copies of our PAT certificate and our PLI summary or (as in most instances) we can just sort this directly with the venue!

Why is a raven like a writing desk?

I haven’t the slightest idea.

Contact for availability