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What is included in the Price? What is included in the Price? Please click here to get the details. Basically it’s a one-stop fee. Can I guarantee the same line up I have already seen? No. I loved one of the performers I saw playing with Xtatic. Can you guarantee that person to be available for my event? The short answer to that question is NO. For most parties up to about 500 people, yes. If we need to hire additional equipment, we can do so very competitively. Alternatively if you have already contracted a large sound system for your event, we can plug into that. The Venue has a difficult get-in: have you enough road crew to cope with this? In our quotation to you, we will assess this. It is true that some venues require us to employ additional crew, and therefore there could be an additional cost to the fee. How much time do you need to set up and get out? We like to be set up and sound checked, and cleared at least 1 hour before your guests arrive. Therefore we would like to be able to get in 4 hours before that time. At the end of the night, we need 2 hours to clear the stage and load up.
The nature of a party band such as ourselves is that we have a large repertoire of songs that are well known ("covers") and of different styles. In essence we work to three types of brief. 1) Full on party music, which means a mixture of 70s, 80s 90s to current dance classics. Increasingly in the last 2 years we include a strong Latino section to the evening. It has a good rock leaning to it, but from experience I would say that we are not really in the style of an "indie" band, because that type of music doesn't hold the dance-floor! The other type of music we include is Jive/Jazzy style. This is especially true with a larger band. 2) Background music with guests dancing if they feel like it! Ideal for networking parties, where the music should not be too intrusive. Our material is much jazzier, (even dinner jazz) gentle classic songs 3) Punchy themes. Ideal for Awards events, TV Chat show type of sales conferences. What is the difference between Xtatic and a tribute band? Tribute bands play one style of music only (e.g. ABBA) furthermore they have a set which is not easily modified, and probably don’t perform for more than one hour. They are more like a traditional cabaret act. Therefore, if dancing is an important feature of your event, you will need additional musical entertainment, either from another band, or DJ We play all styles (inc. ABBA !) and are flexible. Plus we play for longer. Generally speaking Tribute bands are more expensive and they do not carry their own PA system. However we do not carry costumes, and do not have costume changes, nor do we have choreographed dance sequences. If dancing for your clients is a key feature of the event, book a party band, such as Xtatic. If prestigious entertainment is needed, then tribute bands and cabaret are the best solution. Yes. On the night, if we know it we will play it, assuming it is a suitable moment. If it's for an opening dance, we must have at least two weeks notice. If you feel that the record is obscure, we must have a CD of the song for us to learn it. Is there a type of music you don’t play? Yes. Ultra modern electronic music, such as Rap, and Garage. Not because we don’t like it, but because of the sound. We would have to be an electronic based band, and generally speaking it would be hard to switch quickly from that style of music to our other more classic style on stage. However when we take a break, if you haven't booked a disco, we play that style from our own selections on iPod and CD. We also don’t play Trad Jazz, or Country music. However I have several colleagues who do, and we can engage them on your behalf. Do you play dinner Music at the event? Yes we can. There may be an additional charge. We would ask you to take into consideration the length of your event. If its very long, (e.g. 7-2.00 am) I would engage additional musicians for the early part of the evening, so that the musician required for the party part of the evening are fresh and have lots of energy! Our ideal size is 10 piece. (4-piece rhythm section, 3 singers, and 3 horns). Our ideal size below that is 8-piece (3 singers and 1 horn). We have done very small events as a 5 piece, and dinner music as a 4 piece. Our largest band size has been 15 piece, and this has enabled to play big band music more authentically. For a more Latin experience I would include percussion, and possible dancers.. Realistically this is at least a 10-piece. Normally we are dressed in black modern suits with dark shirts, or white collarless shirts. The female members of the band are in black party dresses, with suitable contrasting colors. If you feel that your event is very formal, or themed, let us know. Can you visit the site prior to the event? A meeting with the bandleader is included in the fee (subject to distance from London). What are your power requirements? Please see the rider. It is not suitable just to have one 13 amp socket available What do we do if we have to cancel the event? A copy of our cancellation clauses can be sent to you on request. I will always try to mitigate the loss by securing an alternative engagement for the band. That may not always be possible. Short notice cancellation attracts 100% cancellation fee. Some of the events we have been to, the band has been too loud It's true that nowadays clients expect a higher level of volume than say 10 years ago. However we are extremely amenable to clients sensitivities in this matter. It must be discussed at the initial meetings. One solution is to ensure that the volume is loud in the areas where it is required: i.e. the dance-floor. What will you do if no-one dances? This is where our experience counts. I approach a party with a judgement about what is going to bring people out on to the dancefloor. However, everyone is different, and sometimes the mood of an event can be subtly different. Our approach in this situation is to try different styles until we find the right formula. Sometimes guests are reluctant to start dancing until they have had a bit more to drink and have had all, the conversations they want to have with their colleagues or friends and relatives. This is particularly true at a normal British wedding. I cannot remember an event where nobody danced to our music! You seem a bit more expensive than other bands we have approached. Some party bands are semi-professional. Whilst the standard of many of them is excellent, they tend to work at weekends only due to Monday to Friday commitments. Xtatic is a fully professional band. There are no semi-professionals in the band; therefore their fees are higher. Additionally, the cost of our equipment has to be met from fees. In fact it is this cost, and crew costs which have increased enormously in the last few years, and of course, travel costs. Do you require overnight accommodation? We are a London based band, and musicians traditionally are used to travelling. However, driving 200 miles at 3.a.m. is not an option I impose on musicians. Therefore for that type of distance from London, the answer is yes. For shorter distances I usually arrange for my assistant and myself to have a room, since we arrive earlier and leave later than the musicians. We have other bands on the same event. Can you share a stage with them? Yes, by negotiation Can the other bands use your equipment? They cannot use our instruments, except in very exceptional circumstances. A client should never assume that it is possible. It IS possible to share our PA system. It may be necessary to exact a small charge to the other artists. Yes. Its a small extra charge, and it is Stage lighting only. For small venues this may well be sufficient to spill out onto the dancefloor as well. Dancefloor lighting is not included in the fee, but can be quoted for. How big a stage do you require? Please see our rider. Or click here Yes. Most clients supply food and drink. It is imperative that soft drinks and mineral water are available, and restroom facilities are available. Our booking process will let you know our requirements in the rider Do you play at Jewish Weddings and Barmitzvahs? Yes we do. We have a repertoire of traditional Hebrew songs. I often advise a client to additionally engage a Hebrew Speaking singer, to get the right sound especially if the client require more that 30 minutes of this type of music. We are not the right band for an Orthodox event. Can you sing in other languages? Yes with enough notice. We employ specialist singers to join the band, but it is important that we have enough notice to secure their services. I don’t organise these types of events very often and I am a bit nervous about all the organisation. Can I get any advice? You can call us ANYTIME with any type of question. If it's anything to do with music, staging, timings for the evening, we can definitely help. Even if it isn't, I can refer you to the right person. You will receive an invoice plus VAT with a breakdown of any additional costs, before the event. Payment terms are on our invoice. We do not play unless a contract has been signed. |
 
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