Royal Hen represents the perfect fusion of the Hollywood style dance band of the Golden Era with the power and exuberance that comes of being London's ultimate party band. In essence, it is a classic big band -with the incredible classy ambience which that implies. The rows of musicians in evening dress, the grand piano, the singers at the front all set a
scene of opulence and old fashioned charm, but with the crucial difference that the music consists of non stop party classics played with a great deal of passion.
A wide ranging repertoire, from Motown to the Black Eyed Peas, from Elvis to Joss Stone and everything in between guarantees that the dance floor will be packed from first to last. Over the last two years, the band has worked at all the major London Hotels, and delighted clients have been Madonna, Mikhail Gorbachev, Bill Clinton, The Olivier Awards and Sir Elton John.
SAMPLE REPERTOIRE:
Can't take my eyes off you
Oh what a night (December 63)
Blame it on the Boogie
Dancing Queen
Boogie Wonderland
First, last, everything
Wake me up before you go go
Son of a Preacher Man
Don't stop till you get enough
Knock on wood
Crazy Little thing called love
12. Rehab
Superstition
Signed, Sealed Delivered
Valerie
I got a feeling
Mustang Sally
It's not unusual
Billie Jean
I will survive
Let me entertain you
Livin La Vida Loca
Celebration
Rolling In The Deep
Firework/Only Girl In The World
Young Hearts Run Free
Blurred Lines
Get Lucky
Single Ladies
Lady Marmalade
Play that funky music
Crazy in Love
Ain't Nobody
Everybody needs somebody
Shake a Tailfeather
Hot Hot Hot
Brown eyed girl
Amarillo
Love Train
Like a Virgin
Happy
I'm a Believer
Suspicious minds
New York
Walking on Sunshine
Don’t Stop Me Now
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
“That Band Looks Enormous- will we fit it into our venue?”
-The full Royal Hen MDO is seventeen strong- Three
trumpeters, three trombonists, four saxophonists, two singers,
a bass player, a pianist, a drummer and a very fine guitarist.
Oh, and Pete at the front, waving his arms about. It will fit
happily on a stage three metres deep by eight wide.
“We can’t fit all that in! Can you bring less musicians?”
-Yes we can, although you lose visual and sonic impact as you
reduce the size of the band. We can go all the way down to a
seven piece, which can fit on a stage three metres square.
A smaller band costs less, too.
“Aha! So what’s it going to cost?”
-That really depends on where your party is. The band is London based, so outside the M25 we have to consider travel expenses. Best thing is to ring or email Pete for a chat.
“And what do we get for our money”
About as much clean fun as it’s possible to have! Seriously, as a rule we quote for 120 minutes of music finishing before midnight, divided up any way you want. Most folk opt for two lots of an hour, but we have done three 40 minute sets in our time. Late finishes, early starts and cocktail music can be done, at extra cost. We bring all our speakers, music stands and lights, but we leave the stage and dance floor to you.
“What happens on the day of the party then?”
Five chaps will turn up early, and have the whole thing fully and discreetly set up half an hour before your guests arrive. The rest of the musicians and singers will arrive 45 minutes before the band is due to start playing. There’s no point getting them all there early and leaving them to fester in a nearby pub!
“What happens during the band break?”
If you’ve not booked a DJ, we will play recorded music over our speaker system. Lots of people these days like to prepare an mp3 player with all their favourite things on. We’re happy to plug these in and play them during the breaks.
“Can we borrow a microphone for speeches”
Yes of course. No extra charge.
“Can my nephew Kevin have a go on the drums?”
Bitter experience has shown that this usually ends in tears, so the answer is usually no. If Kevin feels that he plays to a good standard, and you feel that it would really enhance your party, then he can come to the setting-up part of the day and show us what he’s got! If we’re all happy, Kevin will get to play. The same applies to your Niece Shona singing a song, or Uncle Len playing the guitar.
“What do we need to provide?”
Once you have decided on the space available for the band, we need four power points available on stage. We’d also like somewhere near the stage where all the instrument cases can be hidden, and an area for changing. Royal Hen is a mixed ensemble, so a partitioned room is best. If you’re feeling magnanimous, five hot meals for the early party are always most welcome! We’ll also need somewhere to park our cars.
“What happens if a speaker falls off the stage and squashes the wedding cake?”
In the short term, lots of squashed cake. Although accidents of this nature are highly unlikely, Royal Hen has public liability insurance worldwide for up to £10 million. All the electric stuff is PAT tested, in accordance with protocol.
“We’ve spent four months learning a dance routine to our favourite track- can you
play it for us for an opening dance?”
Usually we can. For special requests, see the sample repertoire opposite
“What are you going to wear?”
Anything you like, really. Most clients plump for Black Evening Dress, but we can
also do white tuxes for a period 1930’s look, grey houndstooth check bandjackets
with black satin lapels for a 1950’s look, or dark loungesuits for a cool jazzy look.
Once, we all had to dress up as Louis XIV!
What happens now?
Once you have all the timings, technical and repertoire details and last, but by no
means least, the fee agreed with Pete, he will send you a contract for the
performance. No deposit will be taken, but payment in full will be requested on the
night of the performance. The contract is there to give you the peace of mind that
you will get exactly what you ordered!
