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What does a typical Irish solo performer consist
of?
Our Irish solo artiste's consist of a guitar-vocalist
with a versatile selection of Irish songs of all kinds,
eras and genres. That often includes many of the classics
such as 'The Fields of Athenry, 'Leaving of Liverpool',
'Dirty old Town', etc. He'll usually include a selection
of songs recorded by acts such as, The Dubliners, Christy
Moore, Pogues, Wolfe Tones, etc. As well as that,
our acts
will also perform as
standard, a selection of country and
or contemporary numbers where
requested.
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What does a typical Irish duo consist of?
Usually a guitar-vocalist along with a melody instrumentalist
such as an Irish fiddler, Banjo player or Accordian
player. They'll usually provide
good and lively Irish songs of all types,
new and old, to suit all tastes
similar to the songlists of our solo acts.
It's standard also that acts will
include a selection of contemporary covers. Some
bookers prefer an act that performs mainly ballads and
traditional tunes where others prefer a mixture of Irish
with some pop covers and country.
If you have a specific preference
advise us when you make your
enquiry and we'll do our very best
to ensure that we supply you with something to
match your needs.
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What are the main differences and advantages
of booking an Irish music duo instead of a solo Irish
entertainer?
A solo act is ideal for smaller venues and crowds
of up to around 100 people and can often provide all
that you'll need. The main benefit of booking a duo
is that it's a 'fuller sound' and features an extra
instrument that can play Irish jigs and reels.
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Can your Irish acts play traditional Irish music
and songs AND disco type songs and rock music, Abba,
U2, etc?
Irish music is played with different instruments
compared to pop cover and function bands. Electric guitars,
keyboards and rock drummers don't generally really work
with Irish songs. It's quite a tall order expecting
an Irish band to switch from 'The Fields of Athenry'
to 'Dancing Queen' just as it would be to get a pop
cover band to do likewise. If you want to have live
Irish music and rock and pop covers why not consider
booking a live Irish act to be followed by one of our
excellent
discos?
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How long does the act play for?
A typical booking is for 2 hours including one fifteen
minute break. This can vary and be longer depending
on the needs of the booker. Weddings are often for 2.5-3
hours. On St Patrick's day and New years eve it's usually
for 3 x 45 minute sets during a 3 hour period.
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Which areas does your agency cover and do your
acts travel?
We cover almost anywhere. Many
of our acts are based in the London
and home counties but we have others based in various
regions of the country. We can send acts literally anywhere
to venues and functions in both the
UK and abroad. We work
on the principle of 'distance is no object'. We've recently
assisted with the supply of Irish entertainment for
a venue in Chengdu in China!
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Do they supply their own PA system?
Yes. All acts are self contained and provide all
of their own equipment. In some cases where a venue
already has an in house sound system they will use this
provided it's all arranged and agreed beforehand. In
some bookings the musicians perform acoustically without
any PA. This is typical with Irish traditional 'Sessions'.
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Can I go and hear them perform before I book
them?
If there's time enough before the date of your booking
we can probably arrange that for you. If not we'll see
if we can get a demo MP3 file sent off to you asap.
The simplest and quickest way to hear some of our acts
playing is via our
samplers
page. You may also rest assured that our reputation
is very important to us and we have a vested interest
in supplying only the best Irish music acts available.
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Do your acts play their instruments live or
do they use backing tracks?
Because Irish music is essentially an acoustic based
type of sound, the use of 'Karaoke' type backing tracks
is almost unheard of. With pop orientated Irish bands
for some functions such as weddings they are sometimes
used but only sparingly and more to augment the act
rather than substitute real live music.
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My party is a happy event and I don’t want a
lot of sad and dreary songs played nor too many traditional
jigs and reels, can you make sure they keep it lively
and happy?
Yes, of course. Although many popular and classic
Irish songs are sad and slow, (Fields of Athenry, Grace,
Four Green Fields, etc,)they need to be played sparingly
along with all the lively stuff for parties such as
'Whisky in the Jar', 'The Irish Rover', etc. Traditional
music such as Jigs and Reels is also something that
works better with a crowd when played sparingly. Our
acts are all used to playing to a crowd so they are
aware of this issue and arrange their sets accordingly.
Most good acts watch the crowds reaction and keep it
all lively and flowing.
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I will have lots of English guests at my party
so I don’t want to offend anyone with any Rebel songs,
can you make sure this isn’t an issue?
Rebel songs are not played at any functions or gigs
by our acts unless the booker has specifically asked
for them, so rest assured that won’t be a problem!
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Do you take bookings at short notice?
Yes, we can often arrange to get an act for you within
24 hours of a booking or even on the same day! We do
of course prefer more notice but if your booking is
urgent call us right away on 0845 226 5324.
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I run an Irish venue abroad can you supply me
with an Irish act?
We can supply Irish performers to travel anywhere
provided the terms and conditions are suitable. The
most feasible set up is where an Irish music bar can
provide accommodation and an in house PA system with
a realistic fee. If you have an enquiry for an Irish
entertainment act to play abroad just fill out our
enquiry form
and we promise to get back you promptly.
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We're having an 'Irish theme night' can you
organise that for us?
Indeed we can. We specialise in coordinating and
organising Irish theme nights. We can arrange live Irish
music, Irish dancers. an Irish Piper or anything you
require for an Irish night to remember! We can also
supply a compere and songsheets for 'Irish singalongs'
and where required, find you a venue via our many function
room and venue contacts across the UK. If you're thinking
of organising such an event, get in touch and we'll
be delighted to discuss it with you.
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Do the acts play requested songs on the night?
Certainly. However, if it's essential to you that
a specific song is played on the night it's best to
let us know at the time of booking ands we'll organise
(where possible) for the act to perform it for you.
We can't of course guarantee that all of our acts will
have every Irish song available on their songlist!
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Would I have any say in the general list of
songs played on the night?
Yes, it’s a good idea and normal procedure for the
act to consult the booker on an appropriate playlist
for the night. For example, it wouldn't be advisable
to play Irish rebel songs at a wedding! Neither is it
a good idea to play too many slow and sombre ballads,
although the night probably wouldn't feel the same without
the odd tearjerker classic such as; ‘Danny Boy’ or ‘The
Fields Of Athenry’.
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I need someone to sing at a funeral, can you
help?
Yes, we can supply a singer with or without an instrument
to sing any song of your choice at the service and or
the graveside. If you need to book someone soon please
call us on 0845 226 5324. To see how
much it will cost please go to our
fees page.
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Is an Irish solo or duo suitable for Irish wedding
music entertainment?
A solo is probably not quite sufficient for a wedding
simply because a wedding crowd is usually very diverse
and varied, needing a wide range of musical material
that would be better suited to a duo or a band. To find
out more information on what we can do to help you with
your wedding visit out
Irish weddings
page.
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How do acts dress when performing?
Depends on the event. Smart dress or casual is the
norm. If it's a 'dressy' occasion the act will dress
aptly.
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How is my booking confirmed and paid for?
Once your booking is made and the details of your
needs clarified, we will put all of the details on a
simply understood agreement which is normally ratified
by a deposit and signed copy of the agreement. This
constitutes a legal contract between you and the act
that will give you the peace of mind that everything
is confirmed in writing. We normally accept deposit
payments via cheque or bank transfer. We can also accept
deposit payments via credit cards, switch, solo or maestro.
The balance of the contracted fee is normally paid in
cash on the day to the act. Where requested you can
also pay for the balance by credit or debit card.
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Are your fees all inclusive? Are there any 'extras'?
The fees quoted are what you will pay in total unless
there is an extra travel cost involved, in which case
you will be advised of this at the time of booking and
it will be included clearly in your booking agreement.
Travel costs are kept to a minimum. If the booking is
long distance and an overnight stay is required for
the act then this will also be negotiated separately
with the booker and included in the agreement. We have
no hidden costs and we do NOT charge any booking or
arrangement fees. VAT is NOT applicable unless the act
is VAT registered, which is rare and if they were we'd
advise you of that at the time of booking.
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How far ahead do I need to make a booking?
There's no set time but it's always best to book
up as far ahead as possible. We do however, often arrange
bookings at short notice.
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How do I make a booking?
Just call us on 0845 226 5324, fill
out our online
enquiry form or
email us. Either way we promise to respond to your
enquiry very promptly! When you make the booking we
provide you with a 'plainspeak' agreement that will
include all of the terms and conditions applicable to
your booking. You simply check it through, assuming
it's all correct then sign and return it to us either
by scanning and emailing it or via post. We'll normally
ask for a deposit that's deductible from the agreed
fee of which the balance is normally payable on the
night.
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I may also need Irish dancers and or an Irish
disco, can you arrange it all for me?
Absolutely. We can coordinate the event for you and
take the hassle and headache out of it all by arranging
everything. We can also provide a
PA for hire
at the function if required.
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Do you charge me an extra fee for arranging
the booking?
No. As an agency (in the vast majority of cases)
we make our cut via commission paid to us by the act
from their overall fee. If there were any booking or
management fee involved this would be negotiated by
separate arrangement with you and included clearly within
the terms and conditions of any such agreement.
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I need to discuss this with you, can you call
me?
Yes, we'd be glad to. If you wish to make a booking
enquiry please either fill out our
enquiry form which asks
you for your telephone number or call our office on
0845 226 5324 (Local call rate). You
can also
email
us directly with any specific question you may have.
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