Frequently Asked Questions

These are some of the questions we get asked most frequently. We thought you might find it useful, as a quick and easy way to get a simple answer.

If you can’t find your question here, or you just fancy a chat, don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can call us on 0845 838 5191 or 07973 110075 or email us at info@hatband.co.uk . We’re always happy to talk through your requirements.

Q: Can we choose which songs the band play?

A: It’s your day. So if you can’t find something on our repertoire list, let us know and we’ll learn it for you. Remember though, we have lots of experience in choosing the songs that make the party go with a swing. So we need to remain a little bit flexible, to ensure we give you a great show.

Q: How much space do you need?

A: It depends on the size of band you’ve booked of course, but a practical working space is usually about 3 metres by 6 metres (that’s 10’ by 20’ in old money). We've played parties in the front room of somebody's house, right up to big open air festivals, so we can work round your venue. But the more space you allow for us, the easier it is for us to make it look amazing.

Q: What equipment do you bring with you? Do we need to supply anything ourselves?

A: Apart from electricity, the band is completely self-contained. We bring all the sound and lighting equipment with us. So unless you’re attempting to create a complete Saturday Night Fever disco floor effect, our lights will be quite enough for the dancers to strut their funky stuff.

Q: How many people can your sound and lighting equipment cater for?

A: The simple answer to this is, as many as you like. Just let us know the size of your venue and the number of people attending, and we’ll bring all the sound and lighting equipment you need. Our own professional standard, touring grade PA equipment is usually sufficient for most events. However, if you need us to hire in extra equipment for bigger events such as charity balls or large corporate functions, we have excellent relations with the leading sound and lighting suppliers in the country.

For the technically minded amongst you, our in-house speakers are Martin Audio and our amplifiers are QSC Audio or Lab Gruppen. Mixing desk and outboard gear are provided by the likes of Mackie, Drawmer, DBX, Behringer and Alesis.

Q: Can we use you PA for speeches?

A: Yes. If the band is there and set up, you're welcome to use our PA for any speeches, toasts or general announcements.

Q: Do you mind audience members getting up and singing with the band?

A: Not at all, as long as you arrange it with us in advance. That way we can make sure we're adequately insured. We do ask that people singing or playing with band accept reasonable requests and instructions from the band leader. Good natured joining in is most welcome. Drunken stage invasions are not.

Q: Do you need a stage?

A: It’s not something we insist on, particularly it’s an event for less than 200 people. But it is nice if there is one available. For events bigger than a couple of hundred people, it can be hard for people to see us without a stage. There can also be problems with the people on the dance floor tripping over our equipment.

0 - 200 guests Stage desirable (but not essential).
200-300 guests Stage of at least 1 foot high strongly recommended
300 - 400 guests Stage of at least 2 foot high strongly recommended
400-500 guests Stage of at least 3 foot high strongly recommended.

For events of more than 500 people it’s pretty well essential to have a stage or a raised area. But if you're planning an event on this scale you probably already know this.

Q: How long does it take you to set up and pack down?

A: For a small to medium event set up and pack down can be done in 30 minutes, if access is good. It's nice to have a bit longer, and we always allow plenty of time in case anything unforseen crops up.

Q: Is your quote an all inclusive price or are there any extras that we should know about?

A: The price we quote is a fixed price. As long as you don't ask us to do anything different (like play at a venue 200 miles further away, or add an extra musician or two) the price we quote is the price you pay. Unless the Chancellor changes the VAT rules again of course.

Q: What does the quote include?

A: The quote is generally for three 60 minute sets, with recorded music in the breaks, finishing at midnight. We will aim to arrive a couple of hours before we start playing, to allow for a nice leisurely set up. If you need us to play longer, or later, do let us know and we’ll factor that into the quote. Similarly, if we will have to carry our kit a mile across a ploughed field from car park, we’ll have to hire in a couple of strong chaps so the quote will go up a bit. The key thing is to tell us what you need and we’ll give you a fixed price quote - so you know exactly what you’ll be paying.

Q: Our event is in a temporary marquee? Do we have to make any special electrical arrangements?

A: Yes. We will send you our Tech Spec to pass on to your marquee company, or you can download it yourself by clicking right here. We're also happy to liaise directly with them if you need us to.

Q: Do the band expect to be bought drinks all night and receive a five course meal?

A: It is usual to feed the band and provide some kind of soft drinks (water is fine). If you're having an evening buffet, and you're happy for the band to discretely help themselves, that's normally sufficient.

Q: We've heard horror stories about bands enjoying themselves slightly too much. What is your policy on drinking, partying and so on?

A: We have a very strict No Alcohol rule. We are there to entertain, but we're also at work. Every member of our bands is a professional musician and their livelihood depends on their professional standards of behaviour - both on and off stage. Since all of our gigs come from recommendations, we know that we’re only as good as our last performance.

Q: How far in advance should we book?

A: As you can imagine, we do get very booked up, especially over the summer and at Christmas time. So to be sure of getting the date you want, we suggest that you book as early as possible. Bookings are taken on a first come first served basis. However, we do sometimes have last minute cancellations, so even if there’s not long to go, it’s always worth giving us a call.

Q: Do you take provisional bookings?

A: No, sorry. One way to guarantee getting in a right old muddle is to have a diary littered with "provisional", "to be confirmed", "maybe or maybe not" type of bookings. We don’t put anyting in our diary until you’ve confirmed and we’ve accepted the booking. That way, you know exactly where you are. With dewson entertainments you’re not going to get any, "we've made a terrible mistake..." type of calls a day before your event.

All bookings are on a first come first served basis, and you can reserve a date over the telephone with a credit card.

Q: We want to book the band but we don't have all the details fully planned yet. What should we do to make sure we get the date we want?

A: We don’t need to know precise details at the time of booking. As long as you know the date for your event you can make a booking. If you don't know precisely where you event is taking place we can quote a range of travel charges to cover possible options.

Q: Do we get a proper contract or is it a word of mouth agreement?

A: We confirm all our bookings with a written contract. When you receive it, we ask you to sign one copy of and return to us. You keep the other copy for your records. At the time of booking we also take a deposit of 50% of the fee.

Q: Our venue are demanding to see evidence of Portable Appliance Testing (PAT Testing) and Liability Insurance. Is that a problem?

A: Not at all! All our equipment is fully PAT Tested and we’re of course, fully insured. We can send the necessary certificates either to you or directly to your venue if you prefer.

Q: Our event is taking place abroad. Can you able to cater for that?

A: Yes, we've played all over the world, most recently in Monte Carlo, Paris, Rome, Mallorca, Dubai and Sweden. Through our existing contacts we can arrange the logistics for events in most countries, and we are developing new links all the time. Amongst our musicians amd staff we have people fluent in Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese and German so we can usually make ourselves understood.