Alex Wesley

I'm a guitarist and singer based in Milton Keynes, and I've spent the last twenty years making a living from it — somewhere north of 3,000 shows at this point, across the UK, Europe and the Middle East. Solo, it's me, a guitar and a voice. The set is a mix of covers, my own material and whatever you ask for. I don't work off a fixed list. Tell me the room, the crowd and the time of day and I'll build something that fits it — background music that lets people talk over dinner is a completely different job from getting a wedding reception on its feet, and pretending otherwise is how you end up with the wrong night. Before Milton Keynes I spent a few years in Dubai, as a resident musician at the Waldorf Astoria and playing lead guitar with Gorgeous George at Lock Stock and Barrel. That residency won TimeOut Dubai's "Best Bar Band" in 2019. The same period brought after-show sets following Coldplay and Kings of Leon, and a performance at the 2019 Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix. My music is licensed to Universal Music in Dubai, and I've released several records through them. I also front a band called Francis, which plays weddings, parties and corporate events as anything from a duo up to a full line-up. So if you start with a solo set and later decide the evening wants more, that conversation is easy — it's the same person and the same repertoire either way. There's a technical side to this too. I started at Yamaha Guitars supporting their UK and international product managers, and I still work with them freelance as a product demonstrator and trainer, including Line 6 training in Los Angeles and input into the Rev Star guitar and CP keyboard ranges. I spent 2015–16 demonstrating for Vox Amplification and have filmed product content for Marshall's acoustic amps. I mention it because it's the reason I know what a room, a PA and an amp are actually going to do before I set foot in the venue. There's a First Class degree in Professional Music behind it too, though the gigs taught me more. Practically: for UK bookings I bring my own PA, so you don't need to provide anything beyond a plug socket and somewhere to stand. For international bookings I'll ask you to supply sound equipment, and we'll agree the spec in advance. I'm used to hotel and bar residencies, weddings, private events and corporate work — and comfortable with the bits that aren't the music: timings, load-in, sound limits, and knowing when to stop so the speeches can start. If you're weighing it up, the useful things to send me are the date, the venue, roughly how long you'd like me to play, and any songs that matter to you. First dances and specific requests are fine — I'd rather learn something that means something to you than play a list you didn't choose. I'll come back to you quickly, and I'll tell you honestly if I don't think I'm the right fit.