Hire Ben Farmer | Accordionist in Lancaster

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From£200

1 hour

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Price of My Pig ceilidh at Borwick & Priest Hutton Memorial Hall

POMP Calling 2023

Jane Lawrence, Paul Beevers & Ben Farmer

About Ben

Accordionist, Dance Caller, DJ and entertainer from NW England. I've played TV and Radio internationally, stadiums and street events.

3 of 7 photos

Accordionist

Lancaster

Public liability insurance of £10 million

Verified profile

From Solo Ceilidhs to French bals; Italian Weddings; Classical music; Big Bands and Solo, Ben is available to play and call dances for your special occasion. “Formidable squeezing” Lancaster Jazz Festival Ben is a “highly talented & versatile accordion, melodeon, bass & ukelele-ist , music teacher and workshop leader” (Andy Hornby), and has a 1st degree in Popular Music from the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts (LIPA) and a PGCE from the University of Lancaster. Ben plays music from all sorts of cultures and styles of music from around the world and enjoys new challenges! Ben is available and experienced in playing for a wide variety of functions. He plays and calls regularly with a few bands, but mostly with Price of My Pig

Ben

4.8 out of 5

2 verified reviews

Satisfaction

4.5

Professionalism

4.5

Communication

5.0

Punctuality

5.0

Ben's Reviews

5 out of 5

We hired Ben to provide the Ceilidh and DJ service for our wedding and we couldn't fault him at all! Communication was great both in the lead up and during the event, took all of our requests in board and was very easy to work with. If you are looking for a Ceilidh/barn dance for an event you are having you definitely won't go wrong with Ben, thoroughly recommend.

Reply from Ben

11 months ago

Thanks Andrew! It was a great night. Enjoy your honeymoon :)

4.5 out of 5

Good music, attracted passing customers well.

Formidable squeezing

highly talented & versatile accordion, melodeon, bass & ukelele-ist , music teacher and workshop leader”

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Encore badges

Lightning fast responses

Average response time under 2 hours

5 gigs

Experienced: 5 bookings through Encore

8th Anniversary

This act has been working with Encore for over 8 years

Member of the Encore community forum

Ben's Prices

Note: prices may vary based on travel distance. For an exact quote, click “Check availability”.

Performance duration	Price
Short performance (up to 15 min)	£150
Up to 1 hour	£200
Up to 2 hours	£250
Up to 3 hours	£300

Wedding ceremony + Drinks reception + Dinner

- Music before the service begins, music during the signing of the register, and music as guests leave. - 2 x 45 min performances at the drinks reception. - 2 x 45 min performances as dinner is being served.

£300

Customer questions

What if my timings change after I've booked you?

We always try our best to be flexible to help ensure your event runs as smoothly as possible. If timings change slightly in the run up to the event just let us know

Can you provide an iPod/DJ service before and between your sets?

Absolutely. This is a really popular request and I actually offer this service for free. If you'd like a DJ service via my PA after the final set until the venue closes, we provide this for an additional £150.

How much time do you need to set up?

If acoustic I can be set up in 15 mins, but if I need the PA set up, I would normally need about 1 hour prior to the event. As soon as our PA is set up I can provide a free playlist service to help set the atmosphere and get your guests ready for our live performance.

Can I pick the pieces you play from the set list?

My set lists are crafted from countless performances and learning what works best to ensure guests have an amazing time. However, I'm definitely happy to chat through and make sure we find what works for your event.

Do you bring all the equipment you need to perform?

Yes, absolutely. I bring my own instrument to play acoustically.

Can you learn specific pieces before the event?

If a song isn't included in my repertoire there may still be a chance I already know it. If there is a special song you'd like me to learn I'm happy to do this for you. There is a fee of £30 for this service to take into account rehearsal times etc.

Musicianship

Genres:

Christmas, Traditional church music, Baroque, Classical crossover, Medieval music, Renaissance, Early music, Film / TV music, Dubstep, Electro-Swing, Electronica, 1920s era music, 1930s era music, 1940s era music, 1950s era music, 1960s era music, 1970s era music, 1980s era music, 1990s era music, Folk, Bluegrass, Ceillidh, Folk rock, Irish rock, Traditional English folk, Traditional Irish folk, Traditional Scottish folk, Jazz, Blues, Cabaret, Latin jazz, Jazz fusion, Gypsy jazz, Easy listening, Light music, Originals, Acoustic, Vintage, World music, Argentinian, African music, Afrobeat, Balkan, Australian music, Bossa nova, Caribbean music, Calypso, Brazilian music, Cuban music, Cumbia, French music, Greek music, Italian music, Klezmer, Jewish music, Latin, Polish music, Merengue, Russian music, Scottish music, Tango, Samba, Ska, Skiffle, Country, Rockabilly, Dixieland, Modern jazz, Ragtime, Swing, Gospel, Pop, Ambient pop, Americana, Covers, Disco, Funk, Funk rock, Hip Hop, Motown, R&B, Soul, Top 40, Tribute, Rock, Alternative rock, Britpop, Classic rock, Glam rock, Hard rock, Hardcore, Heavy metal, Indie, Pop rock, Post rock, Power rock, Progressive rock, Punk rock, Rock 'n' Roll, Synth rock, Arabic, Asian music, Bavarian oompah, Bollywood, Choro, Flamenco, German music, Hawaiian music, Indian music, Mariachi, Polka, Polynesian music, Reggae, Salsa, Spanish music, Musical theatre, IDM, EDM, Contemporary Christian, Military, Classical, Contemporary classical, Fanfare, Opera, Electronic, Ambient, Breakbeat, Deep house, Drum 'n' Bass, Garage, House, Industrial, Jungle, Techno, Triphop, Postmodern jukebox jazz, Barbershop, Avant garde, Experimental, Marching, Noise music, Karaoke, Armenian

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Instruments:

Accordion, Bass Guitar, Ukulele, Keyboard, Piano, Guitar, Melodica, Percussion, Tin Whistle, Mandolin, DJ, Melodeon, Bollywood DJ

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Event types:

Wedding, Wedding proposal, Funeral / Memorial service, Church service, Hotel / Restaurant event, Bar / Club / Venue event, Private event, Corporate event, Concert, Recording session, Theatre / Show, Burns night, Birthday party, Christmas party, New Year's Eve, Charity event

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Other skills:

Arranger, Audio engineer, Composer, Sound technician, Songwriter, Transcription, Musical comedy, Actor, Ableton Live, Live looping, Repetiteur, Instrumental teaching, Theory teaching, Examiner, Animateur, Community music worker, Composition teaching, Musicologist, Singing teaching, Music therapy, Accompanist, Dancer, Producer

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