Ceilidh band

Berking Mad Ceilidh Band

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(5.0)Read all 13 reviews
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About Berking Mad Ceilidh Band

Berking Mad is a very experienced ceilidh band with a dancer friendly caller who will help everyone to enjoy the event. Wide repertoire.
Ceilidh band
Whitley Bay
Public liability insurance of £5 million

Berking Mad has been together as a ceilidh band for nearly twenty years. Beyond that, all members have been involved with various ceilidh bands for most of their long lives. Dave has been calling for over forty years and is considered a very considerate and dancer friendly caller. Mike has played melodeon all over the country and abroad most of his life and comes from a musical background. Gerry is an accomplished guitarist and singer and has also played in ceilidh bands in the past. All members are folk singers in their own right and so can bring an element of variety to the night and thus ensuring a good time for all participants. Dave believes ceilidhs should be fun and not workshops. So making mistakes and getting it wrong is all part of a dancer's fun. The band has £5milion Public liability, PAT tested PA. We all have a great sense of humour and always get an audience involved. The extensive repertoire includes very simple dances to quite complicated, slow and easy to fast and vigorous to cater for all abilities and ages. The band has performed all over the North East from York to Berwick and as far West as Carlisle. In their time covering Weddings, wakes, birthdays, corporate events, Burn's suppers, even welcoming the torch to Gateshead where we met a descendant of Cushy Butterfield, supposedly. Any event will be considered and catered for.

Encore badges
Lightning fast responses
Average response time under 2 hours
10 gigs
Experienced: 10 bookings through Encore
Saved the day!
Booked for an Encore gig with less than 24 hours’ notice
6th Anniversary
This act has been working with Encore for over 6 years
Member of the Encore community forum
Musicianship
Genres:
Ceilidh
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Types:
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Event types:
Wedding, Hotel / Restaurant event, Bar / Club / Venue event, Private event, Corporate event, Charity event, Burns night, Birthday party, Funeral / Memorial service, New Year's Eve, Christmas party
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Berking Mad Ceilidh Band's Song list

Assorted jigs and reels.
Waltzes
Polkas
Tyneside songs
lindisfarne songs
Circassian circle
Sicilian circle
Strip the willow
Waves of Tory
Bridge of Athlone
Gay Gordons
Dashing white sergeant
Wring out the dishrag
Cumberland square eight
Canadian Barn dance
Friendly waltz
Durham reel
Pat a cake polka
Lucky seven
Lasky wheel
Lady Godiva's gallop
and many more.
Customer questions

Can you perform covers?

No. We are a ceilidh band

Do you have different line-up options?

Yes we can include other instruments such as fiddle

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

We can usually be flexible

How much time do you need to set up?

30 minutes

Do you provide a caller?

Yes. We have a very dancer friendly caller who encourages dancers of all abilities

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

We don't do songs.

Can you learn song requests before the event?

Yes

What do your clients love most about your performances?

Berking Mad is both friendly and fun

Which venues have you performed at in the past?

Too many to comment

Which artists have you been most influenced by?

N/A

What is the most high profile gig you've performed?

Alnwick Castle

Berking Mad Ceilidh Band's Prices

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

Standard Prices
Performance durationPrice
Up to 1 hour£620
Up to 2 hours£620
Up to 3 hours£620
Berking Mad Ceilidh Band
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5
8 verified reviews
Satisfaction
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5.0
Professionalism
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5.0
Communication
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5.0
Punctuality
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5.0

Berking Mad Ceilidh Band's Reviews

From Encore customers:

PF
Phil F
1 month ago
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5 out of 5

Fantastic band, stepped in quite last minute. Good communication, excellent equipment and great musicians too.

CT
Claire T
7 months ago
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5 out of 5

Amazing evening. They were up against it with 130 people but a great time was had by all. Would highly recommend.

AM
Amy M
7 months ago
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5 out of 5

These guys were amazing! They were at the venue before I even was, had set up and were ready to play whenever we needed them to. Friendly, affable, funny and easy to work with, I’d recommend Berking mad to any and all who care to hear it! I had a fabulous birthday party, and I’m glad that I chose these guys to play. Book them, you won’t regret it!

Reply from Berking Mad Ceilidh Band
7 months ago

Thanks Amy, a truer word was never spoken

GH
Grace H
8 months ago
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5 out of 5

Berking Mad were brilliant! They lead really well with humour and clarity, and had breaks in between so that people weren't overtired. Everyone at our wedding loved the Ceilidh!

Reply from Berking Mad Ceilidh Band
8 months ago

Thank you

Read all 8 reviews

From other customers:

M
Morpeth
8 years ago

Hello, I’ve been Mrs Donnelly for 2 weeks now and I’m still smiling from how lovely our wedding was which is mainly thanks to you and your band mates. Our family and friends and still talking about the day and how great the ceilidh was. The atmosphere you created was just what we wanted and you were wonderful when the singer didn’t turn up. We can’t thank you enough. Kind regards, Jill

D
Durham
7 years ago

Words cannot describe how pleased we are about the exceptional entertainment provided by Dave, Mike and Gerry at our wedding in Durham. Their fantastic repertoire truly added a special and unique touch to our evening, and provided many of our guests from all corners the world a wonderful introduction to British folk music. Not to mention how patient and friendly their caller Dave was especially in teaching the dances to our guests, many of whom had never danced a Ceilidh before. In addition, their cheerfulness and easygoing disposition really helped us and our guests have a marvellous time. To this day, our guests still constantly praise the ceilidh music provided during the evening. Thank you so much and we would recommend them over and over again to anyone seeking quality entertainment for any event." Thank you ever so much once again - you truly made it a night to remember for us. Best Wishes Mr Markus Kahl and Mrs Yun Long-Kahl

Read all 5 reviews