Gotta Be Garage

Gotta Be Garage reignites everything good about the UK Garage scene and delivers it to dancefloors across the country. The band comes in a 6-piece lineup, with two lead female vocals, one male rapper/MC-guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, and drummer. The band’s inspiration is drawn from some of their favourite artists including Sweet Female Attitude, So Solid Crew, and Craig David. Gotta Be Garage covers a vast array of genres to ensure the performance has something for everyone, with a plentiful helping of garage tunes that can either be played throughout the night or held off until the final set for an epic Garage get-down. Gotta Be Garage has been described as ‘the icing on our cake’ by previous clients, so make sure you get your icing on the cake for your special day too! Gotta Be Garage has years of experience at functions and events to support them on every gig, and they also appreciate the nuances of each event and deliver a slightly different performance for each client time after time. So for them, no two events are the same, and this really helps keep their performance fresh and current. The band likes to put their best foot forward with their bow ties, tuxes, and glitzy outfits, but of course, they can dress down for you, dress conservatively, or even dress to a theme. The band is more than willing to be flexible with requests - at the end of the day, they want you to be happy, so whatever the request is, big or small, don’t hesitate to let us know and we’ll endeavour to cater to you. Gotta Be Garage is fronted by Kimi, who is a seasoned performer having featured in West End shows such as ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’, and ‘Scrooge’ at the London Palladium. Kimi has also been part of cabarets for some of London’s most renowned hotels, performed in numerous tribute groups, and has performed on high-class luxury cruise ships. Currently, Kimi also performs as Ginger and Baby Spice in ‘Wannabe; The Spice Girls Show’, and as a tribute performer in a well-known Little Mix show. You might have spotted Kimi belting a solo performance out for charity at London’s O2 Arena, or seen her singing her heart out at Alexandra Palace, or even most recently on This Morning TV to mark 25 years of the song Wannabe. Kimi is joined by Melinda on lead vocals, who was initially inspired by her father who was also a musician. Melinda studied at the Californian Poly State University and California Pacific School of the Performing Arts. Melinda is a singer-songwriter with so many awards she’s going to need several mantle pieces to fit them all on. Most recently our Californian-born songstress achieved over a million streams on Spotify and has been interviewed on London Live TV for being Grand Prize Winner for MTV’s ‘Steal The Spotlight’ contest. Melinda has been writing and performing all over the world garnering attention with her sound that’s often compared to a mix of artists like Amy Winehouse, Goldfrapp, and Fiona Apple. Melinda’s songs have been on TV and movies, like American Pie: Book Of Love, she has won ‘Best Of Sundance’ two years consecutively, she has made headlines at Redditch Festival in 2019, performed at Kate Hudson’s 2011 Christmas Party, and has toured the U.K. extensively, as well as parts of Japan, and North America, opening for Joe Jonas, Miguel, Cobra Starship, and Kaleo. Every garage tribute band needs an MC, and that is where the band’s marvelous Zach comes in. He’s not only a lyrical whiz, but he can sing for days, so not only will Zach provide the rap, but he can also double as a male vocalist. Kimi, Melinda, and Zach are backed by Ewan on bass, Deror on keys, and Edu on drums. The band members have all been passionate about music from young ages and set their hearts on careers in music from very early on. With a combination of being self and privately-taught and having trained at the British Institute of Modern Music and UCLA and Tileyard University, the band has achieved so much in the music industry, including playing with the likes of Emeli Sande, John Lydon (of the Sex Pistols), Gary ‘Mudbone’ Cooper, S.E.L. (of Soul II Soul), Bob Margolin, Kenny "Blues Boy" Wayne, and Barrelhouse Chuck; and have supported Fish (of Marillion); been Musical Directors of musicals such as Hair, Fiddler on the Roof, and The Full Monty; they’ve graced the stages at The Troubadour, Beacon Festival, Lechlade Festival, Redditch Festival, SXSW Festival. Iceland Airwaves Festival, House of Blues Hollywood, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Notting Hill Carnival, New Quay Beach Break Festival, and Sundance Film Festival; and have been on radio and TV as well. As you can see from their experience, you’re in more than capable hands. Kimi, Melinda, and Zach lead the way in Gotta Be Garage as they enjoy every song in their garage, pop, rock, and soul repertoire, from artists such as Sweet Female Attitude, Amy Winehouse, and Stevie Wonder. The band has a repertoire of over 500 songs and covers a wide range of genres too! Gotta Be Garage welcomes you to tailor the setlist for your big day. For a standard 2x60mins or 3x40mins performance you can select up to 10 songs from the band’s repertoire, and the band will endeavour to accommodate all of your requests, given a month’s notice. For short notice bookings, you are still very welcome to send over your suggestions, and as always, the band will do their utmost to accommodate as many requests as possible. Gotta Be Garage is also very happy to learn an ‘off the menu’ song request for you, for example, a first dance or your favourite song. Upon booking, you will have a dedicated band manager as your point of contact to ensure the band is 100% on the same page as you well in advance of your event. Having this point of contact means you can count on excellent, fast, friendly, and warm communication at all times. It also means that come the big day every single crease will be ironed out and it will mean smooth sailing for both client and band alike. All in all, Gotta Be Garage’s band members are a very friendly and flexible bunch and take great pride in providing excellent musicianship and creating a really fun atmosphere wherever they go. The band has a big long list of songs spanning different genres and decades for you to pick from and can play complimentary playlist music (which you are welcome to tailor) before, in-between, and after live sets until curfew. The band can be on-site for up to 7 hours, or until midnight as standard. They are happy to accommodate early arrivals before 5pm and late stays after midnight if needed too. The band is also able to provide a band member DJ-ing should you wish to have a live DJ before, between, or after band sets. The band brings a full PA and lighting rig with them wherever they go, so all you need to do is book the band and you can tick the entertainment off your to-do list in one fell swoop because Gotta Be Garage will have you covered.