Singing guitarist

Martin Sean McConnell

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About Martin

A guitarist and singer with a large repertoire of songs and a long list of happy clients. Upbeat or relaxed, create the atmosphere you want.
Singing guitarist
Bristol
Public liability insurance of Β£10 million
Verified profile

Hello, I'm Martin and I love playing music for people. Whether you want relaxed music in the background of your drinks or dinner event, or a lively set for your guests to sing and dance to, I have the songs, equipment and experience to match your needs. Over the last ten years I've built up a huge repertoire of material covering pop, rock, jazz, folk, instrumental guitar and soul. I have a wealth of experience in performing at all kinds of functions and events. I've performed at private functions, on boats, outdoor festivals, on the backs of lorries, under the stairs in a castle, on live radio, on the streets for surprise marriage proposals and at large venues in both Britain and Europe. Should you be interested, I also perform as part of an acoustic duo and in a three piece function band. If you'd like to consider adding these options I'm more than happy to discuss them with you. Additionally every client gets to request one song for free, so if you would like to dance your first dance to a live performance of your favourite track I can make that happen. As well as all this I am also able to provide a complimentary laptop DJ service, so that there's always music playing at your event from beginning to end. If you have any questions feel free to get in touch any way you like. I'll always endeavour to respond within 24 hours and do our best to meet your needs.Β  Thank You. Martin.

Encore badges
Saved the day!
Booked for an Encore gig with less than 24 hours’ notice
Member of the Encore community forum
Lightning fast responses
Average response time under 2 hours
7th Anniversary
This act has been working with Encore for over 7 years
75 gigs
Veteran: 75 bookings through Encore
Musicianship
Genres:
Covers, Christmas, Wedding music, Film / TV music, 1950s era music, 1960s era music, 1970s era music, 1980s era music, 1990s era music, Folk, Traditional English folk, Jazz, Easy listening, Originals, Light music, Pop, Acoustic, Top 40, Soul, Motown, Rock, Alternative rock, Britpop, Classic rock, Indie, Glam rock, Rock 'n' Roll, Progressive rock, Hard rock, Power rock, Pop rock, Contemporary Christian, Military, Traditional church music, 1920s era music, 1930s era music, 1940s era music, Bluegrass, Ceillidh, Country, Rockabilly, Irish rock, Folk rock, Traditional Irish folk, Traditional Scottish folk, Blues, Cabaret, Dixieland, Modern jazz, Latin jazz, Jazz fusion, Gypsy jazz, Postmodern jukebox jazz, Swing, Barbershop, Gospel, Avant garde, Experimental, Marching, Ambient pop, Americana, Funk rock, Funk, Disco, Hip Hop, Karaoke, R&B, Vintage, Tribute, Post rock, Synth rock, Punk rock, World music, Noise music, Musical theatre
See all genres
Instruments:
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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, Charity event, Concert, Recording session, Theatre / Show, Cruise, Burns night, Birthday party, Christmas party, New Year's Eve
See all event types
Other skills:
Arranger, Composer, Lyricist, Songwriter, Producer, Transcription, Live looping, Instrumental teaching, Theory teaching, Fluent improviser
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Martin's Song list

SET 1 *Upbeat and Dancing Tunes!*
500 Miles – The Proclaimers
9 to 5 – Dolly Parton
All About That Bass – Meghan Trainor
All Along The Watchtower – Jimi Hendrix/Bob Dylan
A Little Respect - Erasure
All the Small Things – Blink 182
Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Bartender and the Thief - Stereophonics
Beautiful Day - The Levellers
Better Now – Post Malone
Big Love – Fleetwood Mac
Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
Blinding Lights – The Weeknd
The Boatman - The Levellers
Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
Buck Rogers - Feeder
Call Me Al - Paul Simon
Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen
Can't Buy Me Love - The Beatles
Can’t Feel My Face – The Weeknd
Can’t Stop The Feeling – Justin Timberlake
Cheerleader - OMI
Crazy Little thing Called Love – Queen
Dakota – Stereophonics
Dance Monkey – Tones and I
Disco 2000 - Pulp
Don’t Look Back in Anger – Oasis
Don't You Want Me Baby - The Human League
Dreaming of You – The Coral
Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash
Five O’ clock somewhere – Alan Jackson
Galway Girl – Steve Earl
Go Your Own Way – Fleetwood Mac
Hard to Handle – Otis Redding
Hey Jude – The Beatles
Hey Ya - Outkast
Higher and Higher - Jackie Wilson
Hound Dog – Elvis
I’ll Tell me Ma – Irish Standard
I’m a Believer – The Monkees
Irish Rover - The Pogues
It Ain’t Me Babe – Johnny Cash/Bob Dylan
I Think We’re Alone Now - Tiffany
I Will Wait – Mumford and Sons
Jailhouse Rock – Elvis
King of the Swingers – Jungle Book
Lightning Bolt – Jake Bugg
Mama Mia - ABBA
Midnight Hour – Wilson Pickett
Mr Brightside – The Killers
Mrs Robinson - Simon and Garfunkel
My Generation – The Who
NaΓ―ve – The Kooks
New York Girls - Bellowhead
Parklife - Blur
Place Your Hands – Reef
Proud Mary - Tina Turner
Ring of Fire - Johnny Cash
Rock Around the Clock – Bill Haley and the Comets
Rude - Magic
Saw Her Standing There – The Beatles
Sex on Fire – Kings of Leon
She's Electric – Oasis
Shotgun – George Ezra
Shut up and Dance – Walk The Moon
Signed Sealed Delivered – Stevie Wonder
Some Kind of Wonderful – Grand Funk Railroad
Soul Man – Sam and Dave/ Blues Brothers
Stuck in the Middle With You – Stealer’s Wheel
Summer of 69 - Bryan Adams
Suspicious Minds – Elvis
Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond
Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Take it Easy - The Eagles
Take Me Home Country Roads - John Denver
Take on me – A-ha
Teenage Dirtbag – Wheatus
Teenage Kicks - The Undertones
This Love – Maroon 5
Too Hard To Handle - The Black Crowes
Town Called Malice – The Jam
Valerie – Amy Winehouse
Watermelon Sugar – Harry Styles
What’s Up – 4 Non Blondes
Whiskey in the Jar – Irish Folk Song
Wishing Well - Free
Wonderwall - Oasis
You Can Call Me Al - Paul Simon
You Really Got Me - The Kinks
You Spin Me Round – Dead or Alive
SET 2 * Relaxed Songs and instrumentals for Drinks, Dinner and Winding Down*
A Thousand Years - Christina Perri (Instrumental)
Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers
All of Me – John Legend
Autumn Leaves - Joe Pass
Beyond the Sea – Jazz Standard
Blackbird - Paul McCartney
Bluesette - Toots Thelemans (Instrumental)
Budapest - George Ezra
Cannon Ball – Damien Rice
Dirty Old Town – The Pogues
Everything I do (I do it for you) Bryan Adams
Fly me to the Moon – Frank Sinatra
Half the World Away – Oasis
Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley/Leonard Cohen
Heartbeats – Jose Gonzales/The Knife
Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles
Hey Laura – Gregory Porter
Layla – Eric Clapton
Learn to Fly – Foo Fighters
Let it Be - The Beatles
Love Yourself – Justin Bieber
Lullaby of Birdland - Jazz Standard (instrumental)
Marry Me - Train
Matty Groves - Fairport Convention
My Girl – The Temptations
Never Going Back Again - Fleetwood Mac
Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out - Eric Clapton
Nothing Else Matters - Metallica (Instrumental)
Numb – Linkin Park (Instrumental)
One Day Like This – Elbow
Prickle Eyed Bush – Bellowhead
She Will be Loved - Maroon 5 (Instrumental)
Shotgun - George Ezra
Sit Down - James
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana (instrumental)
Someone Like You - Adele (Instrumental)
Someone You Loved – lewis Capaldi
Sparks - Coldplay
Stand By Me – Ben E King
Strange and Beautiful – Aqualung
Summertime – Jazz Standard
Sunday Morning – Maroon 5
The A- Team – Ed Sheeran
Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
Use Somebody - Kings of Leon
Under the Bridge - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Wild Rover – Irish Folk Song
Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
Yellow - Coldplay
Yesterday – The Beatles (Instrumental)
You’ll Never Walk Alone – Rogers and Hammerstein
You've Got a Friend in Me - Randy Newman (instrumental)
Set 3 *Christmas*
Step Into Christmas - Elton John
Fairytale of New York - The Pogues
Rockin' Robin - The Jackson Five
Merry Christmas Everybody - Slade
Merry Christmas Everyone - Shakin' Stevens
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Frank Sinatra
Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms
Driving Home for Christmas - Chris Rea
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday - Wizzard
Customer questions

What do your clients love most about your performances?

I'm a pretty energetic performer, I love a lively audience and having a good time doing my job. I always put a lot of effort in to learning client requests (first dances) etc and I've had a lot of positive reactions to those. I've had some very nice reviews. I was pretty surprised by how good the reaction has been to my live sets and it's been really nice.

Which venues have you performed at in the past?

Honestly don't know how to begin answering this one. Some 'well known' ones like The Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth or Colston Hall in Bristol. Loads of weird ones like boats cruising down canals or one on the back of a lorry. Lots of castles, fields, halls etc. A large auditorium in Paris. I once played someone's proposal in the street which was lovely.

Which artists have you been most influenced by?

360 characters is a really mean limit guys! The ones that got me started playing music were Queen and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers. I went through a period of really loving soul singers like Otis Redding and Stevie Wonder, right now I'm enjoying bands like White Denim and The Staves. Sometimes I listen to Frank Zappa and the wife threatens to leave me.

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

Top three would be The Bristol Jazz Festival A Senegalese festival in Paris The Labour Party Conference (our opening act was Ed Milliband, it was all a bit weird but great fun!)

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

The nature of working on events is that plans change all the time, so this is something I'm usually prepared for. If the changes are worrying you give me a call and we'll find a way to make it work.

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

Yes I can, and it's free of charge. If you have any requests I recommend asking in advance, but if your venue has a decent wifi connection I can often get most things on the night.

How much time do you need to set up?

In ideal conditions (parking spot right by the door and no stairs) I can set up in about 30 minutes. I usually leave myself a little over an hour just to make absolutely sure everything is done on time though.

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

I usually recommend pointing out a few that you like and a few that you don't and letting me do the rest. My set lists are put together with all guests and age ranges in mind and leaving it up to me takes one more element of the weight of planning an event off your shoulders. Having said that, if you know exactly what you want then that's great too!

Do you bring all the equipment you need to perform?

Yes. PA system, lights, instruments and extension leads are all provided. The only things I need from you are electricity, some water (not too close to where the electricity is coming from) and a place to stand.

Can you learn song requests before the event?

Yes. As long as it's possible for one man and an acoustic guitar to play it I'm happy to learn one song for free, with an additional charge of Β£10 for every song thereafter.

Martin's Prices

Note: prices may vary based on travel distance. For an exact quote, click β€œCheck availability”.

Standard Prices
Performance durationPrice
Short performance (up to 15 min)Β£250
Up to 1 hourΒ£350
Up to 2 hoursΒ£400
Up to 3 hoursΒ£500
Packages
Secret Busker Proposal
I will wait in a location of your choice and play songs as an ordinary busker (subject to local licencing requirements). When you approach I'll begin playing a song of your choice while you get down on one knee and pop the question.
Β£250
Corporate event, background music for dinner or drinks
Up to two hours of live jazz, folk, pop and soul music that provides the perfect backing for a dinner or drinks event. Up to six hours on site. All equipment provided. Background playlist in between live sets so that there is always music playing throughout your event. Microphone available for speeches and presentations if requested in advance.
Β£280
Full day wedding
All your big day's music needs taken care of in one go! Includes... Up to twelve hours on site. All the music for your ceremony. (including music while your guests enter, the bridal entrance, during the signing of the register and as you leave the ceremony venue) A relaxed set of songs for your drinks reception. A livelier set for drinking and dancing in the evening. DJ playlist in between live sets. All equipment provided. Two songs learnt by request. A relaxed set of jazz, folk, instrumental and pop music during a dinner, drinks or a wedding reception. A more lively set of upbeat pop, rock and soul songs for the evening of your event.
Β£700

Add-ons

Additional Singer
+Β£280
Martin
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5 out of 5
68 verified reviews
Satisfaction
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4.9
Professionalism
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5.0
Communication
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4.9
Punctuality
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4.9

Martin's Reviews

From Encore customers:

BH
Brian H
2 months ago
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5 out of 5

Excellent everyone thoroughly enjoyed.

CW
Claire W
6 months ago
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5 out of 5

Martin was the icing on our wedding cake! We were busy on the day and didn’t even really speak to Martin but we didn’t need to, he arrived, set up and cracked on with 2 x 1 hour sets. He was brilliant, provided a lovely atmosphere and read the vibe of starting slow and romantic leading upto more upbeat as the day ramped up. Thank you to Martin, we wouldn’t hesitate to book you again. Claire and Darryl Harris

ME
Meghann E
7 months ago
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5 out of 5

Cannot rate Martin highly enough, he created exactly the right atmosphere for the party and everyone continually told me how brilliant he was throughout the night. It was great that he touched base a week before the event just to firm up some details so I was full of confidence that everything would go smoothly on the night. Thank you for an excellent show!!

VN
Vish N
8 months ago
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5 out of 5

Martin was fantastic for our wedding - the crowd loved his energy and his song choice. Thank you Martin!

Reply from Martin
8 months ago

Thank you Vish. Absolutely loved your wedding :-) hope you guys are enjoying married life! Martin.

Read all 57 reviews

From other customers:

JS
James S
2 years ago, for a Wedding in Trowbridge Rd
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5 out of 5

Stop looking and just book this guy! We are so happy that we asked Martin to play our wedding reception where he delivered a set loved by young and old alike. After he finished, our guests could not stop talking about how good he was and how perfect he was to play a wedding reception/venue. Working with Martin ahead of the big day was an absolute breeze and a pleasure as he was able to take away a lot of the stresses by curating the perfect playlist which led to even our shy guests joining in with some fantastic crowd pleasers - 10/10 I wish I had a time machine to experience it all again. Cheers Martin! James & Abi

CM
Charlotte M
2 years ago, for a Wedding in Upper Godney
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5 out of 5

We booked Martin to play at our wedding and couldn’t have made a better decision! From the beginning and throughout Martin was a pleasure to deal with. He was happy to accommodate learning an acoustic guitar song to play us down the aisle. As due to coronavirus we were restricted from having readings, this personalisation was such a beautiful addition to our day. At our reception venue Martin also seamlessly set up and sang accompanied by his guitar for us and our guests. It set just the right tone for relaxed drinks outside, and his voice carried well so we could enjoy his performance while we were having our photos too. All in all such a lovely supplier who we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. Thank you Martin! Charlotte and Lewis

Read all 13 reviews

From other musicians:

31 May 2018

I have performed with Martin at over 400 gigs in the past ten years. He the absolute dictionary definition of 'professional'. Reliable, flexible, dedicated and an awful lot of fun to work with and be around! A born performer and one whose vast knowledge of songs would make him a brilliant choice for your event!

20 February 2018

Sean is a fantastic guitarist and modern professional. Adaptable to any environment or occasion. Comes with years of experience and knowledge, an absolute gent!