Book Martin Sean McConnell, Singing guitarist in Bristol

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From£220

1 hour

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1-3 of 12 videos

Full day video compilation. Songs with and without vocals.

mixed live and studio compilation

Instrumental Guitar - Aisle Song - Can You Feel the Love Tonight Guitar Fingerstyle Arrangement

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.

3 of 29 photos

Singing guitarist

Bristol

Public liability insurance of £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. 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

5th Anniversary

This act has been working with Encore for over 5 years

50 gigs

Veteran: 50 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:

Singing guitarist, Guitar, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, guitar, Singer

See all instruments

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

See all skills

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

Naïve – 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 £10 for every song thereafter.

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	£220
Up to 2 hours	£300
Up to 3 hours	£420

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.

£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.

£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.

£700

Martin

4.9 out of 5

59 verified reviews

Satisfaction

4.9

Professionalism

5.0

Communication

4.9

Punctuality

4.9

Reviews

5 out of 5

Martin communicated well before the party. He arrived early to set up, which he did without disturbing any of the other things that were going on. His selection of music was excellent and he gauged the audience extremely well and didn't appear to playing off a set playlist. He learnt a special song for us which would not be in his normal repertoire. He played one song after another and got people up dancing. We could also hear every word of every song . He was extremely pleasant to deal with and feedback from friends and family was that he was 'excellent', 'extremely talented' and 'amazing' - this was from people who either are musicians or who listen to live music regularly. We would definitely invite Martin to any other event we are holding and would thoroughly recommend him to others.

Reply from Martin

27 days ago

Thank you for your kind words Sally. I loved playing for you all, and I'll be insisting that all my future clients hire sea shanty singers to perform while I set up from now on as that absolutely made my night! Martin.

5 out of 5

Martin provided live music to our Canapés immediately after our wedding, keeping our guests entertained whilst we went off for photos. Many guests came up to us to tell us how great Martin was and we can concur from what we heard. Dealing with Martin was simple and easy, he was very communicative, helpful and polite - no hassle at all. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him!

Reply from Martin

27 days ago

Hi Thomas. Thank you for hiring me to play at your gorgeous wedding! I had a wonderful time, loved the venue choice and your guests were all very kind and accommodating! Wishing you all the best. Martin.

5 out of 5

Brilliant, perfect for the occasion..

5 out of 5

I booked Martin for my daughter's hen party. He exceeded all our expectations and had everyone up dancing from start to finish. Playing to a "small audience" is probably quite hard but he absolutely smashed it. Very friendly, approachable and professional - my daughter even asked if we could book him for the wedding!! If we hadn't already booked a band, I would definitely have asked if he was available.

Reply from Martin

2 months ago

Hi Angela. Thank you so much for your lovely review! It was a real pleasure to play for such a happy group of people! You guys made that 'small' audience feel four or five times bigger with your energy. Best of luck for the wedding, Martin.

Read all 48 reviews

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

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

31st 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!

20th 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!