Hire Phil Short | Singing guitarist in Coulsdon

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From£275

1 hour

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Phil Short Acoustic demo video

Phil Short Acoustic LIVE (Summer 2019)

Phil Short Acoustic Christmas Compilation Video

About Phil

Phil is a fantastic singer/guitarist from London, performing a wonderful, eclectic mix of stripped-back acoustic rock & pop songs.

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Singing guitarist

Coulsdon

Public liability insurance of £10 million

Verified profile

Hi, I'm Phil. I'm a singer/guitarist from South London, UK. I've been a professional performer and musician for over 20 years. During that time, I've performed all over the UK and abroad, at prestigious venues such as Wembley Stadium, The Shard, OXO Tower, London Hilton Park Lane, Leeds Castle, Brands Hatch, Castle Howard and The National Indoor Arena, and for many well-known clients such as Virgin Atlantic, John Lewis, Heineken and NATO. I'm the lead singer/guitarist with top UK function band, The Headliners, and I've also performed on national tours in a number of theatre shows. I've been singing all my life and first started playing the guitar at the age of 9, inspired mainly by watching my Dad's band! As an adult, I trained at Her Majesty's Theatre and put my voice to good use in a number of touring theatre shows, before revisiting my first love: live music. With "Phil Short Acoustic", I'll bring you a wonderful, eclectic mix of stripped-back acoustic rock and pop songs, perfect for any occasion, from toe-tapping background music to full-on, foot-stomping singalongs! Featuring songs by: The Beatles, Ed Sheeran, George Michael, Bryan Adams, Oasis, Elton John, George Ezra, The Kinks, Green Day, The Black Keys, The Killers...the list goes on...! I know people are sometimes apprehensive about booking live music, which is why I always aim to deliver the highest level of professionalism and customer care, twinned with the personal attention that your event deserves. I'm always available to answer any messages, or have a chat about the finer details, to make sure your event is as unique as you are. From learning a special song, to getting involved with the theme for an event, I'm always happy to go that extra mile. I hope to be able to bring that extra bit of live music sparkle to your event. And, don't forget, if you like the sound of me, but would also like some other musicians, I'm available as a solo act, or in a duo, or with a full band!

Phil

5 out of 5

133 verified reviews

Satisfaction

5.0

Professionalism

5.0

Communication

5.0

Punctuality

5.0

Phil's Reviews

5 out of 5

Fantastic evening. Phil is charming, great fun and extremely talented. He really ‘got the party going’. Will definitely have him back for the next celebration!

Reply from Phil

4 months ago

Thank you so much for your lovely review, Michele! I had such a great time playing for your and Simon’s anniversary, in a beautiful setting, and thank you for making me feel so welcome (and for all the dancing and singing along!) I hope to play for you again soon!

5 out of 5

Phil exceeded my expertations. He was 5 * + Really appreciated his messages before the event date as i had booked very early. Great singer played everything we wanted. He certainly added to my lunch party Highly recommend

Reply from Phil

4 months ago

Thank you so much for your lovely review, Caroline! I had such a great time playing for your birthday lunch, and in such a unique venue! Very much hope to play for you again sometime!

5 out of 5

phil is a lovely guy very friendly and accomadating great time had by all would recommend phil any time

Reply from Phil

4 months ago

Thank you for your lovely review, Russell! I had a great time playing for you and Lynn and all your lovely guests. Wishing you all the best for a wonderful future together!

5 out of 5

Amazing! Helped me plan the set and went that extra mile on the night. Will definitely use again! Everyone said how he helped make the night a huge success

Reply from Phil

9 months ago

Thanks so much for your lovely review, Pat! I had such a great time playing for you all, and I’m so pleased the surprise for Kelly worked so well! Please do keep me in mind for any future events, and I hope to play for you again soon!

Read all 117 reviews

5 out of 5

Phil played for my best friend's surprise 30th, he was fantastic! He's got a great playlist, is a very talented musician, a good laugh, reliable and all round lovely! 5 stars, would 100% recommend!

5 out of 5

I can't recommend Phil highly enough! He played at our wedding anniversary party and received five-star feedback from all of our guests! Phil has a fantastic voice and played a terrific variety of music that ensured everybody got up dancing. He was a first-class host and great fun throughout the whole event. He is a legend and I can't wait for to book him for another event!

Read all 18 reviews

Encore badges

Top 10 booked musician of 2023

Top 10 booked musician of 2022

Lightning fast responses

Average response time under 2 hours

100 gigs

Legendary: 100 bookings through Encore!

Saved the day!

Booked for an Encore gig with less than 24 hours’ notice

7th Anniversary

This act has been working with Encore for over 7 years

Encore expert

Demonstrated expertise by completing the Encore Academy

Member of the Encore community forum

Phil's Song list

Here's a flavour of the songs a typical set would contain. If there's specific songs you would like, I'm always happy to add these in, too:

All You Need Is Love (The Beatles)

Always Remember Us This Way (A Star Is Born)

A Thousand Years (Christina Perri)

A Town Called Malice (The Jam)

Amazed (Lonestar)

American Pie (Don McLean)

Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

Better Together (Jack Johnson)

Blame It On Me (George Ezra)

Blue Suede Shoes (Elvis Presley)

Bohemian Like You (Dandy Warhols)

Breakfast At Tiffany’s (Deep Blue Something)

Bright Side Of The Road (Van Morrison)

Budapest (George Ezra)

Burning Love (Elvis Presley)

Can't Buy Me Love (The Beatles)

Can't Take My Eyes Off You (Frankie Valli / Andy Williams)

Can You Feel The Love Tonight (Elton John)

Castle On The Hill (Ed Sheeran)

Counting Stars (One Republic)

Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Queen)

Dakota (Stereophonics)

Dancing In The Moonlight (Toploader)

Don’t Dream It’s Over (Crowded House)

Don't Look Back In Anger (Oasis)

Don't Stop (Fleetwood Mac)

Don't Stop Me Now (Queen)

Dreams (Gabrielle)

Drive My Car (The Beatles)

Easy (The Commodores)

Faith (George Michael)

Fat-Bottomed Girls (Queen)

Father & Son (Cat Stevens)

Feeling Good (Nina Simone / Muse)

Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash)

Free Fallin' (Tom Petty)

Get Back (The Beatles)

Get Lucky (Daft Punk)

Go Your Own Way (Fleetwood Mac)

Grow Old With Me (Tom Odell)

Happy (Pharrell Williams)

Have A Nice Day (Stereophonics)

Heaven (Bryan Adams)

Here Comes The Sun (The Beatles)

Hey Jude (The Beatles)

Hey There Delilah (Plain White Tees)

Ho Hey (The Lumineers)

Hold Back The River (James Bay)

Hold My Girl (George Ezra)

Honky Tonk Women (The Rolling Stones)

Hotel California (Eagles)

Hound Dog (Elvis Presley)

I Just Called To Say I Love You (Stevie Wonder)

I'm Yours (Jason Mraz)

In The Morning (Razorlight)

Iris (Goo Goo Dolls)

Is This Love (Bob Marley)

Itchicoo Park (Small Faces)

I Want Love (Elton John)

I Will Wait (Mumford & Sons)

Jailhouse Rock (Elvis Presley)

Just The Two Of Us (Bill Withers)

Last Request (Paulo Nutini)

Lean On Me ( Bill Withers)

Learn To Fly (Foo Fighters)

Let Her Go (Passenger)

Let It Be (The Beatles)

Let's Spend The Night Together (The Rolling Stones)

Let's Stay Together (Al Green)

Little Lion Man (Mumford & Sons)

Live Forever (Oasis)

London Calling (The Clash)

Lonely Boy (The Black Keys)

Long Tall Sally (Little Richard)

Losing My Religion (REM)

Maggie May (Rod Stewart)

Marry You (Bruno Mars)

Moondance (Van Morrison)

Mr Brightside (The Killers)

Mr Jones (Counting Crows)

My Girl (The Temptations)

Mystify (INXS)

Naiive (The Kooks)

No Scrubs (TLC)

Oh Boy (Buddy Holly)

One Day Like This (Elbow)

Only Love (Ben Howard)

On Top Of The World (Imagine Dragons)

Paradise (George Ezra)

Parklife (Blur)

Peggy Sue (Buddy Holly)

Pencil Full Of Lead (Paulo Nutini)

Perfect (Ed Sheeran)

Place Your Hands (Reef)

Pompeii (Bastille)

Proud Mary (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

Riptide (Vance Joy)

Rock Around The Clock (Bill Haley & His Comets)

Rocket Man (Elton John)

Rule The World (Take That)

Sex On Fire (Kings Of Leon)

Shape Of You (Ed Sheeran)

She's Electric (Oasis)

She's The One (World Party / Robbie Williams)

Shotgun (George Ezra)

Shut Up And Dance (Walk The Moon)

Sit Down (James)

Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay (Otis Redding)

Slide Away (Oasis)

Stand By Me (Ben E King)

Starman (Davie Bowie)

Substitute (The Who)

Sugar (Maroon 5)

Summer Of ’69 (Bryan Adams)

Summertime Blues (Eddie Cochran)

Superstition (Stevie Wonder)

Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond)

Sweet Child O’ Mine (Guns ‘n’ Roses)

Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

Take It Easy (Eagles)

Take Me Home Country Roads (John Denver)

The One (Kodaline)

The One I Love (REM)

The Whole Of The Moon (The Waterboys)

These Boots Are Made For Walking (Nancy Sinatra)

Thinking Out Loud (Ed Sheeran)

Three Little Birds (Bob Marley)

Time Of Your Life (Green Day)

Times Like These (Foo Fighters)

Valerie (The Zutons / Amy Winehouse)

Wagon Wheel (Darius Rucker)

Wake Me Up (Avicii)

Wake Me Up When September Ends (Green Day)

Walk (Foo Fighters)

Waterloo Sunset (The Kinks)

Wherever You Will Go (The Calling)

With Or Without You (U2)

Wonderwall (Oasis)

You Can't Always Get What You Want (The Rolling Stones)

You Do Something To Me (Paul Weller)

Your Song (Elton John)

Christmas Songs:

Fairytale Of New York (The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl)

All I Want For Christmas Is You (Mariah Carey)

Happy Xmas War Is Over (John & Yoko)

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Bing Crosby)

It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year (Andy Williams)

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday (Wizzard)

Jingle Bells (Michael Buble / Traditional)

Jingle Bell Rock (Bobby Helms)

Last Christmas (Wham)

Let It Snow (Dean Martin)

Little Saint Nick (The Beach Boys)

Merry Christmas Everybody (Slade)

Merry Christmas Everyone (Shakin’ Stevens)

Please Come Home For Christmas (Eagles)

Rockin Around The Christmas Tree (Brenda Lee)

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Traditional)

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Bruce Springsteen / Traditional)

Sleigh Ride (The Ronettes)

Step Into Christmas (Elton John)

The Christmas Song (Nat King Cole)

The Twelve Days Of Christmas (Traditional)

We Wish You A Merry Christmas (Traditional)

White Christmas (Bing Crosby)

Winter Wonderland (Tony Bennett)

St Patrick’s Day Songs:

Bright Side Of The Road (Van Morrison)

Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison)

Dirty Old Town (The Pogues)

Galway Girl (The High Kings)

I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For (U2)

Molly Malone (The Dubliners)

The Black Velvet Band (The Dubliners)

The Boys Are Back In Town (Thin Lizzy)

The Fields Of Athenry (The Dubliners)

The Irish Rover (The Pogues & The Dubliners)

The Man Who Can’t Be Moved (The Script)

The Wild Rover (The Dubliners)

Whiskey In The Jar (The Irish Rovers)

With Or Without You (U2)

Phil'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)	£180
Up to 1 hour	£275
Up to 2 hours	£400
Up to 3 hours	£400

Wedding ceremony

This includes music before the service begins, music during the signing of the register, and music as guests leave.

£375

Drinks reception

Up to two hours of live music (to include 1 x 15 minute break) during your wedding drinks reception.

£400

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.

£675

Customer questions

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

I always try to be as flexible as possible with timings, to help ensure your event runs smoothly. If timings change slightly, once you've booked me, just let me know. I'm always happy to advise on what timings will work best.

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

Absolutely. I always come prepared with playlist DJ music, for before I play live and during breaks, and I provide this service free of charge. I can also provide a full DJ service, if required, for an additional fee.

How much time do you need to set up?

I usually like to allow approx 45 mins to 1 hour to set up, before the performance time. If there's a very tight turnaround time for a performance space (for example, clearing a room after a wedding breakfast and preparing it for the evening reception), then I can set up in as little as 20 mins!

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

I always try and feature a real mixture of songs, to create the perfect atmosphere and make sure everyone's having a great time. But, by all means, feel free to have a look through my song list and pick your favourites from there!

Do you bring all the equipment you need to perform?

I always carry all sound and lighting equipment, which is suitable for the vast majority of venues. If you're hosting a particularly large event, please let me know and I can advise if additional equipment will be needed.

Can you learn song requests before the event?

If a special song isn't included in my song list, please let me know (I might already know it, anyway!) If I don't, then I'll be happy to learn it for you, free of charge. If there are any more additional songs, then I'd be happy to learn them too, for a fee of £20 per song to take into account the preparation time.

What do your clients love most about your performances?

My ability to adapt to the needs of a client's individual event. I don't have a one-size-fits-all approach. If it's a lively party, then I can keep it really upbeat to match the party vibe. But if a client would prefer something more laid-back, so they can be entertained whilst still able to relax and chat to their guests, then I can do that too!

Which venues have you performed at in the past?

Countless! I perform all over the country and, either solo or with a band, I've performed at most venues! Most notably: London Hilton on Park Lane, The Brighton Metropole, Leeds Castle, Castle Howard, Brands Hatch, The Millenium Stadium. But, like all singers, I also regularly perform in bars in London and across the country!

Which artists have you been most influenced by?

I love the voices from the bands of the late 60s & 70s. In particular Creedence Clearwater Revival, Eagles, Lynrd Skynrd, Free, Queen. Of course there's also The Beatles and The Rolling Stones who've influenced everybody! I try to bring a bit of that style into everything I do, whether it's an old classic, a 90s banger, or a modern RnB track!

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

That would have to be the Heineken Cup Final at The Millenium Stadium!

Musicianship

Genres:

Acoustic, Christmas, Military, Contemporary classical, Film / TV music, Musical theatre, 1950s era music, 1960s era music, 1970s era music, 1980s era music, 1990s era music, Folk, Bluegrass, Country, Folk rock, Irish rock, Rockabilly, Jazz, Blues, Cabaret, Gypsy jazz, Jazz fusion, Modern jazz, Postmodern jukebox jazz, Swing, Easy listening, Light music, Noise music, Originals, Pop, Ambient pop, Americana, Covers, Disco, Funk, Funk rock, Motown, R&B, Soul, Top 40, Vintage, Rock, Alternative rock, Britpop, Classic rock, Glam rock, Hard rock, Indie, Pop rock, Post rock, Power rock, Progressive rock, Punk rock, Rock 'n' Roll, Synth rock, Australian music, Traditional Irish folk

See all genres

Instruments:

Singing guitarist, Guitar, Singer, Singer (tenor)

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Event types:

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

See all event types

Other skills:

Composer, Lyricist, Songwriter, Actor, Fluent improviser, Singing teaching

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