Hire Swing The Bridge | Ceilidh band in Kent

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From£968.75

1 hour

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Swing The Bridge

About Swing The Bridge

FOR ALL AGES AND EVERY OCCASION! UPBEAT Ceilidhs and Barn Dances with ENERGY and ZEST!!!!! Caller included in the price quoted.

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Ceilidh band

Kent

Public liability insurance of £10 million

Verified profile

Swing The Bridge is a Folk-Rock and Ceilidh band with a flexible lineup of 3 to 5 musicians including a caller for Ceilidhs and Barn Dances. The full 5-piece includes Accordion, Violin, Guitar, Bass Guitar and Drums. We can offer 2 sets of up to 60 minutes with traditional music for dancing and songs while your guests are resting. We are not DJs but we’d be pleased to play your own playlist through the PA system. We have our own equipment i.e. PA, lights and all we request at the venue is a power point and a small table. We will make your special occasion one to remember with first class entertainment, fun dances and a wide variety of songs leaving you with fond memories for a very long time. We look forward to playing for you.

Swing The Bridge

5 out of 5

10 verified reviews

Satisfaction

5.0

Professionalism

5.0

Communication

5.0

Punctuality

5.0

Swing The Bridge's Reviews

5 out of 5

Brilliant band - played our wedding and guests still comment on how great they were!

5 out of 5

10/10 amazing! Even adjusted the dances for my wife who’d had knee surgery! Thank you!

Reply from Swing The Bridge

1 month ago

Everything worked to perfection. Thanks to Steph and Manny.

5 out of 5

Swing the bridge are an excellent band. Martin messaged before the day to confirm the arrangements were the same which I appreciated. They arrived early and were ready to go at the agreed time but also happy to wait since the wedding was running behind schedule. The caller was very entertaining and engaging and did a great job of trying to teach people the dances, despite the dancers doing a terrible job of replicating the moves! I would definitely book them again.

Reply from Swing The Bridge

4 months ago

Thanks to Tom and Yasmin for their kind attention. It was no problem to us in waiting to start the ceilidh; it's standard for weddings and we're always willing to adjust to the needs of the client. After all, it's their day, not ours.

5 out of 5

I cannot recommend Swing the Bridge highly enough. Their quote was very competitive and they provided 5 musicians (others only provided 2 or 3) so it was a great sound. Communication in advance was great and they arrived with bags of time to set up. As to the ceilidh, everyone from age 2yrs to 98 yrs thought it was fantastic, either joining in or watching. Confirmed non-dancers were up on the floor and loving it! So much fun. If you are thinking about something for an event then book Swing the Bridge and you wont be disappointed!

Read all 10 reviews

We wouldn't hesitate to recommend Bowstring: their playing at our wedding's evening reception was one of our favourite parts of the day! Our guests loved it too and the dancefloor was packed the whole evening. Bowstring is a great band to hire if you want everyone up dancing, young and old (and in between!) They're a talented band and happy to turn their hand to a variety of music - perfect for us with a mix of Scottish, English & Irish guests. Martin and his team were a lovely friendly bunch and booking them and agreeing all the timings/details couldn't have been easier. Thank you so much for being part of a really special day.

Hello Martin Thank you all so much!! It was all amazing and we've had so many compliments about how incredible you guys were. Everyone had a fantastic time and we are so so pleased we decided to break from the mould of traditional wedding DJ and go with you guys! Kind regards! And thank you again.

Read all 5 reviews

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

8th Anniversary

This act has been working with Encore for over 8 years

Member of the Encore community forum

Swing The Bridge's Song list

Don't Sit On My Jimmy Shands/Richard Thompson -

Blue River/Hank Sable

You Ain't Going Nowhere/Bob Dylan

Where The Sunset Meets The Sea/Martin Young

IRISH

Cockles And Mussels

Black Velvet Band

Dirty Old Town

Fields of Athenry

Galway Girl

Galway Shawl

I'll Tell Me Ma

Irish Rover

Jim Jones At Botany Bay

Leaving Of Liverpool

Spancil Hill

The Town I Loved So Well

Whiskey in the Jar

Wild Mountain Thyme

Wild Rover

and many more

plus many more covers and self-penned songs

Tunes

Horizonto/No More Wabbits 48 bar Jig

Hunt The Squirrel/7 Stars 32 bar Jig

Cock O'the North/Hundred Pipers 32 bar Jig

French Tuesday/Plane Tree 32 bar Jig

Fiery Clockface/Perfect Cure 32 bar Jig

Lemonville/Hot Potato 32 bar Jig

Jiggery Pokerwork/Jump At The Sun 32 bar Jig

Sweets Of May/Dingle Regatta 48 bar Jig

Paddy Careys/Morgan Rattler 48 bar Jig

The Sloe/3 Around 32 bar Polka

Whinhams Reel/Because He Was A Bonny Lad 32 bar Polka Church Street Set 32 bar Polka

Waiting For The Federals/Chinese Breakdown 32 bar Polka

Robertsons Reel/Great North Run/Grand Chain 32 bar Polka Dashing White Sergant 32 bar Polka

Newcastle/Double Lead Through 32 bar Polka

Thaxted Square/John Hunters 32 bar Polka

Harpers Frolic/Bonny Kate 32 bar Polka

Uncle Bernards/Jenny Lind 32 bar Polka

Bluebell/Primrose Polka 48 bar Polka

Swing The Bridge's Prices

Last updated: 2024

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

Performance duration	Price
Up to 1 hour	£968.75
Up to 2 hours	£1031.25
Up to 3 hours	£1062.50

Customer questions

What do your clients love most about your performances?

Our clients love the energy and laughter we bring to their occasion. We not only pay careful attention to the music and the choice of dances but we also walk the dancers through the dances with humour to put them at their ease. This is much appreciated by our clients as demonstrated by our reviews .

Which venues have you performed at in the past?

We have performed in the Mirror Tent at Canterbury Festival, The Pavilion at Broadstairs Folk Week and Tenterden Club at Tenterden Folk Festival. Also for private functions in many wedding venues and village halls.

Which artists have you been most influenced by?

Albion Band, Fairport Convention, Richard Thompson, Johnny Flynn, Laura Marling and Bob Dylan.

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

Canterbury Festival, Broadstairs Folk Week

Can you perform covers?

Yes, no problem. We are a folk band and, as such, we perform folk songs both traditional and contemporary in addition to the traditional Ceilidh music. If we don't already know it we are willing to learn two songs of your choice.

Do you have different line-up options?

We are a 5 piece folk-rock and ceilidh band with Guitar/Caller, Accordion, Violin, Bass Guitar and Drums. However we can operate as a duo or a trio according to your budget.

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

We always try our best to be flexible to help ensure your event runs as smoothly as possible. If timings change slightly in the run up to the event just let us know.

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

Absolutely. This is a really popular request and we actually offer this service for free.

How much time do you need to set up?

We usually set up about 1 to 1.5 hours before the performance time. As soon as our PA is set up we can provide a free playlist service to help set the atmosphere and get your guests ready for our live performance!

Do you provide a caller?

Yes we do! We have a fantastic caller as part of our Ceilidh band.

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

Our set lists are crafted from countless performances and learning what works best to ensure guests dance and have an amazing time. However, we're definitely happy to chat through and make sure we find what works for your event.

Is all of the equipment (e.g. PA) included in your quote?

Our PA and lighting system is included in your quote.

Can you learn song requests before the event?

If a song isn't included in our song list there may still be a chance we already know it. If there is a special song you'd like us to learn we are happy to do this for you.

Musicianship

Genres:

Folk, Ceilidh, Folk rock, Traditional English folk, Traditional Scottish folk, Traditional Irish folk

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Types:

Ceilidh band, Folk-rock band, Wedding band, Party band, Acoustic band, Folk band, Celtic folk band, Acoustic duo, Acoustic trio

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Event types:

Corporate event, Wedding, Bar / Club / Venue event, Private event, Concert, Burns night, Birthday party, Christmas party, New Year's Eve, Funeral / Memorial service, Hotel / Restaurant event, Charity event

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