Hire Burdock Ceilidh Band | Ceilidh band in Birmingham

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From£1250

1 hour

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Scottish wedding at Highbury Hall

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The real stuff - no editing! Couples dancing their way

About Burdock Ceilidh Band

Award winning ceilidh band - played 500+ venues from Grand Halls to front lounges Inclusive, gender-free, amazing fun, great memories/photos

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Ceilidh band

Birmingham

Public liability insurance of £10 million

Verified profile

The Burdocks have played together for many years in bands and sessions and this band was formed both out of friendship and a love for the music we play. We enjoy performing as a solo band, as well as for dances and ceilidh. We've been on the road for over 10 years now and we just love doing what we do. Every event is new and unknown, we never get complacent. The Burdocks have a core membership of six professional musicians, which is supplemented with our extended family of guest artists allowing us to be flexible, and available throughout the year. The eclectic European/Celtic sound of the band is derived from the diverse experiences of band members from classical, rock and jazz origins. We have received amazing feedback from past clients, who keep coming back: we now cater for anniversaries of previous wedding clients, so we must be pretty good at what we do! I think it's our reputation for being inclusive and getting your guests involved in having fun together. Ceilidh and a bit of magic dust! The focus is on you and your guests.

Burdock Ceilidh Band

5 out of 5

65 verified reviews

Satisfaction

4.9

Professionalism

5.0

Communication

5.0

Punctuality

4.9

Burdock Ceilidh Band's Reviews

5 out of 5

thank you so much for making my party wonderful we were all novices at the beginning of night and experts at the end so so pleased we choose you for my party

Reply from Burdock Ceilidh Band

2 months ago

It was a fun night; we look forward to doing it again for your next special occasion! The Burdocks

4.8 out of 5

The burdock ceilidh band were an excellent addition to our wedding, playing a variety of traditional Scottish dances, and some new dances not familiar to us, but all were very fun and enjoyed by the array of guests we had, many of whom had never been to a ceilidh before. The caller was very engaging and able to clearly call the dances for people of different experiences and ages to learn, and was also great at getting people onto the dance floor and involved in the dances. All of our guests couldn’t stop talking about how amazing it was, and it made the whole evening that more special by tapping into our Scottish heritage, which was very important to us. 10/10 and hopefully we get to see them play again!

Reply from Burdock Ceilidh Band

4 months ago

Thank you, it's good to know we delivered! Best wishes to you both for the future

4.8 out of 5

The Burdock band were a success to finish off our wedding day, unfortunately we couldn't fit in both agreed sets due to other parts of the day getting delayed but all our guests enjoyed what they did!

5 out of 5

The Burdock Band played for our wedding and were amazing. They were friendly and helpful before the event, & worked well with our venues noise limiter. They did a really fun mix of some more traditional dances with some fun and silly stuff too. (The ‘wedding blessing’ dance is certainly something I won’t ever forget!). They got everyone involved and lots of people mentioned how much fun they had, including those who had never ceilidh-ed before.

Reply from Burdock Ceilidh Band

6 months ago

That's brilliant to hear. Moonlit evening with lovely people (and alpacas), a night to remember

Read all 15 reviews

5 out of 5

The Burdock Band - they are just the perfect entertainment for you and your guests. 10 years ago I discovered them for my wedding and everyone had a blast, so when I decided to have a last day of my 40th birthday party, 10 years later, I knew it was The Burdock Band I had to call. They did not disappoint. Dan was very patient in getting everyone organised. The evening was a night to remember, so much fun, so much joy and so many memories made. Thank you so much to Dan and team of amazing musicians! Don't hesitate, just book them - the best ceilidh band around!

5 out of 5

Can't recommend this Ceilidh band highly enough...gave us a great party! If you can, try and book the 5-piece...brilliant,👌

Read all 54 reviews

Encore badges

3rd most booked musician of 2023!

25 gigs

Pro: 25 bookings through Encore

Saved the day!

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

6th Anniversary

This act has been working with Encore for over 6 years

Member of the Encore community forum

Burdock Ceilidh Band's Song list

We don't offer songs - we're a ceilidh band!!! Here is a very small sample of the dances that we often draw inspiration from:

Circassians

Zelda

DWS

Strip the Willow

Cumberland dances

The Swoon

Gay Gordons

English Gay Gordons

Human Cannonball

Drone Attack

Mystery Wedding Dance

Eightsome Reel

Boston Tea Party

Virginia Reel

Holmfirth Sq

Bear Dance

Galopedes

Bouree deux temps

Bridge of Athlone

Seige of Ennis

Waves of Tory

Borrowdale Exchange

Circle Waltz

St Bernard's Waltz

Military 2-step

Clopton Bridge

Confess

Cornish 6-hand Reel

Farandole

King Silvers Jig

Lucky 7

Zorba

Nottingham Swing

Oxo Reel

Pat-a-cakes

Runaway Train

Sausage Machine

Wars of the Roses

Burdock Ceilidh Band'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	£1250
Up to 2 hours	£1250
Up to 3 hours	£1250

Customer questions

What do your clients love most about your performances?

Well, I think the reviews say it all really: we are approachable, our admin systems are very efficient, we are very professional, and we have a reputation for putting on a fantastic show. It's our ability to get all your guests up dancing together that clients rave about.

Which venues have you performed at in the past?

We have performed in a small restaurant, a cattle shed, private lounge, old baths, great halls and mansions, marquees, fields, forests, village halls, town halls, hotels, universities, medieval banqueting halls, tourist attractions and so on across the land, from the smallest parties to corporate venues of 600+ guests.

Which artists have you been most influenced by?

We are a eclectic group of musicians from rock, folk and classical backgrounds so not really a relevant question, especially as the music we play tends to be traditional tunes of Celtic origin.

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

Every gig we do is the most high profile gig that we've performed. Stupid question!

Can you perform covers?

Although we're not a covers band we do occasionally accept specific tune requests, so do ask us. We concentrate on the ceilidh aspects of the evening, which is why we have such an impressive track record for getting guests up dancing together. What we do have are upbeat instrumentals that we play to fill any gaps in the ceilidh, or we can play your playlists

Do you have different line-up options?

Yes: the 4-piece is normally fiddle, guitar, accordion & bodhran/hand percussion. If you book the 3-piece, then one of fiddle, guitar or accordion is omitted. The aim is to achieve a balance of strong melody supported by harmony and rhythm. Our musicians do play other instruments, so you may get hurdy gurdy, pipes, mandolin, whistles, etc.

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

No problem at all; we will send you a 'final' email to confirm timings, etc about 10 days before your event.

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. If you'd like a unmanned DJ service using our PA (and your smart device) after the final set until the venue closes, we can provide this too for an additional fee.

How much time do you need to set up?

Set up time is 45 minutes; we normally aim to arrive 15 minutes earlier to liaise with client and venue team. If you're using the same room, say after a wedding breakfast, then we can often set up our equipment as the tables, etc are cleared.

Do you provide a caller?

Yes. Our resident caller is Dan Longley, who also runs barndancefitness.co.uk. If he's unavailable, then we use two other highly experienced and capable callers. Dan practices gender-free calling, and makes the dancing accessible to all.

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

Dances, and tunes, yes, best to warn us before the day! The choice as to what dance/tunes to do next depends on what feels right in the moment, the nature of the space, the dancers, the temperature, the timings - so many factors are taken into consideration, and we like to improvise and live on the edge, which means you'll always get a live performance!

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

Yes, we provide a PA at no extra charge. Lighting should be provided by others.

Can you learn song requests before the event?

We have been known to play tune requests, yes, and there is a £30 charge if it's not in our repertoire. We can also work up a dance specifically for you; one client asked us to come up with a dance about drinking tea, and we came up with the Teapot Tango.

Musicianship

Genres:

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

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Types:

Ceilidh band, Folk band

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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, Recording session, Theatre / Show, Burns night, Birthday party, Christmas party, New Year's Eve

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