Book The Burdock Ceilidh Band, Ceilidh band in Birmingham

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From£1250

1 hour

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Wedding ceilidh at Highbury Hall

Ceilidh for all occasions

Doctors dancing

About The Burdock Ceilidh Band

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

3 of 36 photos

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.

Encore badges

Saved the day!

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

Member of the Encore community forum

4th Anniversary

This act has been working with Encore for over 4 years

10 gigs

Experienced: 10 bookings through Encore

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

See all event types

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

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.

Prices

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

The Burdock Ceilidh Band

5 out of 5

23 verified reviews

Satisfaction

5.0

Professionalism

5.0

Communication

5.0

Punctuality

5.0

Reviews

5 out of 5

Everyone enjoyed themselves, even some of the reluctant dancers got up to dance. We had them for our wedding and all age groups joined in.

5 out of 5

Bloody Brilliant!

5 out of 5

We've seen the band before at a friend's wedding so we knew we'd have a great night for our own wedding reception too. With it being one of the first all dancing/all singing weddings since the lift on covid restrictions, we were delighted to finally let our hair down and have a great time dancing. The music was wonderful, the dances were creative and everyone had a fantastic time. Thank you so much! X

5 out of 5

We had the Burdock Band for our wedding in Hereford last month and they were absolutely amazing! The music was fantastic and the caller was brilliant, he got everyone up on the dance floor and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time. If you are thinking about having a ceilidh at your wedding I would 100% say to go for it, and if you decide to then I can't recommend the Burdock band highly enough.

5 out of 5

It was with some trepidation that we considered hosting a ceilidh in Derbyshire with friends and family from across the UK and overseas for our Silver Wedding Anniversary - we couldn’t have made a better choice. Dan and the band led our guests (and us, of course) gently through the steps of a range of traditional dances, with the band of amazing musicians gradually picking up the pace as our dancing confidence grew. Our guests loved Dan’s rapport - he achieved just the right mix of delicacy and authority with our party of mostly first-timers; and the energy and laughter on display was testament to his style. We would have no hesitation in recommending the Burdock Band to anyone looking for a truly immersive musical experience.

Read all 24 reviews