Hire The 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 Burdock Ceilidh Band in action

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

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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.

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5th Anniversary

This act has been working with Encore for over 5 years

25 gigs

Pro: 25 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

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The 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

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.

The Burdock Ceilidh Band's 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

50 verified reviews

Satisfaction

5.0

Professionalism

5.0

Communication

5.0

Punctuality

5.0

The Burdock Ceilidh Band's Reviews

5 out of 5

The musicianship was fantastic and Dan was great as caller. He got everyone involved and the ceilidh was a wonderful way to get all our guests together. It made such a fantastic finale to our evening and we are so grateful to the Burdock Ceilidh Band for making the end to our day of celebrations so memorable. It really was perfect!

Reply from The Burdock Ceilidh Band

2 months ago

Thank you, it's great to know we're doing a good job, it means a lot to us. Best wishes for the future and we hope to catch up with you soon! The Burdocks

5 out of 5

The Burdock Ceilidh Band were absolutely excellent. They were inviting, friendly, wonderful musicians, very personable and very receptive to the needs of the people at the party so as to include all physical abilities possible in the dancing. I would recommend them to anyone for a party. Thanks for a great evening.

5 out of 5

If you're looking for a ceilidh band then look no further! The Burdocks are an absolutely fantastic band, the music was brilliant and Dan was great at getting everyone involved and at giving clear instructions that we could easily follow. They were all so friendly and so much fun. They were the highlight of our wedding and will be booking them again for any future events we have!

Reply from The Burdock Ceilidh Band

1 year ago

Thank you Emma (& Joss) for the glowing review! Yes, hope to see you again soon!

5 out of 5

Dan and his band were a brilliant addition to our wedding celebration. They were easy to communicate with and were flexible when we were running slightly behind schedule on the day. They even played a few warm-ups for the kids who just couldn't wait to start dancing, which was hugely appreciated by the parents. We received so many compliments and really enjoyed the experience. Highly recommended.

Reply from The Burdock Ceilidh Band

1 year ago

Thanks, Philippa & Patrick, always good to know we delivered a good time for all! Best wishes for the future.

Read all 8 reviews

5 out of 5

Just had the band this past weekend for a surprise 40th party. They were exceptional. From first contact, helping me work out what was needed (even giving me venue suggestions!), to on the night, they were brilliant. I got my timings all wrong for the party, but they were great at going with the flow and were even proactive in engaging with the kids to keep them entertained and getting people up on the dance floor. The music was first class and taking us through the dances was great, they did it with humour and made it really simple. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

5 out of 5

We used the Burdock Band for our wedding in a marquee. We picked them on recommendation of their getting everyone up and dancing, which was certainly the case! Dan taught us a first dance last minute as well which was great. We requested music from the hobbit from Bilbos birthday party, and the band learnt it for us and it sounded great! We had such a good time and everyone was up and dancing. The guests couldn't stop saying how much fun they had and how much they want to come to a ceilidh in future! Can't recommend enough if you like fun and getting everyone involved!

Read all 46 reviews