Party band

The Soul Department

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About The Soul Department

Energetic 8-piece soul/party band. Punchy horns, powerhouse vocals and rock-solid rhythm, guaranteed to bring the party!
Party band
Alcester
Public liability insurance of £5 million

The Soul Department: high-energy professional 8 piece band. Male lead vocals, three live horns plus guitar, bass, keyboards and drums. We're internationally renowned musicians and experienced session players, and every booking includes professional PA, lighting and PLI as standard. With over two decades performing together under our belt, we can guarantee we'll make your event more special, your life easier, and give you and your guests a real night to remember. A top rate performance goes without saying. But it's the little things that make us stand out even more... We understand that the unexpected happens. Floods? Speeches running late? Groom's trousers split? Power cut? We've seen it all, and we STILL make sure you have a great night! We're all professionally trained with many decades of collective experience gigging with some of the world's best musicians, in some of the world's most famous venues. Lincoln Center, New York? Completed it. The Cavern, Liverpool? Yes indeedy. Harrods, London? That's right, we even blasted out the soul grooves at the prestigious Harrods. Vocals - Joe "Kenny Jazz" Greaves. A grizzly-looking beast with a versatile voice at home with everything from Otis (you HAVE to hear his Otis) to Bruno Mars. Guitar - Ewan is a virtuoso with a beard to rival Kenny Jazz... and a voice to match if you're lucky enough to hear it. Listen out for his shreds and be amazed that he was born more than 30 years after the era he lives for! Horns - Hannah's alto and tenor saxes are sent from heaven... just like her glamorous blond locks and superb backing vocals. Abi may be the shortest baritone sax player you'll ever see, but wait for your soul to be shaken with those low A notes and screaming solos. Tim on trumpet soars high above and keeps the horn section in check, shaking his thing alongside the official choreographers of the band. Keyboards - Jack is quite simply a machine. A soul-laden savant with a thirst for Hammond sounds and the occasional crunchy chord to make your spine tingle. He's in high demand, and we count our blessings that he chose us to show off his incredible talents. Bass - Mr Motown, the reason we sound so authentic! Mr Mo' does his research - frequenting the Stax Museum and Motown itself whenever he can. Cool, calm, funky as hell. Drums - Phil is so true to the Motown sound, you'll think you're right back there in the 60s. Slick changes and sticks to die for, listen out for his tricks and licks to keep everyone dancing the whole night through. We've worked with the same sound and lighting engineer for over 20 years. Graeme "The Doctor" is the man you need when you want quality - hear everything exactly the way it was intended, feel it in your soul and be glad you booked us because you'll be wishing you could do it all again!

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Encore expert
Demonstrated expertise by completing the Encore Academy
2nd Anniversary
This act has been working with Encore for over 2 years
Musicianship
Genres:
Soul, Funk, Motown, Disco, Vintage, Tribute, 1960s era music, 1970s era music, 1980s era music, Covers
See all genres
Event types:
Wedding, Corporate event, Charity event, Concert, Birthday party, Private event, Bar / Club / Venue event, New Year's Eve, Christmas party, Hotel / Restaurant event, Theatre / Show, Recording session
See all event types

The Soul Department's Song list

634-5789
Ain't Too Proud To Beg
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
Baby, Now That I've Found You
Build Me Up Buttercup
Can’t turn you loose
Car Wash
Celebration
Dancing In The Street
Disco Inferno
Do You Love Me
Everybody Needs Somebody
Forget You
Get Ready
Gimme Some Lovin’
Green Onions
Grits Ain’t Groceries
Hard to Handle
Heatwave
Higher & Higher
Hold on I’m Coming
I Feel Good
I Heard It Through The Grapevine
Isn't She Lovely
It's The Same Old Song
I Wish
Jailhouse Rock
Knock on Wood
Land Of 1000 Dances
Love Man
Love Train
Memphis Soul Stew
Midnight Hour
Minnie the Moocher
Mr Pitiful
Mustang Sally
Nowhere To Run
Papa's Got A Brand New Bag
Pick Up The Pieces
Play That Funky Music
Proud Mary
Reach Out (I'll Be There)
Respect
River Deep, Mountain High
September
Son of a Preacher Man
Shake a Tail Feather
Show me
Sir Duke
Signed Sealed Delivered
Soul Man
Stop Her On Sight (S.O.S.)
Superstition
Sweet Home Chicago
Sweet Soul Music
Take Me to the River
Time Is Tight
Try A Little Tenderness
Turn On Your Love Light
Twisting The Night Away
Unchain My Heart
Uptight (Everything's Alright)
Uptown Funk
Valerie
What's Going On
First Dance Numbers:
Let's Stay Together
My Girl
Stand By Me
Thinking Out Loud
Special Seasonal Numbers:
All I Want For Christmas
I Wish It Could Be Christmas
Merry Christmas
Rocking Around The Christmas Tree
White Christmas
Customer questions

What do your clients love most about your performances?

Our energy, our authenticity and the amazing sound that we produce - it really helps everybody get up on that dancefloor.

Which venues have you performed at in the past?

Wroxhall Abbey, Hampton Court Castle, Chateau Impney, Crown Plaza Hotel, Harrods, Wethele Manor, The Moat House, Rowton Castle, Caerhyn Farm, Elmore Court, The Mackworth Hotel, Hedsor House, Austin Court Birmingham, Manor Hill House, Ty Capel Farm, Boldmere Social Club, Swindon Golf Club, Moor Hall Golf Club...and many more

Which artists have you been most influenced by?

Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Sam & Dave, Tina Turner, Temptations, Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars, Ceelo Green

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

Difficult to choose! At a full capacity Christmas party for a global engineering company in a VERY nice hotel perhaps... or that time we were asked to play at Harrods at Christmas time maybe... or the very rock and roll garden party complete with a couple of classic rock legends?

Will the singer be the same as who I see in the videos?

We only take gigs where our vocalists are available. On the very rare occasion that there's illness or an emergency, we will bring in one of our top network of equality talented singers that we feel can bring the same high level of musicianship and charisma to the party.

Do you have different line-up options?

We go out as an 8 piece (male vocals, 3 horns, guitar, keys, bass, drums). You can also add a female vocalist for a 9-piece line up, for that extra special event. This gives us the flexibility to bring our sound and energy to smaller spaces and to cater for more modest budgets.

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

We can be flexible to fit in with your day - we understand that things arise so we'll keep in touch to make sure everything runs as smoothly for you as possible.

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

Absolutely - we can either pre-load a specially selected set or some people prefer to bring their own to plug into our system. We don't charge extra for this.

How much time do you need to set up?

We need 2 hours ideally, although we can work to tighter timings if needed.

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

We'll be happy to discuss particular favourites with you, and try our best to incorporate them into the evening.

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

Yes, no hidden extras!

Can you learn song requests before the event?

We are happy to discuss this, and if we feel our line up can do your song request justice, then we will be able to do it (time dependent of course). We will discuss the extra charge for this with you before you decide.

The Soul Department's Prices

Last updated: 2024

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

Standard Prices
Performance durationPrice
Up to 1 hour£2312.50
Up to 2 hours£2312.50
Up to 3 hours£2492.50

Add-ons

Pianist for ceremony and drinks
+£206.25
Saxophone Quartet
+£375
The Soul Department
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5 out of 5
1 verified review
Satisfaction
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5.0
Professionalism
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5.0
Communication
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5.0
Punctuality
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5.0

The Soul Department's Reviews

From Encore customers:

ME
Mike E
7 months ago
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5

What scrip class band best I have seen for a long time. They made our day completely

Reply from The Soul Department
7 months ago

We loved bringing the soul to your big day Mike and Tracey. An excellent time had by all. Congratulations again!

From other customers:

C
Chris
5 years ago

We hired the band for my Dads 70th birthday and they were absolutely fantastic, they had the entire party up dancing and everyone commented how brilliant they were, to the point my pal has now booked them for his 50th!

SL
Sarah L
5 years ago

We had them for our wedding they were amazing

Read all 9 reviews