VIP: The Ultimate Function Band

This international party band is made up of a collection of the highest quality professional session musicians and vocalists who specialise in performing choice party tracks from the wide ranging genres of Funk; Soul; Motown; Rock; Indie; Pop and Disco. VIP has a wealth of experience performing at the very highest profile events at venues in London such as The Grosvenor House Hotel in Mayfair, The four Seasons in Canary Wharf and The Savoy on the Strand for clients such as Louis Vuitton, Rolex and BMW to name just a few. The versatility of the band means that they are not only ideal for corporate events but also for weddings and civil partnerships, university balls, birthday parties and barmitzfers, awards ceremonies and festivals. They have also proved to be very popular with the British Military and are engaged by the SAS, RAF, Army and Navy on their major events throughout the year. VIP is led by Mathew Richardson Bmus (Hons) who is a former scholarship student of the Royal Academy of Music London. Away from VIP Mathew along with the other members of the band enjoy a varied freelance career working at home and abroad with artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, Corrine Bailey Rae, Professor Green, Sam Smith and The Human League, in some of the countries finest concert venues as well as on television including appearances on Later with Jools Holland, on the radio and on a number of commercially available recordings. If you need a band that will have you dancing all night & leave you shouting for more, there can be only one choice… VIP; The Ultimate Function Band. VIP Party The party band produces a truly fantastic sound and is perfect as the main evening’s entertainment for any event. The band will perform for up to a total of two hours of live music, and its at the clients discretion whether the format is 2 x 45 minute sets, 2 x 60 minute sets or 3 x 40 minute sets. Acoustic Sets (Guitar & Female Vocals) VIP offer an acoustic Duo option with guitar and female vocals which is perfect to create a laid back and contemporary feel to your drinks reception or dinner. The band will perform for up to 2x40 minute sets. VIP Jazz The versatility of the members of VIP means that they are just as experienced performing Jazz Standards, as they are party tracks, and are able to offer the VIP Jazz option. Dine in style whilst being entertained by the refined sounds of VIP Jazz. The Duo, Trio or Quartet is able to cover a full range of cool Jazz Standards which will add sophistication to any event. The band will perform for up to 2x40 minute sets. DJ Option As standard VIP provide a laptop DJ service so that your guests are kept fully entertained when the band is not performing live. They have a huge amount of popular songs and they mix them as they would be by a traditional DJ. They will make basic announcements, and take requests from guests on the night. You can even let us know in advance if you have any favourite songs and they will make up a playlist specially for your event. Dress Code The band will always dress very smartly as standard unless a more casual look is required by the client. Please just let us know what you require for your event and they will be as flexible as possible to try and meet your requirements. PA Options As standard VIP uses top of the range audio equipment which is installed and operated on each engagement by our very own team. Because the band is fully engineered this ensures the perfect sound mix for each and every event. The standard vocal rig is ideal for events up to 150 people or so in the average sized function rooms you find in hotels and venues up and down the country, allowing competitive prices and excellent value for money. For larger weddings and corporate / military events, they can provide a top of the range 4k watt PA system with engineer which is suitable to perform to a room of anything up to 500 guests. Larger systems are available on request to cater for any size of event. After gaining entry to the performance area, it takes a total of 90 minutes to be fully set and ready to perform. Working with Sound Limiters The band is regularly booked to play at events where the venue has some restrictions placed on the amount of volume which is allowed during the performance. Usually there is a decibel meter fitted in the room which is connected to the power supply that the band is asked to use. This is absolutely no problem for the band to work with. Lighting Options As standard VIP uses the Acme cabaret colour pro light system. This produces 4k watts of stage lighting via 8 x 500 watt bulbs. The system allows a flood of light of numerous colours or can be programmed to move with the rhythm of the band. The equipment is very compact and so can be used in almost any space. For larger events, the band can supply a popular range of intelligent and generic lighting from manufacturers such as Avolites, Martin Professional, Clay Paky, CCT, and Thomas and complementary special effects such as smoke and haze which can greatly improve the impact of the lighting. Set up time around 120 minutes. Previous Clients include: Amgen Bank of Ireland Beresford’s Solicitors BMW Bolsover District Council Bosch Café Royal London The Chambers of John Hand QC Dell Dior The Dorchester London Gonville & Gains College Cambridge Hermes Paris The Grosvenor House Hotel London Halifax I.B.M. IKEA Kings College Cambridge The Labour Party The Law Society Lincolnshire show ground Hunt Ball Lloyd's TSB Louis Vuitton Lowery Hotel Manchester Mint Morgan Stanley NAT WEST Orange Pernod Ricard France Price Waterhouse Coopers Charted Accountants Q Hotels Repton School Rolex The Royal Bank of Scotland RSPCC SIA (Spinal injuries association) Silverstone Race Track SONY South Leicestershire College Tesco Virgin Atlantic Wilberforce Chambers Song List