A Day In The Life Of Party Band Happy Hour Party Band For Hire!

A normal day for Happy Hour involves ironing!  How rock n’ roll I hear you cry... well before I leave to meet the other band members I make sure my stage clothes are ironed and on a hanger, so I look smart when I’m on stage.

Then I go through my pre-event details and ensure my laptop is fully charged and loaded with any special requests that the client has asked for, and print off the requested set lists.

In the car for a 40 minute drive to the studio to meet the rest of the band and our van, Trisha.  We gave her a name because we tend to talk to her a lot, and she really is a vital member of the band.

At the studio we exchange silly comments and noises with each other and load our gear into Trisha.  This takes around half an hour, which is great in the summer but not much fun when it’s snowing!  We check the address and postcode, and hit the road.

As a busy band, Happy Hour are in the van a lot so we always make sure its stocked with plenty of CD's, soft drinks and magazines.

If, for example, we are playing in the Midlands, it could well be a 4 hour trip so we would allow 6-7 hours and leave in plenty of time to allow for traffic etc.  There is a good chance we will stop for lunch in one of the service stations.  Once we’ve had lunch and moaned about how much it cost, we swear never to use service stations again......until the next gig anyway.

At the venue, we will meet the contact (usually the manager) to see if everything is running on time (hahaha running on time... it never does) and when we can expect to load in and sound check.

Once we have this information we load into the venue as quickly as possible.  When we’ve set up, we ask if it’s okay to make some noise and sound check ourselves, to ensure we are at the correct volume and everything is working. 

Now we are set up and ready to rock.  We go to our designated area and change into our stage clothes, leaving on low background music to create an atmosphere.

We then head for the bar area to introduce ourselves to the bride and groom, or guests we meet along the way.  We think this is really important so that we have a small connection with them before we hit the stage, and we can answer their questions, which are usually “can I get up and sing a song with you later?”  We always say yes to this as we love to get involved with our audience.

Now we wait for show time, which is usually 8-9pm depending on timings.  Every gig is different and has its own running order but we are flexible to changes that crop up on the night.

First dance is usually first if it is a wedding, which is played live by us or we DJ it according to the request of the client.  First set is a little more laid back to get people used to the change in volume and lighting.  It takes on average 30 seconds of the first song before they are up dancing and loosening up.

First set

After the first set we announce that we will be taking DJ requests and try our best to accommodate all of the songs asked for, and announce the buffet.  We use this time to get soft drinks, a bite to eat, mingle, and introduce ourselves to everybody.

Second set

This is where we really come into our own.  At this point, everyone is chilled, relaxed and ready for some live music.  We open with “Mr Brightside” by The Killers and it always gets the entire room moving.  We follow on with more modern songs then go old school, classic, some sing along’s, and rock n’ roll for everyone to dance to.  By the end of the second set we are all best friends and nobody (including us) wants the night to end.  We then play some classic tunes from our laptop.  We always do a special last dance with the bride and groom at weddings.  This is where they take away special memories never to be forgotten, and we get some great photographs of it.

Packing up

Now it’s time to change out of our stage clothes and pack our stuff down, and into the van.  For some reason this takes slightly longer than the morning load in.  Instruments go back into flight cases, leads rolled up and put into Stanley (our lead and mic box), and it all goes in the van ready for the drive home.

Heading home

When driving home, whoever is driving (usually Spicer, as Richie can’t keep his eyes open past 2am, and Joe and Tobit are sparked out in the back) will have Lucozade, Red Bull, sugar cubes, Haribo’s and a decent CD for company to keep him awake.

Unloading

At the studio, we unload the van, say our goodbyes, and head off home for some well deserved sleep before the next gig.

It’s not always rock n’ roll being in a band, but it’s a lot of fun and doing it with your best friends makes it a whole lot easier.........