Function Band Set List Ideas

Function Band Set List Ideas

Alive Network’s Guide To Creating The Perfect Repertoire.

If you're starting a new function band and you want to know which songs customers want to hear, or if you're in already working as a cover band and you want to make sure you're covering all the essentials, then our handy guide lists the most popular tracks requested by our clients right now. With thousands of songs gracing the airwaves, we know it’s not easy to figure out what your band should play, but never fear... Alive Network is on hand to help you create your very own crowd-pleasing set list that will win you gigs time and time again!

Contemporary (2010 onwards)

  • Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know
  • Avicii - Wake Me Up
  • Bastille - Pompeii
  • Bruno Mars - 24k Magic
  • Bruno Mars - Locked Out Of Heaven
  • Bruno Mars - Perm
  • Bruno Mars - Uptown Funk
  • Calvin Harris - By Your Side
  • Calvin Harris Ft. Katy Perry, Pharrell, Big Sean - Feels
  • Clean Bandit - Rather Be
  • Clean Bandit - Real Love
  • Coldplay - Higher Power
  • Coldplay - Sky Full Of Stars
  • Coldplay - Adventure of a Lifetime
  • Daft Punk - Get Lucky
  • Disclosure - Latch
  • DNCE - Cake By The Ocean
  • Dua Lipa - Don’t Start Now
  • Dua Lipa - Levitating
  • Dua Lipa - New Rules
  • Ed Sheeran - Castle On The Hill
  • Ed Sheeran - Galway Girl
  • Ed Sheeran - Shape Of You
  • Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud
  • Florence and the Machine - You Got The Love
  • Foals - My Number
  • George Ezra - Budapest
  • George Ezra - Paradise
  • George Ezra - Shot Gun
  • James Bay - Hold Back The River
  • Jason Derulo & Jawsh 685 - Savage Love
  • Jess Glynne - Hold My Hand
  • Jesse J - Bang Bang
  • Justin Bieber - What Do You Mean?
  • Justin Timberlake - Can't Stop The Feeling
  • Lizzo - Good As Hell
  • Lizzo - Juice
  • Magic! - Rude
  • Maroon 5 - Sugar
  • Meghan Trainor - All About That Bass
  • Mumford & Sons - I Will Wait
  • Pharrell Williams - Happy
  • Rag 'n' Bone Man - Giant
  • Rag 'n' Bone Man - Human
  • Rihanna - Umberella
  • Rihanna - We Found Love
  • Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines
  • Royal Blood - Figure It Out
  • Rudimental - Waiting All Night
  • Sam Fender - Hypersonic Missiles
  • Shawn Mendes / Camila Cabello - Senorita
  • Shawn Mendes - Stiches
  • Sigala - Sweet Lovin'
  • Sweet Lovin' – Sigala
  • Taylor Swift - Shake It Off
  • The 1975 - Chocolate
  • The 1975 - The Sound
  • The Lumineers - Ho Hey
  • The Weeknd - Blinding Lights
  • The Weeknd - Can't Feel My Face
  • Tones and I - Dance Monkey
  • Walk The Moon - Shut Up And Dance
  • Years & Years - King
  • Zara Larsson - Lush Life

Noughties 2000 - 2010

  • Amy Winehouse - Rehab
  • Amy Winehouse - Valerie
  • Beyoncé - Crazy In Love
  • Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling
  • Cee Lo Green - Forget You
  • Coldplay - Viva La Vida
  • Florence and the Machine - You Got The Love
  • Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
  • Jason Mraz - I'm Yours
  • Kylie Minogue - Can’t Get You Out Of My Head
  • Maroon 5 - Moves Like Jagger
  • Maroon 5 - This Love
  • Nelly - Hot In Here
  • Outcast - Hey Ya!
  • Rihanna - Umbrella
  • Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars

Britpop / Indie Classics

  • Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor
  • Blink-182 - All The Small Things
  • Blur - Girls and Boys
  • Blur - Parklife
  • Blur - Song 2
  • Coldplay - Yellow
  • Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
  • James - Sit Down
  • Jet - Are You Gonna Be My Girl
  • Kaiser Chiefs - I Predict A Riot
  • Kings Of Leon - Sex On Fire
  • Oasis - Don't Look Back In Anger
  • Oasis - Live Forever
  • Oasis - Rock N Roll Star
  • Oasis - Wonderwall
  • Primal Scream - Moving On Up
  • Pulp - Common People
  • Pulp - Disco 2000
  • The Black Keys - Lonely Boy
  • The Coral - Dreaming Of You
  • The Cure - Friday I'm In Love
  • The Dandy Warhols - Bohemian Like You
  • The Fratellis - Chelsea Dagger
  • The Killers - All These Things That I've Done
  • The Killers - Human
  • The Killers - Mr Brightside
  • The Killers - Read My Mind
  • The Killers - Somebody Told Me
  • The La's - There She Goes
  • The Libertines - Don't Look Back Into The Sun
  • The Strokes - Last Nite
  • Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag

1970s & 1980s Hits

  • Bon Jovi - Livin’ On A Prayer
  • Bryan Adams - Summer of ‘69
  • Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In love
  • David Bowie - Let’s Dance
  • Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough
  • Elton John - I'm Still Standing
  • Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way
  • Free - All Right Now
  • Kenny Loggins - Footloose
  • Luther Vandross - Never Too Much
  • Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama
  • Madness - Baggy Trouser
  • Queen - Don’t Stop Me Now
  • Stealers Wheel - Stuck In The Middle With You
  • Steve Winwood - Higher Love
  • The Doobie Brothers - Long Train Runnin'
  • The Jacksons - Blame It On The Boogie
  • The Jam - A Town Called Malice
  • The Jam - Going Underground
  • The Rolling Stones - Start Me Up
  • The Smiths - This Charming Man
  • The Undertones - Teenage Kicks
  • Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody
  • Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music

Classic 60s Pop / Soul

  • Aretha Franklin - Respect
  • Bill Hayley - Rock Around The Clock
  • Chubby Checker - Lets Twist Again
  • Chuck Berry - Johnny B Goode
  • Elvis - Jailhouse Rock
  • Elvis - Suspicious Minds
  • Fontella Bass - Rescue Me
  • Jackie Wilson - Higher & Higher
  • James Brown - I Feel Good
  • Otis Reading - Hard To Handle
  • Ray Charles - Shake A Tail Feather
  • Roy Orbison - Pretty Woman
  • Stevie Wonder - Signed Sealed Delivered
  • Stevie Wonder - Superstition
  • The Beatles - 8 Days A Week
  • The Beatles - A Hard Day’s Night
  • The Beatles - Help
  • The Beatles - Hey Jude
  • The Beatles - I Saw Her Standing There
  • The Beatles - Twist and Shout
  • The Contours - Do You Love Me (Now That I Can Dance)
  • The Kinks - You Really Got Me
  • The Mavericks - Dance The Night Away
  • The Monkeys - Day Dream Believer
  • The Monkeys - I'm A Believer
  • The Rolling Stones - Brown Sugar
  • The Rolling Stones - Satisfaction
  • The Supremes - You Can't Hurry Love
  • Tina Turner - Proud Mary
  • Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl
  • Wilson Picket - Mustang Sally

Alive Network has 18 years of expert knowledge to get you well on your way to creating your very own crowd-pleasing set list that will win you gigs time and time again.

Rule Number 1: Forget What You Like - Think About Your Audience

In an ideal world, we’d all be playing our favourite music every minute of the day. But when it comes to function work (and more importantly, making money), sometimes you just have to channel your inner Bieber and give the crowd what they want! Think crowd pleasing classic & contemporary hits that guests of all ages will want to dance and sing-along to.

Rule Number 2: Play To Your Strengths

OK, so although Rule Number 1 says give the crowd what they want, remember to only give the crowd what they want if it sounds good. If you can’t reach Justin Timberlake’s dreamy falsetto tones, don’t do it! A half-cut attempt will not do you any favours. With a ton of floor-filling songs to choose from, go with what works for you - but learn the material properly, sing within your range and avoid busking tracks.

Rule Number 3: Contemporary Hits Win Gigs

Yes, every repertoire needs its classics, and on the night of the gig you might get multple requests for Mustang Sally, but after the all-important foundations are built, it’s crucial to stay contemporary and cool. In a client’s eyes, a dated repertoire equals a dated band, which in our experience, equals a lonely looking gig diary. Learn plenty of current hits and your band will look relevant and on-point.


Need more help?
Give us a call on 01782 381656 and speak with our artist liaison team or click here to find out more about joining Alive Network.