Bands For Hire Essex Find 520 of the best live function bands Essex has to offer!
These are the perfect Essex bands for corporate events, weddings & parties .... in fact any event where you want to dance all night to rock and pop hits from across the decades! Find the best local function bands Essex has to offer only at Alive Network, the UK's biggest music agency.
Find Function Bands available for your event...
The Hot Shots
Rock and Pop Function BandWINNERS!!! The Wedding Industry Awards 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018 The Hot Shots, are an award winning modern rock & pop party band. Their repertoire features Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran & Maroon 5, as well as rock & indie by Foo Fighters, Killers & Kings Of Leon. Members have played at V Festival, BugJam, L... Read more...
Tritts And The Numbers
Rock and Pop Function BandTritts and The Numbers are an electrifying party band complete with blistering guitar solos, on stage high jinx & a musical repertoire that will leave any audience begging for more! From Walk The Moon, Beastie Boys, Maroon 5, Faithless and everything in-between, be prepared for a high energy perform... Read more...
The Hot Waves
Party BandsA fantastic 5 piece band with both male and female vocals, who have played with some of the biggest names in the industry including Kylie Minogue, Ed Sheeran, The Killers and more. With a blisteringly hot reputation and a genre-embracing repertoire, The Hot Waves are guaranteed to get any dance floo... Read more...
SOLA
Live DJ / Instrumental DuoLooking for the coolest live entertainment at your event? SOLA are a DJ duo with a difference. Incorporating live percussion, guitar, bass and looping stations with the freshest dance floor hits, this act is main-stage worthy!
The Barneys
Rock and Pop Function BandThe Barneys are an energetic, talented and professional four-piece cover band. Formed in 2016, these four young lads have been rocking all over Essex & beyond since. Performing covers from Queen to Bruno Mars, they will guarantee to keep your guests entertained all night long!
Sonic Moon
Rock and Pop Function BandBoasting professionalism, diversity & unique musicianship, Sonic Moon pull a huge array of genres into their repertoire & guarantee you a busy dance floor. From Bob Marley, Dizzie Rascal, The Beatles, James Bay, Toots & The Maytals & loads more, Sonic Moon mix the cool, the contemporary & the classi... Read more...
New Light
Rock and Pop Function BandNew Light are an energetic party band with an outstanding repertoire guaranteed to keep the dancefloor jumping! Big sing-a-long classics from across the eras ensures that there's something for everyone to party to!
Happy Hour (3 Piece)
Rock and Pop/ Indie TrioExclusive to Alive Network! Young, energetic 3 piece band, covering the Beatles to the present day greats such as The Killers & Bruno mars. Their tight harmonies & professional sound come with years of experience in the live music industry.
Atlantic Groove
70's Funk & Disco BandAtlantic Groove know exactly how to fill a dance floor...by creating a big funky sound, produced by a stellar line up of some of London's top session musicians! Featuring a trio of knock out vocals and a backing band so tight not even Prince could squeeze between the notes, you're sure of a fun fill... Read more...
Festival Anthems
Rock and Pop TrioRecreating some of the biggest sounds on the festival circuit, Festival Anthems guarantee to get your party rocking! Their set includes music you’d expect to hear at Glastonbury with tracks from Kings Of Leon, Rizzle Kicks, Foo Fighters & more!
Our Guide to the Best
Bands for Hire Essex has to offer
Read the booking guide...
It’s the home of Blur, ‘The Planets’ composer Gustav Holst, and Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry. Yet Essex is never given quite the credit it deserves for its contribution to music and culture.
Think Colchester and you probably think of a quaint ancient town, rather than the birthplace of Britpop. However it’s here that mates Damon, Graham and Alex came together with drummer Dave Rowntree to form the band around which the cultural movement coalesced: Blur.
Likewise, Southend (pronounced ‘Saarf-End’) deserves a reputation for punching above its weight when it comes to music, with goth-garage outfit The Horrors and many more all calling the seaside town home.
Essex Bands on Alive Network
Our bands are available to hire in every area of Essex including:
- Basildon
- Billericay
- Braintree
- Brentwood
- Brightlingsea
- Burnham-On-Crouch
- Canvey Island
- Chelmsford
- Chigwell
- Chipping Ongar
- Clacton-On-Sea
- Colchester
- Epping
- Frinton-On-Sea
- Grays
- Great Dunmow
- Halstead
- Harlow
- Harwich
- Loughton
- Maldon
- Rayleigh
- Saffron Walden
- Southend-on-Sea
- Stansted Mountfitchet
- Tilbury
- Waltham Abbey
- Walton-On-The-Naze
- West Mersea
- Wickford
- Witham
- Wivenhoe
Alive Network is home to 17 of the very best function bands who are based in Essex and other bands who are available to hire for events taking place within the county.
Hiring Bands In Essex
How much does it cost to hire a band in Essex?
The cost of a live bands varies, depending on the line-up, and the options each band offers. In the last 12 months, the average price of a 5-piece band is around £1,600.
The table below shows the range of fees for different types of bands:
| Type of Artist | Cost Range |
|---|---|
| Rock and Pop bands | £670 - £960 (3-piece) £980 - £1,550 (4-piece) £1,050 - £1,380 (5-piece) £1,570 - £2,160 (4-piece) |
| Upbeat and Dixieland Jazz bands | £460 - £1,210 (3-piece) £700 - £2,700 (5-piece) |
| Acoustic and Roaming bands | £330 - £720 (2-piece) £480 - £1,630 (3-piece) £600 - £1,630 (4-piece) |
| Soul Bands | £820 - £4,500 (4-piece) £960 - £2,420 (5-piece) £1,090 - £3,500 (6-piece) £1,210 - £7,500 (larger bands) |
| Rat Pack and Swing bands | £1,060 - £1,940 (5-piece) £2,120 - £2,904 (7 to 9-piece) £2,900 - £3,020 (10-piece+) |
Booking a band who are local to your venue is a great way to reduce cost, as any travel fees will be minimal. The home town of all Alive Network wedding bands are included on their profile pages, and your Entertainment Coordinator can recommend the best bands near to your venue. However, you don’t need to limit your search to just local bands – your perfect band maybe willing to travel at nominal cost!
How much space will they need?
The table below shows approximately how much space live bands of different sizes require:
| Size of Band | Performance Space Required |
|---|---|
| 3-piece band | 3 x 3 metres |
| 4-piece band | 4 x 3 metres |
| 5 and 6-piece band | 5 x 3 metres |
| 7-piece band and bigger | 5/6 x 4 metres |
How long will they take to set up & soundcheck?
Depending how close to the performance space the band can park, unloading, setting up and performing their sound-check will take around 60 – 90 minutes.
Some busy city hotels require bands to load in via a supplier’s entrance, using a shared staff elevator, which can increase set up times.
Following their performance, it takes around 45 – 60 minutes to pack down and load out.
How long is a typical function bands set list?
Our bands usually offer two 60-minute performances, though many can perform for longer if needed. You could spread out a two-hour performance by splitting it into three 40-minute sets. Most bands are flexible to fit in with your evening, and will usually take a break of around 15 minutes between sets, during which time they will provide background music from an MP3 player or laptop.
If providing the evening entertainment, a band would typically arrive at 6pm, get set up and perform that all-important sound check by 7.30pm to 8pm, get changed and ready to start the first performance by around 9pm. The second performance would then start around 10.30pm, until a normal curfew of midnight. Many bands offer longer performances or DJ sets at an additional cost, including finishing times of 1am and 2am. You can find the booking options on each band’s profile page. These times serve as an example – the band will always liaise with you and will tailor what they are doing on the night to your particular needs.
Find The Perfect Function Bands Essex Has To Offer!
Check out these reviews of Essex wedding bands to help you find the perfect band for you.
"Exceeded all of our entertainment expectations"
The Hot Shots were the highlight of our wedding reception. They played a great variety of music which suited our guests as there was a wide age range present. They had amazing equipment and were able to setup and sound check in what felt like no time at all. Their musical performance itself was amazing. It's clear that each of the guys are fantastic musicians in their own right, so together they have a real recipe for successful performance and great entertainment. They had all of the guests up on the dance floor and signing until they lost their voices, or maybe that was just me. They were such lovely guys too. They mingled with our guests between their sets and were really approachable for those who wanted to speak to them. Not that I was concerned otherwise but they were dressed appropriately and throughout the night maintained great professionalism. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for this type of entertainment at their event.
"Cracking 50th Birthday Party!"
I booked Audio Globe for my 50th birthday party. The band were really easy to work with to create the perfect set list for my party, even learning a new song. Communication with Will beforehand was great, putting my mind at rest before the night. Both sets were great and they really got the party going with lots of great feedback from friends and family afterwards. Would highly recommend and definitely book again. Thank you Audio Globe!
"Absolutely brilliant New Years Eve party night."
The band were excellent, so professional and had everyone on their feet. Their rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody was incredible. Some guests have even said it was the best New Years Eve Party they had ever been to. So happy, would highly recommend them. Thank you so much.
"Excellent Christmas party band!"
Booked for a Christmas party at a small(ish) venue for 25-30 staff and they had everyone on their feet from the first song until the last. Cannot recommend them highly enough. Will definitely be booking them again!
"They were the icing on the cake!!"
Happy Hour were fabulous at our wedding. I requested an acoustic arrangement of never too much for our first dance and they totally smashed it, I couldn’t have wished for it to go any better, Thanks guys!
"They were absolutely fantastic!"
I heard Dexter perform at my sisters wedding and I knew I had to have them at mine. They were absolutely amazing, playing a mix of old and new. Cat the lead singer learnt our first dance and blew everyone away, she gave us both goosebumps! It made the whole experience really special. Everyone since has been commenting how great they were! I would highly recommend! We can’t praise them enough! Steve was great too!! Thank you!
Local Essex Wedding Venues
We work closely with some amazing Essex wedding venues including: Gosfield Hall, Gaynes Park, Leez Priory, Braxted Park Estate, Quendon Hall (Parklands), Blake Hall, Prested Hall, The Reid Rooms, Layer Marney Tower and Houchins Farm and many more.
If you want any advice on suitable entertainment at your chosen venue, just let us know where you’re planning to book and we’ll share what we know, who we’ve booked there in the past, which of our bands are most suitable and any other key information about entertainment at that venue that we think you might want to be aware of.
UKAWP Wedding Planners in Essex
As a proud supplier member of the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners, we are happy to recommend their members who abide by the UKAWP Code of Business Practice.
The following UKAWP wedding planners cover Essex and the surrounding areas: One Curious Dream, Weddings By Mary, Natalie Hewitt, BusyBrides and The Wedding Planners.
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