FAQ
Of course! We highly recommend that you do try to catch us live if possible as this is the only real way to see exactly what we do. Although a lot of our bookings are for weddings and private events, we always have at least one or two public events each month which are listed on our website gig diary & also on our Facebook events page: www.facebook.com/ceilidhexperience/events If you are unable to attend any of our dates, we regularly post clips on our Facebook, Instagram and Youtube. These live films will show you exactly what we do!
Although we can alter timings to suit the crowd on the night this is the general template we find to work best and tend to stick with most of the time: First dance/dances: DJ The ceilidh band will play until the break/buffet (which is usually between 60 & 80 minutes) DJ will play background music during the break/buffet DJ set / Disco In the final 45 minutes the band will come back on for a high energy ceilidh finale which will end with all of the guests on the floor for The Orcadian Strip The Willow DJ – Loch Lomond Band – play a rocked up version of Auld Lang Sine Our DJ & musicians will all stay until the end of the evening. If you want more ceilidh/less DJ or more DJ/less ceilidh, just come up and let us know, but please make sure that we are given enough notice to plan out our schedule so that we are able to bring everything to a good finale at the correct time.
Sometimes we are asked if we can play just one hour of ceilidh at the start of the night, with the DJ taking over for the rest of the evening. Of course this is completely fine, but we would recommend that you consider having the band still come back on for the finale. Even just for the Orcadian Strip the Willow and Auld Lang Sine at the end. Along with the DJ playing Loch Lomond, this is always a great way to end the party!
Although we’re based in Edinburgh, we regularly perform throughout the UK and also travel abroad. We’re happy to travel any distance providing our expenses and additional costs are covered. * For gigs within 200 miles from Edinburgh, we will drive there and provide all of our own equipment. * For longer distance gigs within the UK (due to the travel time involved) it’s sometimes easier for us to travel by train and hire a local company to provide the sound, lighting, engineer and drum kit. * When we play abroad, we normally fly from Edinburgh airport and again, we use a local equipment hire company to provide the sound, lighting, engineer and drum kit. We have a full stage-plan and technical rider which can be downloaded from our website as a PDF. Here are some expenses which you will need to take into account when booking a band to play long distance / abroad: * Travel expenses e.g. fuel, travel time, train/plane/ferry/bus tickets, taxis. * Equipment/engineer hire * Dinner, bed & breakfast Expenses must be paid in advance and we will organise and book all travel tickets, flights & accommodation ourselves. Any additional travel between the station, accommodation and venue will be invoiced along with the receipts after the event. If you complete our online inquiry form, with details of your event & location, we will help you to find the easiest solution, and provide you with a quote for expenses.
Most of the dances we do are pretty straight forward. The band will explain the moves a couple of times at the start. This is usually enough for people to get the idea, so we tend not to call instructions over the music. If you’d prefer a separate caller (who can call along with the music when required) please request ‘Damien’ as DJ. Damien is also a fantastic dance caller and will be out on the dance floor with his radio microphone, providing as much instruction as you need!
Yes! We contact all venues two weeks before the event date to double check setup times & access. We also provide links where they can access PDF files of the following certificates: * Public Liability Certificate of Insurance * Risk Assessment Document * PAT Certificate * Stage Plan & Rider
We allow 60 minutes prior to the agreed start time for setup and soundcheck. Please note that our full setup takes 60 minutes from the time we are given 'access' to the performing area. We will arrive early to get our equipment as close as possible in advance. We'll also communicate with the client and the venue in the weeks before the event. If you decide to book an early setup for peace of mind, we will then setup 'before' the meal and can also provide a radio microphone for your speeches if required.
We do not offer equipment hire services for other bands or DJ's. Our sound and lighting equipment is setup specifically for our own band and DJ and is not covered for third party use. The good news is that there are plenty of good equipment hire companies around and it's fairly straightforward to organise this through them!
