Ceilidh Band Manchester

By searching for a Ceilidh Band in Manchester, you’ve come to the right place. For a full search facility, have a look at some of the bands below or go to our Homepage and choose ‘North West England’ in the drop boxes.

Bands in Manchester

Scottish Ceilidh band, North West, Manchester, Yorks (NWsc03)

Based in the Greater Manchester area, this authentic Scottish Ceilidh band (comprising fiddle, piano...

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Ceilidh, Barn Dance Band Lancashire, Manchester, (NW09)

Traditional style 5 piece band based in Darwen, Lancashire who will travel to most...

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Barn Dance, Ceilidh Band, Lancashire, Cumbria (NW07)

This 4/5 piece ceilidh band’s danceable and foot-tapping sound is based on a varied...

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Ceilidh, Barn Dance Band, Cumbria, Lancs, Lakes (TT5)

Combining the best in British folk music with roots, rock and reggae rhythms, this...

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Barn Dance, Ceilidh band, Merseyside, Wirral (NW08)

Merseyside based Barn Dance and Ceilidh band with vast experience as you can see...

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Ceili, Ceilidh Band, Manchester, Cheshire, Lancs (NW01)

*BAND VIDEO* of concert performance (caller available for ceilidhs) – see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI_gPi5STBk This is...

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Our agency, ‘Jigs ‘N’ Reels’ specialises in ceilidh bands (as well as barn dance and hoedown bands) and NOTHING ELSE! No string quartets, discos or jazz bands that ‘do a bit of ceilidh music’.  For around the last thirty years it has been our aim to provide ceilidh bands that meet the requirements and expectations of our clients because that’s all that we do – so we have to get it right!

We’ve tried to cover the main points below but please do raise any questions either via

1 – our enquiry form at https://jigsnreels.com/contact/ or

2 – by text or telephone on 0788 788 7917 or landline 01905 424411 and leave a message. We prefer to actually talk to people on the phone. There’s no ‘hard sell’ – we just feel that we can get a better handle on your event after a five minutes chat to chew over which ceilidh bands (or barn dance or hoedown bands) which would be most suitable for your event and budget.

By the way, there are many other similar bands which we represent and there’s many a ceilidh band Manchester area not even yet listed on our website.

WHAT AREA DO OUR BANDS COVER?

Okay, so you want a ceilidh band in Manchester area but maybe not fully sure how to go about it. By your use of the word ceilidh in your search we are assuming that you have already decided that a ceilidh is for you. Our ceilidh bands are either based in Greater Manchester or close by and these ceilidh bands are happy to travel to perform in Greater Manchester and Liverpool areas, the Wirral, Cheshire, Lancashire and West Yorkshire (and even the Lakes or North Wales). This means that they will be based relatively close to your chosen venue rather than travelling enormous distances on congested roads (which also bumps up travelling expenses). Our ceilidh bands are reliable and always turn up (never had any horror stories in that respect) and that local knowledge of the North West area probably has something to do with it.

HOW MUCH DO CEILIDH BANDS CHARGE?

This is usually the first question people ask – how much does a ceilidh band in Manchester or Liverpool areas charge? We can’t cover the fee scale of every band on this page (but please try the search box at the top of this page for more accurate pricing). As guidance, we would suggest that most smaller ceilidh bands of 3 performers including the caller run to between £450-£600. Larger ceilidh bands around £650-£1000. The prices do vary from band to band for several reasons (numbers in the band, travel expenses, the standard of their equipment, the band’s reputation and so on). Reputation can be an important factor. Try asking Noel Gallagher to gig for around £1000 and let us know what he says!!

HOW LONG DO BANDS PERFORM?

Within any fees quoted, every ceilidh band would include all travel expenses to/from your venue, their own PA/amplification system. Upon arrival, the ceilidh band set up their gear during the hour before performing and perform two sets of ceilidh or barn dance during an approximate 3 hour or so period. Each dance set lasts about an hour or so (and there’s usually an extended break at some point between sets for food/buffet arrangements or similar). This break makes sure that the musicians’ little fingers don’t drop off! However, each event differs and yours may be working to a slightly different timetable which we would discuss with you. That’s no problem, just point out what you have in mind and the ceilidh band can probably adjust to suit. There’s more about timings and other related points at  https://jigsnreels.com/have-a-great-night/

WHAT IS NOT INCUDED IN THE FEES?

We expect most people know about the introduction of congestion and emission charges (or similar) in some of our cities. At time of writing this page, it appears that these types of charges are under serious consideration in Manchester and Liverpool.  And who is to say when some of the other larger urban areas in North West England may start following suit? Such charges will be a variable depending on the ‘where and when’/types of vehicles involved and are not included in quotations. Also, some city centre venues particularly do not have their own parking area for performers and guests, so your ceilidh band may have to use local pay-parking areas for the evening. To avoid any doubt, all band prices quoted will NOT include these types of variable costs. However, we are happy to check these costs (if they apply) once specific date, times and venue have been forwarded. Nobody wants any confusion over the cost of booking your band, causing embarrassment on the night.

Regarding hospitality as well? Band members march on their stomachs and will have missed out on a traditional meal time whilst travelling, setting up their gear in readiness to perform at your event and would expect to be invited to partake free of charge in food and drink hospitality during the event.

AND WHAT DO CEILIDH BANDS OFFER?

Let’s start with the Caller, a vital piece of equipment within any ceilidh band. All our ceilidh bands in Manchester and nearby areas will always arrive with a Caller and the caller’s fee is always included within any quotations. This might be one of the ceilidh bands’ musicians but usually he/she will be a separate individual whose main job is to keep an eye on the actual dancing aspects of the night, explaining the moves with a ‘run-through’ of each dance to begin with and ‘calling’ reminders of these moves while each dance is in progress. Teacher is too formal a word – the caller’s aim is to keep their ‘teaching’ light-hearted and they won’t be upset if some of the dancers make mistakes or get the dance ‘wrong’. In fact, as a Caller myself, I KNOW some people will cock it up! Our idea of ceilidhs is for the people involved to have FUN by participating, getting the hang of the moves within the dance and mixing with other dancers. Much of the caller’s role is to make for a relaxed atmosphere by keeping the dances to a level whereby just about anybody can join in (and chucking in the odd bit of humour). Our FAQs tab at the top of this page leads to several questions asked about the Caller.

Then there are the musicians.

Sometimes, budget can be restricted for various reasons or perhaps space may be a bit on the tight side. We can offer some of the smaller ‘compact’ ceilidh bands to suit a more limited budget for, say, a fundraiser or a ceilidh party for limited numbers. Very often, these bands might be a trio including a caller or two musicians with their caller. These smaller line-ups take up little performance area. Also, some of the larger ceilidh bands are willing to downsize (especially during the less popular months) to suit those sorts of occasions.

But most ceilidh bands in Manchester and Liverpool areas have at least three or four musicians and a caller. This makes for more musical variety by way of instruments. Many of our traditional ceilidh bands have a ‘lead’ player (perhaps accordion, melodeon or fiddle) accompanied by other instruments …. guitar, banjo, woodwind, keyboards/piano or drums. One advantage in booking these larger bands is their greater visible presence which is very handy when performing on a stage at venues. However, if the venue does not have a stage, it’s not a problem for band performances.

And the actual dancing? Experienced ceilidh-goers will know all about the types of dances. But if your guests are less experienced dancers, you’ll be pleased to hear that the dances are kept straightforward and simple, particularly during the early part of the night. That’s when the Caller is watching very carefully, weighing up dancers’ responses, capabilities and enthusiasm. Dancing usually involves you and a dance partner dancing with other couples in dance sets. The sets can take circle shapes, square sets for four couples and longways sets (in lines facing your partner). In most dances, you and your partner will interact with other dance couples as well. In what are known as ‘progressive’ dances, you can ‘lose’ your partner and be switched to a new dance partner – that won’t be an accident but, rather, as an intended feature of the dance. Dancing with others can be very touchy/feely – the phrase ‘ice-breaker’ has been used by many people to describe the inter-mingling effect. Ceilidhs or barn dances are not to be confused with line dancing where you dance solo usually to Country & Western music – totally different ball game.

ARE ALL CEILIDH BANDS THE SAME?

Ceilidh bands, of course, sound very similar to barn dance bands and American style hoedown bands and most people think ‘Oh no, not that diddly-diddly stuff again’! We can’t deny the fact that the different genres overlap and most people would not notice much difference. Bit like listening to Jazz!! But to the more attuned ear, there are differences which you can read about in more detail on our FAQs page listed above.

But here’s a very quick rundown of what our ceilidh bands do and how they can differ.

ENGLISH CEILIDH? Eh, don’t exist? Ceilidhs are Scottish, ain’t they? Most people haven’t heard this term before (except folk dance music devotees). Try going back in time to a Thomas Hardy harvest-time barn dance knees-up but with the music much more energetic and bursting with enthusiasm! The music style of these bands can be from the British Isles, America, World Music and sometimes influences from Reggae or Ska – but all very suitable music for the popular ceilidh dances. These ceilidh bands might explain the whole thing far better if you listen to their music and many of them are very popular at the major folk festivals in the UK (and abroad).

What about SCOTTISH CEILIDH BANDS?

Scottish style ceilidh bands can vary a bit at two slightly different levels. In the North West, we can provide the specialist Scottish Ceilidh bands. They will only perform the music and dances from within the Scottish tradition for ceilidhs and Scottish Country Dance – we call them the ‘Strictly Scottish’ ceilidh bands. These bands will perform (either with their caller or the host’s own MC) to exacting dance music standards. As examples, dances may include ‘Eightsome Reel’, ‘Hamilton House’, ‘Posties Jig’.

However, if you’ve never heard of any of those dances above, don’t fret. For a Scottish style ceilidh, not everybody really needs a band that performs to those standards. Our ceilidh bands for Scottish nights will play the music and explain the more popular Scottish dances/music like ‘Gay Gordons’, ‘Dashing White Sergeant’, ‘Strip The Willow’. When mixed with other ceilidh dances, you and your guests will have danced at a ceilidh with a real Scottish flavour without the need for the dancing to be too exacting. Perfect for a Burns Night Supper!

IRISH CEILIDH BANDS (or sometimes spelt ceili bands in the Irish tradition – the exact same pronunciation) also perform in the Manchester and Liverpool areas. There is a big Irish tradition in the area and their music is generally from the Irish ceili traditional style for performing several of the popular Irish dances like ‘Siege of Ennis’ or ‘Walls of Limerick’. Sometimes the Irish bands also include a vocalist for song entertainment as well. But let’s be clear. These bands do NOT perform for Irish set-dances or ‘River Dance’ style Irish step dancing, both of which are a different matter altogether. Again, visit our FAQs page above for more detailed explanation.

FOLK ROCK CEILIDH BANDS have also emerged using electric guitars (as opposed to amplified acoustic guitars), bass instruments, keyboards and, of course, drums. Their music might still be mainly traditional tunes but the music is arranged to give a heavier, harder, funkier sound. Lead electric guitar might be the lead instrument (though we haven’t heard that Clapton or Brian May have joined any ceilidh bands…yet!) These bands often include a vocalist for some ‘covers’ song entertainment as part of your ceilidh party as well as using backing track music to enhance the overall sound experience.

The different styles of ceilidh bands are discussed in greater detail in our FAQs.

BAND EQUIPMENT AND INSURANCES

ALL our ceilidh bands in Manchester, Liverpool and nearby areas carry and provide their own PA/amplification systems. The venue will need to provide electric standard domestic type square pin 13 amp sockets. Other than that, the band have their own extension cables, speakers and mixer deck and can easily control the volume to suit your event.

We also insist that all our ceilidh bands also have the standard insurances and test certification for their electric equipment. Many venues also insist on bands providing Public Liability Insurance cover (minimum £250,000) and PAT certification for electric gear.

VENUES

Can we recommend somewhere in your area? What type of venue works best for your event? Obviously, there are stacks of venues in the North West area. We cannot claim to know them all, naturally, and would hate to be accused of any particular bias either in favour or against (in public at least!).

For events like WEDDING RECEPTIONS, you can check out some of the websites dedicated to such venues. Of course, for wedding receptions, it is important to consider so many other aspects for the day besides just booking your ceilidh band. In our FAQs pages, we go into more detail, however, about some choices facing you regarding room sizes, space required and which flooring works best (it really is riveting reading!)

And will a ceilidh be a good idea for your wedding reception? We’ve covered all that in our FAQs as well!

When considering the more LOCAL FUNCTIONS like fundraiser events, local social nights, harvest suppers, clubs, parent/teachers or private party (like a birthday) we would advise checking out local school halls or village halls (and most local authorities can give you contact details for such places) or local sports club-houses/golf clubs. Some of the village halls that received lottery funding have excellent rooms for dancing and provision for your own catering facilities at very reasonable rates.

And BARNS? We could talk for ages about barns because they can vary quite a lot. There are quite a few dedicated function barns (like converted-for-function-use tythe barns) with all the usual facilities that you would expect in a hotel or modern functions centres. But actual working barns, however, can be a different matter and may need a deal of preparation for ceilidhs. They need to be clean, have electricity supply and some level flooring as well as shelter from the elements. An old rustic open-sided barn sounds great but just hope that the weather holds good for you.

Then there’s the GREAT OUTDOORS? Dancing outside in the balmy late evening sunshine sounds like a great idea but can you count on the weather? It’s always best to have some contingency plan if God isn’t playing ball. The ceilidh band and their equipment will still need cover (just in case!) and suitable, safe electric power supply. Picture this – the ceilidh band arrive and set up, then the heavens open and the night is killed off by the weather. Without a contingency plan, your night could turn into a bit of a nightmare. But the ceilidh band will still need to be paid (unless they brought the bad weather with them!) Oh, and dancing on grass can be very tiring. You’ll know about it the next morning.

HOTELS? Oh yes, hotels!

There are so many excellent hotel venues, especially for those really special events like wedding celebrations. They often offer extensive grounds, good parking facilities, overnight accommodation obviously and many have very good dedicated function rooms. But booking a hotel for a private ceilidh party will be more expensive of course (which may be an important consideration).

Weddings apart, if you intend to book a hotel just for a ceilidh party, do go and visit the venue. Most importantly, do let them know that your entertainment is to be ceilidh dancing rather than, say, a disco. We can think of some hotels who don’t even know what a ceilidh is! They might expect you to dance on their expensive, thick carpeted floors (which can be rather heavy going, dancing-wise) or they will cover the dance area with their slightly raised interlocking parquet squares. These squares are really designed for disco dancing and cover hardly any area at all – definitely not suitable at all for ceilidh dancing.  Or are they more interested in protecting their carpet than ensuring that your party goes with a swing? And then, of course, they may have a sound limiter installed.

Yep, you’ve guessed it – the sound limiter and similar questions are also on our FAQs page.

Don’t forget, if you need any further advice, we are looking forward to hearing from you.