We're Back with a Bang!

Just in case you haven’t noticed, things have been a bit weird since March 2020. The world of live events and entertainment probably weirder than most.

In fact for 18 months our industry had effectively been outlawed – live entertainment and events were banned and getting involved in organising or performing at anything from weddings to theatre shows, private parties to corporate events would have made you an outlaw. Not nearly as cool as it sounds.

Entertainers and performers found themselves unemployed overnight. Granted there was some support from the government, but mainly, and this is a matter of record, we were advised to go and find something else to do.

And off most of us went. Amazon must have had the most talented canteens in the UK as an awful lot of musicians and entertainers ended up as delivery drivers. In Scotland, one of the best musicians and sound engineers in the land ended up delivering Chinese take away to make ends meet (he still lost his house).

I’m not for a second saying that these jobs are beneath anyone or that entertainers are entitled to special treatment. In fact we were all incredibly grateful to find ways to pay our bills and mortgages. But there’s more to being an entertainer than just earning a living. Performing is a way of life – it’s not glamorous at all (try loading two tons of sound equipment up three flights of stairs to set up for a gig and then doing the reverse at the end of a  four hour show), it’s not particularly well paid and pretty often it’s not even really appreciated. But it’s what we were born to do and not being able to has taken a toll on a lot of people who’ve seen all they’ve lived and practised for suddenly become illegal.

As for agents, what did we do during lockdown and the ban on liver performances? Well, we rescheduled and rescheduled and rescheduled. Some poor people moved their weddings or events three or even four times as the hoped for ease on restrictions didn’t materialise. In fact we lived in fear up here in Scotland of every First Ministers announcement which always resulted in a new avalanche of rescheduled and cancelled bookings.

When Covid first hit in March 2020 I was convinced we’d be back to normal by June that year. I wasn’t alone. If I’d known how long it would actually take I’m not sure I’d have had the willpower to see it through. Watching a business you’ve spent more than twenty years building come to a shuddering halt almost overnight was incredibly tough.

Furlough came to the rescue and we’re incredibly grateful that we’re still here to start over again, although a couple of very valued team members short.

Actually we’ve been taken aback by how quickly things have returned to normal. Indeed the next twelve months are shaping up to be the busiest in terms of live performances that we’ve seen since we started the business back in 1999. And that could be a problem for people who are still to book live entertainment for events taking place between now and the end of 2022.

The reason for that is because not only are there all the usual new bookings, but in addition we have thousands of events that should have taken place across the last eighteen months rescheduled and squeezed into the next fifteen months.

What does that mean for you? Well, if you haven’t already booked not only entertainment, but everything else from venues, florists, photographers, chauffeur hire etc you have to get a move on. We’ve never seen anything like it. The busiest bands on our roster have virtually no weekend dates left between now and December 2022 – in fact they’re struggling for Thursday and Sunday availability.

But all is not lost. Some dates are still being rescheduled due to continuing travel restrictions, so you may get lucky. Also, new bands are coming in to their own with good availability and competitive pricing.

Some established bands who previously put a limit on the number of bookings they’d take in a year have listened to our pleas and opened up their diaries to accept more dates to help us and our clients out.

So the best advice I can give is if you find a band you like and they’re available, don’t hang about. Secure your date with a reservation fee of £250.00 (remember, you can change your mind within fourteen days and get your reservation fee back in full, so there’s no risk.) That way you can relax in the knowledge that one of the make or break aspects of your wedding or event is taken care of.

If you want to see which bands are free on your date, follow this link to the best Wedding Bands in Scotland and get instant quotes and availability.