The SoulMates - F A Q's

What are your fees?

We aim to keep our prices competitive, and you will not incur the extra fee that is charged if you book an act through an agency, which can be as much as 25%. Factors such as distance rarely affect our fee, which is based on a total venue time of approximately 7 hours, e.g. 5pm--midnight.

Why choose The SoulMates in preference to other bands?

You'll find many bands who charge the earth, but are simply nowhere near the required standard to justify their fee.

There are equally lots of bands who appear cheap, but when you hear them you'll understand why! it will cost you your event!

There are also many bands who offer different numbers of musicians to suit your budget - from our experience, these musicians often work with many different bands and are rarely permanent band members. To be a band that gives a polished performance, rather than a group of unfamiliar musicians, we believe that you must have permanent band members who are fully rehearsed and focussed on just one band..........as we are.

Can I view the band before booking?
Unfortunately as the vast majority of our bookings are private functions it is rarely possible to view the band, but, to overcome this, we do perform at Wedding Fayres during the year which are announced on our website along with any public appearances.

Do you accept Song Requests?
If you have a specific first dance song in mind, it is often a better option for us to play this on CD for you. Although we're more than happy to consider first dance requests, the large number of weddings that we are booked for makes it extremely difficult to learn songs for every booking.

How are your sets decided?

From experience, we know what works well! Our sets do change as we bring in new material, but we select from our current playlist & decide the running order to make sure that the right songs are grouped to give you & your guests a memorable event. We can add requests from our playlist, but to ensure a polished performance we ask that the running order is a band decision.

What sort of venues have you played at?
The SoulMates have performed at a wide variety of venues from pubs to large country mansions, theatres, halls, hotel function rooms, a zoo, and an aircraft hangar at British Airways! We are also happy to perform in marquees or outdoors if the weather allows it, and can play with or without staging.

Do you charge extra for PA & Lighting?
No - we provide our own high quality professional PA system which is included in any quote for the band, and our lighting rig can be supplied if required and space is available.

How long do you need to set up?

It is essential that we have sufficient time to set up and sound-check, which generally takes between 2 & 2½ hours. If there is anything at the venue which would affect our access, it is important that we know about this in advance.

How long do you play for?

We perform 2 hours of live music generally finishing by midnight, either as 2 sets of 1 hour with a break or 3 x 40 minute sets with two breaks, but we can tailor this to fit in with your requirements. After the show, we are happy to leave CDs playing through our PA system whilst we pack up; usually this allows an additional 20 minutes of CDs before we reach the stage of packing up that involves switching off the main PA.

Do you provide background/dancing music?

The band always comes equipped with a CD player for playing music before, after and between the sets if required. We also bring a selection of CDs but you're welcome to bring your own compilations if you have particular preferences as to the music that is played. The format can be CD, CDR, MP3 CD, and we can also plug your ipod/mp3 player through our system if required.

Is your equipment tested & are you insured?
All of our equipment is PAT Tested to current Health and Safety Regulations (http://www.pat-testing.info/) and we lay out all electrical equipment and instruments as neatly and safely as possible. We have current Public Liability Insurance.

Performance Requirements:
The SoulMates can perform with or without staging, indoors or outdoors. The ideal stage area we require to perform comfortably is 20ft wide x 12ft deep - this isn't an absolute necessity, and we regularly play in smaller areas, but this does make it much easier to set up properly. Temporary dancefloors should be positioned so that there is room between the band and the dancefloor. A room for the band to change/wait in and to store equipment cases is needed for most venues.

We require at least two electrical sockets and we provide our own PAT Tested extension leads. If power is to be provided by a generator, it is the responsibility of the client/venue to ensure that it is of sufficient rating, and has sufficient cables and adaptors to power the band safely without the risk of overload. The full band with all PA and lighting involves a power consumption of approximately 4000W, which can be safely provided by 2 standard mains wall sockets.

The provision of food & beverages during the event would be greatly appreciated, but is not essential.

Noise Limiters:

From experience, noise limiters are always problematic as they are triggered by frequency as well as decibels. Occasionally we have arrived at a venue to be faced with a noise limiter, and had the venue management not been able to disable it we would not have been able to perform. Even the unamplified acoustic instruments in the band trigger noise limiters, and the effects of the mains power cutting out and then back in again runs the risk of causing serious damage to the sound equipment. This also has a serious impact on your enjoyment! It is therefore agreed that if a limiter is installed, it will be overridden for the duration of the performance.

Contracts & Booking:
Bookings are confirmed by receipt of a £250 deposit and a signed contract stating full details of the event. Balance payment is required no later than four weeks before the booking if paying by cheque, or alternatively by cash paid at the start of the performance. Our contracts reflect Musician's Union booking agreements & comply with current industry standards.

Cancellation:
In the event of a cancellation, the following cancellation fees will apply:

within 180 days of the engagement date, 100% of the total fee is required - at any other time, 50% of the total fee is required.