FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

If you book the 4-piece then you’ll normally get fiddle, guitar, accordion & bodhrán/hand percussion. If you book the 3-piece, then one of the above is omitted. The aim is to achieve a balance of strong melody supported by harmony and rhythm.  Our musicians do play other instruments, so you may get hurdy gurdy, mandolin, whistles, etc on certain tunes.

This depends very much on your budget and your venue. A full band can take quite a bit of space, whereas a 3-piece can be easily accommodated. With each band, we ensure an element of melody, harmony and rhythm, which can be achieved with a variety of combinations. If you want the band to entertain you outside the dance sets then a larger band is recommended.

Well the definition on Wikipedia for Celtic music says it all really. Our music and instrumentation leans towards the Irish session tradition and the dances to the Scottish ceilidh. It’s probably right to say our sound is more Irish than English or Scottish. We’re also influenced by Klezmer and French/Breton traditions. For a barn dance, we look to the American repertoire for reels and jigs.

Unless you ask for a challenge, we keep the dances very simple: we want all your guests to feel comfortable with joining in. Each dance is introduced with a short walk-through so your guests have a grasp of the basic moves. The dances don’t have any complicated footwork, the moves are very simple. After all, the dances are firstly about having fun together!

Of course, your more experienced guests will add fancy turns and impressive steps, so they’ll have fun too.

We usually do two sets between 45 and 75 minutes in length within a maximum 3 hours period. The break between sets depends on what activity you have planned: if you are serving a buffet, then we’d recommend a good 45 minutes break.

Yes, many of the dances we use are from the Scottish ceilidh repertoire, for example, Strip the Willow, Gay Gordons, Circassian, Virginia Reel, Cumberland Sq 8, Canadian Barn Dance and Dashing White Sergeant to name a few. If you’re up for a real challenge, then we might have a go at the Eightsome Reel.

If you are doing a Scottish theme or Burns Night then we’ll use Scottish tunes too.

Yes! When you submit the Quick Quote form, select ‘band only’ in the ‘Requirements’ box.

No, we don’t normally price by the hour except for schools and corporate workshops. The price we give you (weddings, events and parties) is for either a day or evening slot on your chosen day.

Yes, we regularly do Hogmanay, Burns Night, St. Patrick’s, and perform at street parties and festivals. If you have a particular idea in mind, give us a call.

That’s a difficult one! In theory, yes, if we have a public event available. Sometimes, it’s possible to get you into a private gig. Best to check our schedule and give us a call. Alternatively, we can always find you some raw unedited video of our latest gigs, so you can get a real idea of what we’re about.

It’s not in our core skill set, but, as an added extra, we do offer an unmanned DJ service for when the band finishes: we bluetooth your smart device directly into our PA system, so that you can DJ your own playlist. We also provide some very basic light effects.

Yes. If it’s the main comfort break between sets, then we can bluetooth your playlist into our PA system, or we can select a playlist from Spotify (or other). If your guests need a break within the dancing set, then the band will play a tune or two.

Yes, we do. This is a fun way to dance without disturbing your neighbours! Check out our Getting the Most out of your Venue guide for more info.