So Its that time of year to start getting excited about your works winter party. If you want some quick tips and cool ideas on how to choose the perfect band for your works winter party then this guide is for you! 

I would firstly suggest planning what moments in the day you want music, the most popular times for this are:

• Background music at the drinks/welcome reception,
• Background music during a meal
• Main stage evening band. 

The next step is to find what type of band you want to perform at your winter party. Here is some inspiration for each of the above options and remember all of the bands at Silver Stage Entertainment can perform festive tunes in their own style upon request. 

Background Drinks Reception Bands: 

Jazz Band: A background jazz band is a great choice for a drinks reception to create that sophisticated atmosphere. I would recommend anything from a jazz duo to a 5 piece band here. You may be worried that instruments like the drums or the trumpet may be too loud for this environment but actually drummers can play with a softer sounding set of sticks called brushes, and trumpeters can put a mute in to reduce volume and get that classic Miles Davis like sound. Our jazz bands can perform all of your favourite festive tunes with a jazzy twist.  

Harpist: The harp really does add that sense of class at any event. Harp is a popular choice as one person can create such a full sound by themselves. a beautiful instrument just to look with an equally romantic sound. People are often Surprised to find out that as well as classical tunes and festive tunes in this case that many harpists can perform your favourite pop covers and TV themes including game of thrones upon request.

String Quartet: String quartets always go down well performing classics such as "Pachabels Canon in D" and many more. You can also book string duos and trios if volume, budget or space are of concern. 

Acoustic Duo: Acoustic duos really show off a singers ability in this acoustic setting which perfectly blends into the background of your event or upon request can take the foreground! Normally accompanied by either a guitarist or pianist an acoustic duo will likely perform anything from soul classics to modern pop covers. 

Solo Pianist: Solo pianists can perform anything from background cocktail jazz classics, modern pop covers and classical music. its all about deciding what you want and finding the correct pianist for it. Its standard for all pianist to be able to provide their own top quality keyboard if no piano is present at a venue.

Solo Artists: you can book one multi-talented performer that does it all. Common solo artists will include singers that accompany themselves on piano and singers that accompany themselves on guitar. At Silver Stage Entertainment we also have some other options such as a singer that accompanies herself on harp. 

Soul Trio: Provides a slightly fuller sound than an acoustic duo. theres a few different line ups for this setting and is definitely a fun option to explore. some popular line ups include: vocals, guitar and double bass or piano, vocals and trumpet. this setting will perform all of your favourite soul classics and modern pop covers in stripped back version suitable for a background setting.

Roaming Band: Are great for providing background music but also being able to interact with the crowd when its appropriate. Roaming bands can perform many different genres of music but the most common are soul, pop, swing and rock and roll covers. Roaming bands are often one of the main talking points of a party and the things that guests really remember. 

Background Dinner music:

For background dinner music you are looking at the same range of bands as you are for drinks reception bands. You want something not to large in numbers that nicely blends into the background. You can book a band to perform at the drinks reception and the meal or a separate band for each. equally just a band for either the drinks reception or during a meal is common too. 

Main Stage evening entertainment:

Swing Band/Vintage Band: A great choice especially if you are having a themed party. You can go for a full out 1920s style swing band that will look and sound like the real deal or you can go for a vintager band that will play a mixture of old jazz/swing classics mix with some modern pop covers with a vintage twist. 

Soul Band/Pop Band/Motown Band: This is the most popular choice and always gets the crowd going. These bands can perform just in one style for example a whole set of motown tunes or can usually perform a bit of everything ranging from soul classics, modern pop covers to rock and roll. I would in most cases suggest a minimum of a 5 piece band and anything up to 13 piece, a 7 piece band is pretty standard size though.  

Tribute Bands: There is a marvellous array of high end tribute bands out there if you are having a themed party. At silver stage we have the UKs leading James bond tribute band.

DJ and instrumentalists: This can take up the whole evening or be a 2nd option to continue the night for after a live band finish. Having a DJ play house music is a popular choice and a few instrumentalists doing spurts of 20 minute sets along with the DJs music work really well. popular instruments for this are saxophone, trumpet, electric violin and percussion. Instruments can perform at first separately with the DJ and later on in the evening all together to add textures and build energy through out the night.

Now that you have read this far you should have a pretty good idea of some of the options to think about when booking a band for your works winter party. Please note if you click on the above pictures or titles they will take you to a page of a large selection of appropriate bands. If you have any more questions or would like further advice do get in touch with us as we are more than happy to help you with free advice and instant quotes on any of our acts. 

Happy band searching