Venues, some observations.

With two hundred and seventy plus musical engagements a year under our belts, we feel well qualified to offer a few observations and suggestions about what must be one of the biggest outlays of any wedding party, the venue.

This year my band members and myself have come across the same problems on a number of occasions which have spoiled my clients celebrations.

Finishing times for music.

Three or four times this year we have been told by venue staff that we must finish playing long before what was agreed between ourselves and our clients. The clients were under the mistaken belief that the band were to play until , for the sake of argument, midnight and the venue manager has told the band to stop at eleven. The venue managers in some cases even asked us to break the bad news to the client! Can you imagine being told on the day that, although you have paid for three hours of music, you can only have two?

Sound meters.

The Roadhouse Five pride themselves on playing at the correct sound level for any party whether it be big or small. Sound meters cut in at a certain level and automatically turn off the power source. Three strikes and your out!! Is this meter set up by a qualified musician? I suspect not!! We are not a loud band....guests can talk to each other in the same room as our music...but we have been cut off in our prime more than once. The reason for these meters? The staff at venues say they want to keep the noise down for their residential guests. Now forgive me for saying this, but you can`t have your cake and eat it. You either allow wedding clients to enjoy themselves without tiptoeing around with a band playing at a whisper or just stay in the hotel room market.

Pat testing and public liability insurance.

Luckily the Roadhouse Five carry certification for all their electrical equipment and have £1,000,000 insurance cover against accidents. Not all bands do. Whoever you choose to play for your wedding, make sure they have this certification. More and more venues are asking for it.

To summarize we have three pieces of advice:

1. Get the venue to confirm at the outset what time you can have live music till. Get it in writing. Not all venue staff, i.e. waiters and barmen, are as customer focused as you may wish them to be.

2. Check with the venue. Do they use a sound meter? If they do, avoid them like the plague! It is sending a clear message out to everyone that the clients needs don't come first. Don't accept the argument that "a good band should be able to play at their sound meters levels" Firstly: how do they know? Are they musicians? No they are waiter's reception and bar staff. Secondly: Do you want a band playing Brown Eyed Girl at a whisper? Thirdly: Do you really want to be told you can only enjoy yourself quietly?

3. Find out the requirements of the hotel regarding Pat certification (portable appliance tests) and liability cover from the band. Don't let them spring it on you and the band two or three days before the big day. It will leave no time to sort it out and you will be left without a band. Will the venue care? No....they have been paid.

Finally get this information before you pay an enormous deposit. This is info you need to get from the venue before paying out good money. We come across many great wedding venues. Great staff totally focussed on the clients needs. However beware. There are still some venues where the client is seen as an encumbrance.

Jeff Williams runs the Roadhouse Five. He is a freelance trombonist and vocalist and owns Jazz not Jazz productions. With thousands of successful engagements under his belt he is in the perfect position to advise you on all areas of your live music for your big day.