Punch the Air Wedding Band
What can I say about Punch the Air Wedding Band? I get to see a lot of different bands at weddings, some are friendly, some just don’t want to spend time talking with you – perhaps they think they’re rock stars or just a lot better than another one of those bloody photographers?
The guys from ‘Punch the Air wedding band’ though are a great bunch, totally down-to-earth with no egos at all. In fact, that’s what Andrew (the bassist of the band) said of me when we chatted while they were setting up to play at Beth & Adam’s Hoby Village Hall wedding in 2015 – cheers Andrew!
Punch the Air, totally rocked that night. It was so good that I DID stay a little longer than I normally do after the first dance. The energy in the room was electric, the dance floor full and I was grabbing some great frames of some of the amazing moves on the dance floor of a party in full swing. I always say that the energy from a live band gets people onto the dance floor quicker than a DJ ever does. I know I’ll upset some DJs with that comment – but in 11 years of covering weddings, it’s quite simply what I’ve found to be true.
If you’re looking for a top band, you can do no worse than taking a look at ‘Punch the Air‘. Below are a few pics alongside their answers to my ten questions. Some great, great tips also at the bottom of the page.
Can you tell us a little about your history?
We’ve been together for about 4 years and prior to all performing in ‘Punch The Air’ we all performed in different function bands, but like all other musicians we all started on the “Originals scene” with our own material trying to make it as rock stars when we were young. We’ve all actually been friends since childhood.
Who are your musical influences and how would you describe your style?
We try to perform something for everyone so there’s a great mixture of pop music from the last 60 years so everyone can have their time on the dance floor. As we’re a three piece guitar based band it’s more of a pop rock sound but we’re not too loud or “rocky”. If your looking for a soul or disco band then sorry, that ain’t us baby!
If you’re asked for a song that isn’t in your style would you work up an alternative version or just mirror the original as closely as possible?
“We will literally have a go at playing anything, one way or another it’s possible to play any song in any style. There are heavy metal cover versions of classical songs out there so it’s all doable.”
How do you get a shy crowd dancing?
“We’re very approachable and friendly guys so we’ve never had a problem with shy crowds. There’s a lot of audience participation in our live shows which always goes down well with clients and guests.”
What kind of backup plan do you have for any kit malfunction?
“We have duplicates of everything you could possibly need, so that’s multiple guitars, back up pedals in case amps stop working, a second mixing desk etc. One way or another we can always keep the party going if something goes majorly wrong (even if it’s not our fault) and you’ll find it’s practically seamless if it occurs.”
What’s your policy in case of illness of one or more of the band members?
“We always have good quality “Dep” musicians waiting in the wings who know the set just as well as the main band members. Fingers crossed though we’ve never needed them yet in the hundreds of times we’ve performed.”
Can prospective clients get to see you live before their wedding?
“We get asked this a lot but as we only perform at private functions we, of course, can’t have uninvited guests turn up to weddings. This is why we pride ourselves on creating lots of new live videos at many of our performances so clients can see exactly what we’re like without physically being there.”
What are your favourite wedding venues in terms of layout and acoustics?
“We definitely say “Bigger isn’t always better”. A room like Adam & Beth’s that you photographed at Hoby Village Hall was perfect (excellent photos by the way!). We’re really into small, long, narrow rooms with a stage and the bar at the far end with no other rooms off to the side for people to go and sit down and hide in. It’s always best to try and keep guests all together in one room that way they keep on going all night. This shape room also means your not possibly fighting feedback issues.”
Do you have any funny or embarrassing stories to share?
Just the other week, we were asked by a client if we could “Turn the reverb down in the room” as they couldn’t hear the speeches properly. The room was absolutely huge (about the size of a football pitch) with a VERY tall ceiling and the reverb was nothing to do with us, it was the natural acoustics of the room. We “tactfully” explained this to the client and then spent the rest of the night drawing up plans for a “De-Verb” pedal :)
Any tips for couples looking for a band for their wedding?
- My biggest tip is to BOOK YOUR BAND AS SOON AS YOU’VE CONFIRMED THE VENUE. If you’re looking to book a specific professional wedding band like ‘Punch The Air’ the chances are they have bookings as far forward as two to three years in the future. Remember the band can play 365 times over a year, but your chance of securing the band for your ONE special day that year is only 1 in 365. Same goes for your photographer doesn’t it Ian! (Indeed Andrew! – Ian).
- You want to find a band that are very proactive on social media and their own website, “socially proving” what they are doing week in, week out (like we do) with live photos and video.
- Don’t skimp on the costs of live entertainment, it’s what most people will remember your wedding for. There’s nothing better than a live band.
- I know you wont like this one Ian (I don’t mind this at all, I don’t work to set hours – Ian), but don’t let the photographer go home TOO early. Get them to capture some great shots of the guests dancing along to the band as you have done here. It’s when most guests are at their happiest after a few drinks, relaxing and dancing along merrily.
- Make sure someone is in charge of keeping to the day’s schedule, otherwise you may find you’ll have less time for the evening’s entertainment.
- Try to choose a band that do this professionally and you’ll have a lot less trouble all round. Choose a band with a proven track record like ‘Punch The Air’.
- Here’s one last brilliant tip. If you find a band you really like on an agency website, GOOGLE the text in the Biography and you’ll probably find they’ve used this EXACT text again on their own website. Call them up and you’ll probably save hundreds of pounds on agency fees!
Contact details for “Punch The Air”
Name: Andrew Starkey
Phone: 07794 659405
Email: punchtheairband@gmail.com
Web: http://www.punchtheair.co.uk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PunchTheAirPartyBand
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PunchTheAir
The video below is Punch The Air actually performing at Beth & Adam’s wedding reception which was held at Hoby Village Hall in Leicestershire.
