Questions to Ask a Band
Twenty questions for booking a band for a wedding, a party, a bar or a company event. They cover what the group actually sounds like live, set lengths and breaks, the space and the power they need, sound and gear, what belongs in the contract, and the details nobody thinks about until the day itself.
20 questions, each with the reason to ask it · includes a conversation guide
The questions
Open any question to see why it works.
- 1
Can I see video of you playing one full song, live and unedited?
Promo reels are cut from the best eight seconds of a dozen different nights. One unbroken song tells you about tuning, timing between the players, and whether the singer still sounds the same after the second chorus.
- 2
Who exactly will be playing at my event?
Many bands operate as a pool of players rather than a fixed lineup. Ask whether the people in the video are contracted for your date and what the arrangement is if one of them cannot make it.
- 3
Have you played this venue before?
A band that knows the room already knows the load-in, the power supply, the noise limit and the manager's name. If they have not, ask whether they will contact the venue themselves or expect you to relay everything.
- 4
How long is a set, how many sets do you play, and how long are the breaks?
The usual shape is two or three sets with breaks between, and breaks are where a party dies. Ask what plays during them and whose job it is to start the music again.
- 5
What is your total time on site, and when do you need access?
Setup and soundcheck take longer than people expect and cannot happen quietly while guests are being seated. This one answer often reshapes the entire timeline of the day.
- 6
Can I see your song list, and how much of it could you play tonight?
Song lists are frequently aspirational. Ask which twenty they could perform right now without rehearsing, because that shorter list is your actual menu.
- 7
Will you learn a specific song for us, and is there a charge for it?
At a wedding this is usually the first dance. Bands differ sharply: some include one, some charge, some decline. Ask by what date you have to choose, because it is often weeks earlier than you would think.
- 8
Is there anything you will not play?
Every band has a list and it is better heard now than discovered when a guest requests something. Ask how they handle requests generally too, since a band that takes every one of them loses the room.
- 9
Do you bring your own sound system, and is it big enough for this room?
A rig that fills a pub can be badly underpowered in a hall of two hundred people. Ask what they bring and whether they have played to a crowd this size with that same equipment.
- 10
Do you bring a sound engineer, or does someone mix from the stage?
Mixing from the stage means nobody in the band is hearing what the audience hears. It is common and often fine in a small room, but you should know which one you are paying for.
- 11
What do you need from the venue: power, stage area, parking, load-in route?
Ask for this as a written list you can forward to the venue. Circuits, stairs and somewhere to leave a van are the three items that turn into an argument on the day.
- 12
Can you make announcements, or should I arrange someone separately?
Some singers happily run a room between songs and others will not speak into a microphone at all. Weddings need somebody doing it, and assuming the band will is a common and expensive mistake.
- 13
What will you be wearing?
Say what kind of event it is and ask directly. Bands have a house standard that may be all black or may be jeans, and nobody raises the mismatch until the photographs come back.
- 14
What do you need from us: food, drinks, somewhere to leave cases?
Most contracts include a meal and a room to change in. It is a small cost that is far easier to plan a month ahead than to improvise in the middle of a reception.
- 15
What is the deposit, when is the balance due, and how do you take payment?
Ask what the deposit secures and whether any of it is refundable. A band asking for the entire fee before the date is unusual enough to be worth a direct question.
- 16
What happens if one of you is ill on the day?
The answer should involve named deputies or a network they can call. A band with no plan at all is a band that may simply not arrive, and removing that risk is much of what you are paying for.
- 17
What is the cancellation policy, in both directions?
Read the second direction carefully. Plenty of contracts spell out what you owe if you cancel and say nothing at all about what happens if they take a better booking for your date.
- 18
Do you have public liability insurance and current electrical safety checks?
Many venues require both and will refuse entry to the stage without the paperwork. Ask for copies now so the venue can approve them well ahead of the date rather than at the door.
- 19
Is there a noise limiter at this venue, and have you worked with one?
A limiter cuts power to the stage when it trips and can end a set in a second. A band that has dealt with one knows how to adjust; a band meeting one for the first time frequently cannot.
- 20
Can I speak to someone whose event you played in the last few months?
Recent references catch what video cannot: whether they arrived on time, how they treated the venue staff, whether they adapted when the schedule slipped, and whether the dance floor actually filled.
Booking a band without surprises
Practical guidance for the conversation itself.
Have these ready before you contact anyone
Have these ready before you contact anyone
- Date, venue name and address. Bands quote differently by distance and many will not answer without a date.
- The approximate size of the crowd and whether the room is carpeted, high-ceilinged or outdoors. All three change what equipment is needed.
- The times you want music, and the time the venue makes everyone leave.
- Your total budget for music, including any DJ or playlist cover for the breaks.
- Whether the venue has a noise limiter, a curfew, or a list of approved suppliers. Ask the venue this before you ask a band anything.
What to look for in the video
What to look for in the video
- Watch with the sound low first. If the group looks flat while playing, the room will feel flat too.
- Look at the crowd rather than the band for thirty seconds. Whether people are dancing or standing at the edges is the most useful information in the clip.
- Check whether the singer is audible over the drums. Poor vocal balance in a promo video will be worse in your room.
- Distrust any clip that cuts every four seconds. Editing that fast is usually hiding something between the cuts.
- If everything you are shown is a wedding and yours is a corporate evening, or the reverse, ask for footage of the type of event you are booking.
What to get in writing
What to get in writing
- Names of the players contracted for your date, and the substitution policy if one drops out.
- Arrival time, soundcheck window, set times and finish time, matched against the venue's curfew.
- Total fee, deposit, balance date, payment method, and who pays any travel or accommodation.
- The technical requirements list and the space, power and parking they depend on.
- The learn-a-song agreement, including the deadline for choosing it and any extra charge.
- Cancellation terms both ways, plus copies of insurance and safety certificates for the venue's file.