Questions to Ask a Band
Questions to ask a band, for the two people who most often need them. Most of the list is for booking a band for a wedding, a party, a bar night or a company event: it starts with the first call (the date, the price, who will actually be on stage), then moves through the music, the running of the day, sound and space, and what belongs in the contract. What a couple needs to ask a wedding band in particular (the first dance, the dances the family expects, the photographer) sits inside those groups. The last group is interview questions to ask a band for a school paper, a podcast or a local music blog.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
The band
Are you free on our date, and what does your price include?
Why ask it
Give the date, the town and the hours of music first, because all three change the quote. Then ask for a single total, so you are not comparing one band's all-in figure with another band's starting price.
Can I see video of you playing one full song, live and unedited?
Why ask it
A promo reel is stitched together from the best few seconds of many 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.
Who exactly will be playing at my event?
Why ask it
Many bands operate as a pool of players rather than a fixed lineup. Ask whether the people in the video are the ones contracted for your date, and whether a different singer could be sent without anyone telling you.
What kind of events do you play most often?
Why ask it
A band that fills a bar every Saturday has a different job from one that plays weddings most weekends, and each is good at its own. If your event sits outside their usual work, ask what they would change for it.
Can we hear you play live before we decide?
Why ask it
Some bands play public shows or hold showcase evenings, and others only work private events they cannot invite you into. Hearing them in a room tells you how loud they really are and how they fill the gaps between songs, which no clip shows.
How many of you are there, and can we book a smaller or larger lineup?
Why ask it
The same band is often sold as a four-piece, or as seven with horns and a second singer, at very different prices. Ask which lineup is in the video you watched, because the smaller version will not sound like it.
How long have you been playing together in this lineup?
Why ask it
The last three words matter. A band name can be ten years old while the people on stage met last spring, and players who know each other well recover from a missed cue without the room noticing.
How would you describe your sound to a guest who has never heard you?
Why ask it
Listen for artists and decades, not adjectives. "Upbeat and fun" fits every band there is, while "Motown and seventies soul with a few current chart songs" is something you can check against the video.
Have you played for a crowd like ours?
Why ask it
Describe the guests: how many, what ages, whether they dance without being asked. A good answer includes something the band changed for a similar room, such as opening with older songs so the grandparents are up before it gets loud.
Can I speak to someone whose event you played in the last few months?
Why ask it
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.
Will you be playing another event on the same day as ours?
Why ask it
A lunchtime booking before your evening one is common and usually harmless. What matters is the distance between the two and the time they have promised to be in your room, so ask where the earlier one is and what happens if it overruns.
If we need a few days to decide, will you keep the date for us?
Why ask it
Popular dates go to whoever pays a deposit first, and "pencilled in" means different things to different bands. Agree the day by which you must confirm, so that neither side is surprised.
The music
Can I see your song list, and how much of it could you play tonight?
Why ask it
Song lists are frequently aspirational. Ask which twenty they could perform right now without rehearsing, because that shorter list is your actual menu.
Will you learn a specific song for us, and is there a charge for it?
Why ask 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.
Would you play our first dance live, or put on the recording we know?
Why ask it
A band's version will be in the singer's key and at the band's tempo, which is not the record you have been practising to. Ask for a rough phone recording of their arrangement, and whether they can cut a verse so the two of you are not swaying alone for four minutes.
Do you know the traditional dances our families will expect?
Why ask it
Name each one: a hora, a ceilidh set, a money dance, a particular line dance. A wedding band that has never played it cannot bluff, and the older guests will notice first. If it is outside what they do, ask whether they would run a recording through their speakers for that part.
Is there anything you will not play?
Why ask it
Most bands have a short list: a song the singer cannot reach, a line dance they are tired of, anything with words they will not sing in front of children. Hearing it now beats finding out when your cousin asks for one of them at midnight.
Can we give you a list of must-plays and a list of songs to skip?
Why ask it
Most bands welcome a short list of each and resist a full running order, because they need room to follow the floor. Ask how many picks is reasonable, and put the songs you never want to hear in writing.
What do you do when a guest comes up with a request?
Why ask it
Find out where a request goes: shouted at the singer, written on a card at the bar, or passed through you. Then decide who can veto one, because a guest with a drink will ask for exactly the song on your skip list.
How do you decide what to play next when the dance floor thins out?
Why ask it
Reading a room is the skill you are hiring. Listen for a method, such as dropping the tempo for one song and coming back with something everyone knows, or switching decade to bring a different table up. "We just play our set" is the answer to worry about.
Do you play your own songs, covers, or a mix?
Why ask it
For a bar night or a festival slot, originals may be the whole point. At a wedding, three songs in a row that nobody knows will empty a floor, so ask how much of a typical set is their own and whether they will leave it out.
Can you provide quieter music for a ceremony, a drinks hour or dinner?
Why ask it
Many bands can strip down to a duo or trio for the early part of the day, which lets people talk across a table. It lengthens the players' day, so check whether it is priced separately and whether the same musicians then play the main sets.
Do you offer a playlist or a DJ set for the breaks and after you finish?
Why ask it
Some bands run a playlist through their own speakers at no charge, some sell a DJ set to the end of the night, and some pack down the moment the last song ends. If you would prefer to supply the playlist, find out what device and cable they need and who presses play.
Can a guest sing or play a song with you?
Why ask it
Raise it before you promise your uncle a turn. Plenty of bands will rehearse one arranged guest spot if they get the song and the key in advance, and many refuse walk-ups on the night, which protects your evening as much as their set.
What do you open with, and how do you end the night?
Why ask it
The first song decides whether people get up or carry on talking, and the last one is what they are still singing on the way home. A band that has thought about both will answer without pausing. This is also the moment to ask for a particular closer.
On the day
How long is a set, how many sets do you play, and how long are the breaks?
Why ask it
A common shape is two or three sets with breaks between, and a long break is where a full dance floor drifts to the bar and stays there. Ask whether the breaks can fall on the meal or the speeches, when nobody would be dancing anyway.
What is your total time on site, and when do you need access?
Why ask it
Setup and soundcheck take longer than people expect and cannot happen quietly while guests are being seated. If the band needs the room for an hour and a half before anyone arrives, that decides when the venue has to have it ready.
Have you played this venue before?
Why ask it
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.
Would you like a running order from us, and how far ahead?
Why ask it
Most bands want one a week or two before: arrival, meal, speeches, first dance, last song. Send the same page to the venue, so both are working from one set of times.
Can you make announcements, or should I arrange someone separately?
Why ask it
Some singers happily run a room between songs and others will not speak into a microphone at all. A wedding needs somebody to call people in to dinner and introduce the speeches, so if the band will not, line up a confident friend or the venue's coordinator now.
Where in the evening do you like the first dance to fall?
Why ask it
The minute after it ends is the easiest moment a band gets to pull every guest onto the floor, so many prefer it at the top of their first set. If your timeline puts it before dinner, ask how they would start the dancing later without that push.
How do you work with the photographer, the videographer and the planner?
Why ask it
A cake cutting or a bouquet toss is over in a couple of minutes, and whoever is filming needs warning before it starts. Ask whether the singer checks that the cameras are in place before announcing anything, and give the band the planner's number as well as your own.
What will you be wearing?
Why ask it
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.
What do you need from us: food, drinks, somewhere to leave cases?
Why ask it
Many band contracts ask for a hot meal, soft drinks and a room to change in. It is a small cost, and far easier to plan a month ahead than to improvise in the middle of a reception.
Who is our contact in the band on the day, and who should be theirs?
Why ask it
One name and one phone number on each side saves a lot of wandering about. Theirs should not be the person getting married or giving a speech. Pick someone who will have a phone in their hand and nothing else to do.
What happens to your sets if the schedule runs late?
Why ask it
Dinners overrun and speeches double in length, while the venue's finish time stays where it is. Find out whether a late start shortens the music or shifts it, and who makes that decision on the night.
Can you play past the agreed finish, and what does extra time cost?
Why ask it
Fix the overtime rate now, in blocks of time, and check that the venue's curfew allows it. Eleven at night with a full dance floor is when people agree to any figure.
How long does it take you to pack down and clear the room?
Why ask it
Venues often charge for time past the hire period, and a full band can take a while to get off a stage. Check whether they can pack down with guests still in the room and which door the cases will go out through.
Is there anything about our plan that worries you?
Why ask it
Ask it once they have seen your timeline and the room. A band that has worked a lot of events will spot the speech scheduled across their second set or the stage placed beside the only fire exit, and most will not mention it unless invited.
Sound and space
Do you bring your own sound system, and is it big enough for this room?
Why ask it
A rig that fills a small bar 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.
Do you bring a sound engineer, or does someone mix from the stage?
Why ask it
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.
What do you need from the venue: power, stage area, parking, load-in route?
Why ask it
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.
How much floor space do you take up, and can you fit into less?
Why ask it
Get the measurement and pace it out in the room, remembering that the dance floor has to go in front of it. Some bands can swap to an electronic drum kit or drop the horn section for a tight corner, which changes both the sound and the price.
If the ceremony, the drinks and the dancing are in different spots, can you set up in each?
Why ask it
Moving a full rig takes longer than a drinks hour lasts, so a band covering two spaces usually brings a second, smaller system and builds it before guests arrive. Check that both places have power and what the extra setup adds to the quote.
Have you played a venue with a sound limiter or a strict noise limit?
Why ask it
Some venues, usually ones with neighbours close by, fit a limiter that cuts the power to the stage when the volume passes a set level. Ask your venue whether it has one and at what level, then ask the band how they have adapted before: quieter drums, smaller amplifiers, or a different lineup.
How loud will you be, and will you turn down if we ask?
Why ask it
Older guests tend to leave a loud room instead of complaining, so the band never finds out. Agree who on the night is allowed to ask for less, and whether a quieter setup is possible in a small room.
Do you bring lighting for the stage and the dance floor?
Why ask it
A band lit only by the venue's ceiling lights looks like a rehearsal. Find out what they carry and whether it is in the price. If any of it relies on haze or smoke, clear that with the venue, since fire alarms rule it out in many buildings.
Can we use your microphone and speakers for the speeches?
Why ask it
It saves hiring a second system, but only if the band is set up before the speeches begin. Check whether the microphone is wireless and who will switch it on and set the level, because a speech nobody at the back can hear is a long five minutes.
What do you do if a piece of equipment fails in the middle of a set?
Why ask it
Strings snap, leads crackle and now and then a speaker goes quiet. A working band carries spares for the things that fail most and can tell you about the last time one did, including how long the music actually stopped.
Have you played outdoors, and what do you need if the weather turns?
Why ask it
Rain and electrical equipment do not go together, so most bands insist on a covered, dry stage and will stop if water reaches it. Ask what cover they need, how they cope with wind and direct sun, and what the indoor fallback would be.
Money and contract
What is the deposit, when is the balance due, and how do you take payment?
Why ask it
Ask what the deposit secures and whether any of it comes back if you cancel. Bands differ on the balance, with some wanting it weeks ahead and some on the night, so get the date and the method in writing.
Are travel, accommodation or tax charged on top of the fee?
Why ask it
Distance is the usual extra, and it can appear as mileage, a flat fee, or hotel rooms once the drive home gets long. Whether tax is added depends on where and how the band is registered, so ask for the final figure in writing.
Is a wedding priced differently from a party of the same length, and why?
Why ask it
Some bands quote more for a wedding, and the fair reasons are more hours on site, a song to learn and several planning calls. Hearing what the difference pays for lets you judge whether it is a bigger job or only a bigger label.
Will everything we agree go into a written contract?
Why ask it
A band that plays for a living will have one and send it without fuss. Read it for the date, the address, the times, the number of players and the fee, and ask for anything you settled by message to be added before you pay.
Do you take bookings directly, or through an agency?
Why ask it
With an agency you may sign with a company and not speak to a musician until the day. Find out who you call with a question about the music, whether the lineup is fixed, and who is responsible if something goes wrong.
What happens if one of you is ill on the day?
Why ask it
The answer you want involves named stand-ins who already know the set, or a wider circle of players the band 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.
What is the cancellation policy, in both directions?
Why ask it
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.
What if we have to move the date or change the venue?
Why ask it
Postponing is not the same as cancelling, and a careful contract treats the two separately. Ask whether the deposit carries over to a new date, for how long, and what happens if they are already booked on the day you move to.
Do you carry liability insurance, and can you send our venue proof of it?
Why ask it
What a venue asks for depends on the country and on the venue: some want a certificate of insurance, and some also want proof that the electrical equipment has been safety tested. Get the venue's list first and pass it to the band, so the paperwork is approved weeks ahead and not argued about at the door.
Will you film or photograph our event for your own promotion?
Why ask it
Bands collect clips for their reels, and you may not want your guests in one. Say yes or no now, and settle the reverse as well: whether your videographer can use the band's performance in your film.
Interview questions
How did the band get its name?
Why ask it
They have told this one before, which makes it a comfortable place to start, and the story is usually short. If it comes out polished, ask which names lost the vote, because that part has not been rehearsed.
How did you all meet, and who joined last?
Why ask it
Every member tells the founding story a little differently, so let more than one of them answer. The newest member's version is worth hearing on its own, since they saw the band from the outside first.
What is your town like for a band trying to get started?
Why ask it
For a school paper or a city blog this answer is often the angle of the whole piece. Follow it with where they rehearse, which venue gave them a first show, and which other local bands your readers should go and hear.
Who are your biggest influences, and where can we hear them in your songs?
Why ask it
A list of names on its own gives a reader nothing to do. The second half makes them point to a particular song or sound, and then your audience has something to listen for.
Who writes the songs, and how does a new one reach the rest of the band?
Why ask it
Some bands have one writer who brings finished songs, and others build everything in the rehearsal room. If you are in the same room, watch who answers and who they glance at first: it shows how decisions get made as clearly as the words do.
Which of your songs should a new listener start with?
Why ask it
It hands you the track to play or link beside the interview. Ask why that one and not their most played song, because the gap between the two is often what they think the band is really about.
What should people know about your new release before they hear it?
Why ask it
Use it when there is a single, a record or a tour to talk about, which is usually why they agreed to the interview. Listen to it beforehand and follow up on one specific song, so they can tell you did.
Which show do you all still talk about, and what happened?
Why ask it
Left open like this, they can pick a triumph or a disaster, and the disasters tend to be the better stories. Bandmates interrupt and correct each other on this one, so keep recording and stay out of the way.
What should someone expect the first time they see you live?
Why ask it
Most useful when the interview is previewing a show. Push past "high energy" for details a reader could picture: how long they play, whether they talk between songs, what happens during the last one.
Which of your songs is the hardest to play live?
Why ask it
The drummer's hard song is rarely the singer's, so go round the band. The reasons carry the interest: a tempo that tends to drag, a note at the top of someone's range, a part written before anyone could play it properly.
What is the hardest part of being in a band that the audience never sees?
Why ask it
Expect long drives, day jobs, money and the work of getting everyone's calendars to agree. Do not push if someone goes quiet, since the honest answer is sometimes about a person in the room.
What advice would you give a band that is just starting out?
Why ask it
Better put to a band a few years in than one a few months in. If the advice sounds like a poster, ask what they got wrong in their own first year, and the real answer tends to follow.
Is there a question you wish interviewers would ask you?
Why ask it
Keep it for near the end, once they have relaxed. Whatever they name, ask it straight away, and you leave with an answer no other interview has.
Where can people hear your music, and when are you playing next?
Why ask it
End with it every time: it is what the band came to say and what your reader will want next. Write down the spellings, dates and links there and then, so you are not chasing them by message afterwards.
Before you book a band, or interview one
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Booking: 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.
Booking: 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. A vocal that is buried in the band's own promo video is unlikely to be clearer in your room.
- Be wary of a reel that never holds one shot for a whole verse. Ask for a full song filmed from one position before you judge the playing.
- 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.
Booking: 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 overtime rate, the blocks of time it is charged in, and who is allowed to approve it on the night.
- 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, what happens to the deposit if the date or venue changes, and copies of whatever insurance or safety paperwork your venue asks for.
Booking a band for a wedding: what is different
- Say that it is a wedding in your first message. The day is longer, there is a song to learn and a timeline to fit around, so a quote given for a party may not hold.
- Decide early which parts of the day you want played live: the ceremony, the drinks, the first dance, the evening. Each one adds time on site and may need a second setup.
- Choose the first dance before the band's deadline, and listen to a rough recording of their version so the key and the length are not a surprise on the day.
- Name any dance your families will expect, such as a hora or a ceilidh set, and find out whether the band plays it or puts on a recording.
- Pass on the planner's or coordinator's number and the photographer's name, so the cake, the first dance and the last song are announced when the cameras are ready.
Booking: the week before
- Send the running order to the band and the venue on the same day, with the times the two of them have to agree on: access, soundcheck, first set, last song.
- Send the final must-play and skip lists, and the name, song and key for any guest who has an arranged spot.
- Confirm how many musicians and crew need a meal, and where they can eat, change and leave their cases.
- Swap phone numbers for the day, and tell the band who can approve extra time or ask for the volume to come down.
- Check the balance has been paid the way the contract says, so nobody is looking for an envelope at the end of the night.
If you are interviewing the band instead
- Listen before you meet them: the latest release and the two or three songs they are known for. A question that names a song gets a better answer than one that could be put to any band.
- Read or watch an earlier interview if there is one, so you can skip what they have answered many times, or ask the follow-up nobody did.
- Say where the interview will appear and roughly when, and ask before you record.
- Put a question to the whole band first. If one person does all the talking, put the next one to a quieter member by name.
- For ten minutes before a show, five or six questions is plenty. Choose them in advance and leave room to follow up on a good answer.
- Before you leave, check the spelling of every name and who plays what.