Acoustic Band Hire in Yorkshire and Humber

Phil Richards has over a decade of experience specialising in providing acoustic music for all different kinds of events from weddings, parties, corporate functions, restaurants, bars and much more.

What do you need to know from an organiser in order to provide a comprehensive quote?

Quotes can vary considerably depending on a few different factors. Firstly the date is very important! Prices can be lower in certain months and days (such as winter and weekdays) but higher in the summer months and on weekends, so this is crucial. Other than this, the venue location (or at least a general area), and the type of event you’re holding are useful pieces of information to have.

What advice would you give to a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?

Experience shouldn’t be underestimated in a musician. Many people can play an instrument or sing, but having industry knowledge from a variety of different events/weddings and crowds can be the difference between the performance falling flat or being a day to remember!
Also, music can make a huge difference to your event. Quite often people treat music as an afterthought, only realising after the event that choosing to have music was actually one of the main things that made their event really special!

Please tell us a little bit about how and why you started the business.

Strangely it was sort of accidental! An old school friend and musician reached out to me and asked if I wanted to start a function duo. Having tried many years prior to start a career in music that never really took off, I decided to give it a go again, as he had a lot of experience and connections in the industry. He then became unavailable and I started my solo career as a sort of backup plan.
Within a year it had really taken off! I left my day job and became a full-time musician and I’ve now been performing at weddings and events year-round for five years!

Please tell us about a booking you've had through Add to Event, how did it go? Would you recommend us to others?

I’ve had a couple of weddings and corporate events through Add to Event. Every client I’ve dealt with has been really lovely and working with Add to Event has taken me to several locations across the country, as well as one garden party that was very close to home! I’ve liaised with Helen from the support team at Add to Event on multiple occasions and she has been incredibly helpful and polite to work with.