Wednesday 2 January 2019

Looking forward 2019

So, what are we working on at the moment?

January and February are naturally quieter months for music... but that doesn't mean we can relax! During 2018 we have been saving money to record a brand new promo video with which we would like to take the band to a new level. We would like to showcase what we think we do best and expand our reach to more wedding couples and corporate clients.

We also want to record another live band acoustic performance. The chosen song is As by Stevie Wonder. We love that track so hopefully you will see us performing it within the next couple of months ;)

And why not... we would like to take the band abroad. France, Spain, Italy, Dubai? Everywhere!

Stay tuned for more updates from us.





Looking back on 2018



Happy New Year everyone!


We have just closed our 5th year as a band. A year full of successes, good moments and music. Let's have a look at some of the interesting stuff we have done during 2018:


Exactly one year ago, we released our 7 piece band promo video. Filmed by Tom Smith from Together Wedding Films (togetherweddingfilms.com), recorded by Rob Hearned at Porter's Bar and mixed by our own Nicky Lyons this video helped us go bigger than ever.


We are very lucky to have Rosie with us. She is an incredible sax player and soundtech and takes care every gig that our sound is always the best. People love the addition of sax in a funk and soul band and we started getting more and more requests to have the instrument added to the packages we offer. In fact, we changed our current offer to:


Platinum package: 7 piece band including sax andGold package: our standard 6 piece band.


We also added our brand new DJ+ sax add-on in the style of Ibiza clubs like Cafe del Mar.


Sax on its own works great but... what about a brass section? Yes, we did it too! We performed as an 8 piece and 9 piece band back in September with Trumpet and Trombone. The band was bigger than ever and the sound too.


We performed at many weddings... Each of them special their own way. An intimate first dance, a nice pre-wedding meeting to talk about final details, a guest coming on stage to rap over Oh What a Night, a cardboard Tom Jones... So many good memories and so many more to come.





But not all gigs are weddings! This year we performed again at the Business in the Community Awards that take place at Swalec Stadium, we partied with Legal and General in Christmas and we helped Westbourne School to raise funds for Ty Hafan.


Not all moments were good though...


We had to cancel our Porter's showcase back in March during the heavy snowfall to then get stuck at the top of Pen Y Fan two weeks later for the same reason after playing a wedding at Llangoed Hall. Luckily for us, police came and helped us get out of there!


However... what is that compared to all the good moments we've had?


At Soul Lotta Funk we work hard to always offer something new and we have already started looking ahead for this 2019.


More on the next post...

Monday 3 December 2018

Christmas and more!

Hi everyone,

December has just started and that can only mean one thing... Christmas!

We have a busy month ahead of us. We opened the other day with our annual gig at Porter's Cardiff and as always, it didn't disappoint. We premiered a couple of new tunes including the cheese- epic classic Africa by Toto, which went down a storm.

It is amazing to meet some of you that have booked us in the past and keep coming back to see us in action. Big shout out to Will and Becky Coomer and their friend Jonathan, we have great memories from your wedding at Oldwalls back in May and it's great to see you all again! Also shout out to Kathryn and Sheryl who we considerpart of the Soul Lotta Family too. It was also great to meet Sarah and Dewi who we will be performing for next August at Gwert Hotel Spa in Cardigan.

More stuff...

Next Friday, the 7th, we have our own Christmas Party at Nos Da Cardiff. We are going to play tunes that we haven't done for ages just for fun, have a drink and enjoy the festive season with all of you. It's free entry and we will start at 9pm so make sure you get there in time!

Then, like last year we will perform for Legal and General on their annual Christmas Party, this time as a 7 piece band, bigger and better! And finally we will end the year with a wedding at the lovely De Courceys Manor.

In the meantime we have started planning for our new promo video. We want it to be cool, professional, slick and more focused towards the corporate market. We are planning to release it around March or April next year if everything goes to plan!

Monday 1 October 2018

Wedding Season is not over yet!

Quick weekend break and we will be back for a pretty busy October and beginning of November!!!

We'd like to thank all the couples that booked us for their weddings over the summer. We have had a fantastic time so far and made loads of friends and good memories.

We are currently working on a few new tracks for our live sets that we think will go down a storm. If you would like to check us out we have booked 2 public dates for December 2018:

1st December: Porter's Bar Cardiff   Free entry, first set 10pm. We will be doing our usual sets as a 7 piece band with a few new tracks. It is always a great night so if you are thinking on booking us for your wedding or event next year this is the best opportunity to catch us in action!

7th December: Nos Da Cardiff. Free entry, first set from 9pm. This show will be quite special. It is our Christmas party and we are treating ourselves! We will play 2 sets of  tracks we love but sometimes don't play at weddings because they are a bit more obscure. There will be loads of Michael Jackson, Jamiroquai, Bruno Mars.... It will be a fun night, come round and have a drink with us.


Finally we'd like to thank all the couples that voted us at the Welsh National Wedding Awards 2018. Thanks to you all we have been shortlisted in our region for Best Wedding Entertainment! It is already a great honour but we want more....  ;)




Sunday 1 July 2018

Of Awards and Weddings...

This year, we had the pleasure to play again for Business in The Community Cymru (https://www.bitc.org.uk/wales) which celebrated their Responsible Business Awards gala at SWALEC Stadium.

Again, amazing gig! It was great to have the guys from Stage Sound Services (https://www.stagesoundservices.co.uk)  taking care of our sound on stage. One of their staff on the night was our sax player Rosie!

We played a couple of sets, one acoustic, more relaxed set while guests were having dinner and then a party set after the awards ceremony. Dancefloor was packed like last year and we had loads of fun!

Meanwhile, wedding season is in full swing. We travelled to the stunning Jabajaks Vineyard in Carmarthen to play for Hannah and Karl. What a crazy gig... it included guests on stage playing some Enrique Iglesias, Sia and Neil Diamond and some fish tickling!


We have done some fun weddings recently and had an incredible response from our couples. Check their testimonials:




We'll keep you informed of all our adventures.

Jose

Soul Lotta Funk

Tuesday 29 May 2018

The Welsh National Wedding Awards 2018

This year we are going for it!

THE WELSH NATIONAL WEDDING AWARDS 2018



At Soul Lotta Funk we have been working very hard since 2013 to bring  dance, party and good times to a lot of couples and their friends/families. Each gig has made us a better band and we pride ourselves on delivering a great live experience and an exceptional wedding service.

We like to ensure that our couples and their guests have a memorable experience and a great time. Not only that, we like to talk to them and let them know that they are in good hands and that we will take the hassle out of their wedding entertainment planning.

The Welsh National Wedding Awards are the most prestigious wedding awards in Wales. Hundreds of suppliers attend every year. For us, to win this Award would mean a lot and a great reward for all the hard work we have put in since the band was formed.

If we have played for you and you would like to help us win this Award, please follow this address to cast your vote:

http://www.welshnationalweddingawards.co.uk

http://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/ROZI5/


CATEGORY: ENTERTAINMENT
AREA: REGION 1 - EAST WALES

Thank you for your help! :)


Tuesday 10 April 2018

Back in full swing

Ah! It's been a while...

2018 so far is turning to be a great year! We are now back in full swing on the wedding scene. During these past few months we have performed multiple times at different venues, new and old, and played some really fun gigs.

These are some highlights so far...

Richard and Anouska's 70s themed birthday party: we stepped up our moustache/wig game for this incredible retro birthday party. Richard really knows how to put a party together and he turned Cornerstone Cardiff into a proper night club to celebrate Anouska's birthday. We played a lot of disco classics to suit the theme of the evening and kept the dancefloor full the whole night!
 




Then, we performed at the stunning Exchange Hotel in Cardiff for Ty Hafan and Westbourne School. Lovely gig (props to Jo for organising it) in which we could meet again with James and Laura who we played for last year at the beautiful Kingscote Barn! So good to see you guys :)


Then, in what has been one of the coldest and snowiest March we can remember, we travelled to Llangoed Hall in the heart of Brecon to perform for Sian and Jon. We had a lovely time there although unfortunately on the way back we got caught in a snow storm (yellow alert) in the middle of Brecon. Luckily, with a bit of help from Heddlu - South Wales Police we could return home safe.

(photography property of Richard Savage Photography)

Finally, last Thursday we visited the stunning Oldwalls Gower to play for Will and Becky. Our sets went down a storm and we kept the dancefloor full all night. Props to Will and Becky for one of the most incredible wedding first dances we've ever seen (including a back flip)! The couple wrote a lovely review for us on our google page:



Back at it again next Saturday at Caer Llan (new venue for us) playing for Charlotte and Evan! We will keep you informed.

Soul Lotta Funk