We strongly recommend that you call us to discuss your arrangements
and ask any specific questions to ensure the band is suitable for
your function. We are also happy to visit your home to discuss any
issues with you face to face where practical.
The following Frequently Asked Questions will hopefully cover most
of your initial queries.
Q. What
type of functions are you suitable for?
Q. What geographical area will you play in?
Q. Tell me more about the band members and
instrumentation?
Q. Can you play one style of music all night?
Q. How much do you charge?
Q. How long do you play for?
Q. We are also thinking about booking a disco.
Can you help us?
Q. Will you be too loud for our function?
Q. What requirements do you have from the venue
itself?
Q. How much time do you need to set up your
gear?
Q. Can we come and see you play?
Q. I want to book you. What are the next steps?
Q. What are the conditions of engagement?
Q. What assurances can you give me that you
won’t let me down?
Q. We are having some announcements. Can
we use your PA?
Q. Do we need to provide you with refreshments?
Q. Are you insured?
Q. What type of functions
are you suitable for?
A. The short answer is “any event where your guests will enjoy
listening to and dancing to good quality live entertainment”.
We are always happy to discuss your requirements and will be honest
if we feel we do not fit the bill! We are particularly suitable for
the following events: -
Weddings
Sports Clubs
Masonic Functions
Corporate Events
Family Parties
Charity balls / Summer balls/ Dinner Dances
Ministry of Defence Functions
Clubs/Societies
Christmas /New Year’s Eve Parties
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Weddings
We have vast experience of performing at weddings and know what is
required to ensure your evening reception is one to remember. Our
extensive repertoire means we can play music as varied as the guests
themselves – we are there to ensure ALL your guests enjoy the
occasion, right from the grandparents to the children. We appreciate
the amount of effort involved with organising a wedding and will do
all we can to ensure this part of the process is as smooth as possible,
by discussing arrangements with you in good time and being as flexible
as we can to accommodate your requirements. If you have a special
song you would like for your first dance we are happy to learn (if
not already in our repertoire) and perform it providing we have adequate
notice and the song is suitable for our set up. We’ve not been
beaten yet! Alternatively, we have facilities to play a CD of your
choice.
We like to make a fuss of the happy couple and ensure they are made
to feel special throughout the evening, including a rousing send off
at the end of the evening if desired!
If you’d like a song sung at the wedding ceremony, need an organist,
or maybe would like ‘cocktail lounge’ style piano music
during the wedding breakfast, these are additional services that can
be provided by Kyra and/or Danny. If booked in conjunction with Kaleidoscope
a preferential rate will be given.
You will be pleased to know that unlike
many other bands, Kaleidoscope does not charge inflated fees for weddings.
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to list of function types
Sports Clubs (Golf clubs / Yacht
clubs/ Bowling clubs etc.)
Often these functions are attended by older guests and Kaleidoscope
is rare in that we can provide a mix of “ballroom” music
such as waltzes, quicksteps, bossa novas and the Barn Dance together
with up-tempo classics from the sixties, rock 'n roll, motown and
disco era right through to more modern hits. We will discuss your
preferences with you to ensure we get the right mix for your guests.
We are very happy to allow our PA to be used for speeches, announcements
or presentations.
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Masonic
Functions
You cannot be too cautious when booking entertainment for your masonic
function. We have performed at many ladies' nights and other functions
at Masonic Lodges across East Anglia and are fully conversant with
the traditional proceedings. We provide a perfect mix of music for
this type of event and are one of the few bands able to accompany
“The Ladies Song” and provide spot-waltzes etc. if required.
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Family
Parties
We particularly enjoy performing at Wedding Anniversaries, Engagements
Parties, Birthday Celebrations and other family gatherings. Our wide
variety of music caters for all ages and Kyra’s personal approach
ensures the celebrations are focused and the people are made to feel
very special.
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Charity
Balls / Summer Balls / Formal Dinner Dances
With our quality of sound, discerning mix of music and impeccable
dress, we ensure that these events receive a touch of class. For an
extra special touch, why not let us perform some background music
during your dinner, to include a selection of quiet ballads, jazz
standards, instrumentals and songs from the West End musicals.
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Ministry
of Defence Functions
Whether at an RAF Officers’ or Sergeants’ mess, Army barracks
or other MoD venue, this female fronted band always ensures the evening
is a resounding success. We are of course aware that security is an
important issue and will arrive at the venue in good time and undertake
all security procedures. We will also not bring an entourage of family,
friends or supporters!
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Corporate
Events
We have played for many large corporate clients over the past few
years, as can be seen from our Clients / Venues
page We pride ourselves in being extremely professional, reliable
and easy to deal with so are well-suited to working with business
clients. Whether your event is a “Thank You” party or
more specific celebration, we ensure your employees experience a great
night’s entertainment and will be happy for our PA to be used
for speeches, announcements or presentations.
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Clubs
/ Societies
We are also suitable for high quality events at Social Clubs, Caravan
Parks, Holiday Centres and the like and fit in well with other entertainers
and cabaret acts on the bill. We can provide play-on/play-off music
for cabaret acts, and because the musicians are highly proficient
sight-readers, we can provide live backing where sheet music is provided.
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Christmas
Parties / New Years Eve Parties
With a wide selection of Christmas Classics, let us help your Christmas
Party or New Years Eve celebration go with a bang! On New Years Eve,
we ensure the festivities are focused around midnight with a tried
and tested formula for bringing everyone together, counting down the
seconds and playing the chimes of Big Ben before our rousing version
of “Auld Lang Syne” bringing the evening to a climax,
leading into more party classics for dancing into the early hours.
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We are not generally
suited to typical public house “gigs”
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Q. What geographical area
will you play in?
A. We are based near Norwich in Norfolk UK and our client-base is
primarily in East Anglia. Functions outside of this area will be considered,
but travelling expenses may be added to the fee.
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Q. Tell me more about
the band members and instrumentation?
A. Kaleidoscope is fronted by Kyra on
lead vocals with Danny on keyboards (inc. bass)
and Adrian on drums...
Kyra
- Vocals
Kyra provides a focal point for the band and lights up the stage with
her endless energy and exceptional vocal ability. She has been singing
for over 10 years, initially performing as a solo artist/dancer and
achieving success in a number of talent contests including a TV performance
on Michael Barrymore's "My Kind Of People". Following two
years of tuition in Norfolk, Kyra enrolled with a singing teacher
in London and performed at numerous showcases in the area. More recently
she has won a national talent competition in conjunction with Anglia
TV and with it the opportunity to perform at Alexandra Palace in London.
Kyra uses a wireless microphone which enables her to confidently interact
with the crowd and make announcements on your behalf if required.
Danny
– Keyboards
Two keyboards and a pedal board played completely live with no automatics
seldom make a performance sound as convincing as the original record
as they do with Danny at the helm. Complex bass lines played on foot
with tremendous dexterity are often mistaken for a pre-recorded sequencer.
Danny is classically trained and his long musical career ranges from
organist to musical director to sound recordist. He is often in demand
as a keyboard accompanist for amateur and professional performers
for both classical and popular music. Danny’s keyboard skills
have even earned him the much coveted privilege of regularly playing
the famous Mighty Wurlitzer at The Thursford Collection. As well as
tinkling the ivories with Kaleidoscope, Danny adds vocal harmonies
and is the band’s sound engineer on the night.
Adrian
– Drums
Adrian has been playing drums for over 25 years initially receiving
tuition from the legendary Angus Honeyman. He has played with various
groups in East Anglia such as the Lee Vasey Big Band, John Sinclair
Showband, and Wired and with various brass bands, jazz combos and
rhythm and blues groups. A proficient reader, he has a terrific feel
and has augmented his acoustic kit to include an electronic drum pad,
which enables him to add percussion instruments to enhance the band’s
depth of sound. He also adds vocal harmonies and performs a number
of duets with the lead singer as well as controlling the lighting
equipment during the performance.
The combination of these three like-minded performers creates a finely
polished, tight performance every time.
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Q. Can you play one style
of music all night?
A. We have any extensive repertoire, but do not specialise in one
style of music, preferring to offer a good selection of music throughout
the night. Before you decide to book a Country, 60’s, swing,
jazz or other specialist band, please do bear in mind that your guests
will probably have a wide selection of tastes and it may be better
to offer something for everyone.
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Q. How much do you charge?
A. It is impossible to cover all circumstances with a set fee and
we have a range of prices, depending on the location and nature of
the event. However, as an indication, the band typically charges £525
for a great evening’s entertainment. No VAT is payable. Please
note, unlike other entertainers, we DO NOT charge an inflated fee
for weddings.
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Q. How long do you play
for?
A. Our aim is to be as flexible as necessary to ensure your event
is a success. We usually play for up to 2¼ hours in three 45
minute sets with two breaks or two longer sets with one break, but
this is flexible and open to discussion at the time of booking.
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Q. We are also thinking
about booking a disco. Can you help us?
A. We are a live band providing a focus for your guests to watch,
dance to and enjoy the talent of professional musicians. If you wish
to complement the live entertainment with additional disco music,
we will be happy to recommend a DJ, or if you prefer, with our excellent
PA facilities and lighting, we can provide disco music during our
breaks at no additional cost.
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Q. Will you be too loud
for our function?
A. We have excellent PA facilities suitable for a complete range of
venues; we have played in small marquees holding 30 guests to large
halls and function suites holding around 750 people! We have a sympathetic
approach to the nature of event and size of your venue and will judge
the volume levels during our sound check, accounting for the acoustics
of the room. If our performance volume is not to your liking, a polite
request for us to adjust it is always welcome. It is not in our interests
for clients to be unhappy with our volume levels; we want everyone
to enjoy the evening.
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Q. What requirements
do you have from the venue itself?
A. We are self-contained and our requirements are simple. Two standard
UK 13A electric sockets and a dedicated hard standing performance
area of no less than 3m by 2m sheltered from the natural elements.
Our strong recommendation would be to avoid rooms with sound limiting
equipment as these are invariably set at either very low levels or
are driven by frequency waves rather than dynamic volume. These may
completely cut out the electricity supply to the band. Such equipment
can not only harm our gear, but generally spoil the flow of the evening's
performance.
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Q. How much time do
you need to set up your gear?
A. We will arrive at the venue in good time to set up our equipment
and sound check before your guests arrive. We typically require between
1½ to 2 hours set up time and will discuss arrangements with
you in advance to ensure the venue is open when we arrive. There are
occasions, particularly at weddings, where it may be possible to set
up earlier in the day or make special arrangements to set up immediately
after the wedding breakfast. We will do all we can to ensure your
event runs as smoothly as possible and where necessary will contact
the venue to discuss arrangements directly with them so that you can
concentrate on everything else that needs organising!
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Q. Can we come and see
you play?
A. Although many of our clients are happy with our CD, pictures and
recommendations in order to book, these do not provide a full appreciation
of “the performance” and we understand that many prospective
clients will want to see the band perform live. We will try to accommodate
this request. However, as many of our functions are private, we need
to seek permission from the organiser for you to attend and we request
that whilst ‘auditioning’ us in this way that you are
discrete. On occasions in the past we have especially 'auditioned'
at the venue itself, subject to a fee to cover our travelling expenses.
Please be aware that to date, nobody who has enjoyed our CD has decided
not to book the band after seeing us perform live!
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Q. I want to book you.
What are the next steps?
A. Please give us a call to discuss any specific arrangements, ensure
we are still available and agree the fee. We will provide you with
a Contract, confirming the terms of engagement as well as our standard
conditions (see below). To confirm the booking,
simply sign the contract and return this with a 10% deposit. We will
contact you again in good time before the event to discuss any further
requirements, agree timings and decide upon the arrangements for entry
to the venue and setting up our equipment.
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Q. What are the conditions
of engagement?
A. Our Contract will be provided as soon as you book the band, which
confirms the details of the engagement as well as our standard conditions.
This serves to protect both parties as it gives you assurance of our
commitment to perform and gives clarity on matters which affect you.
We do ask for a cancellation fee, on a sliding scale, if you wish
to cancel at short notice, as we are unlikely to be able to secure
alternative employment. We ask for the balance of the fee to be paid
at the latest at conclusion of our performance. Please click here
to view our Contract template.
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Q. What assurances
can you give me that you won’t let me down?
A. Since 1997 (and individually prior to this), the musicians performed
at over 1,000 gigs without ever cancelling. We are professional and
committed entertainers who appreciate how important our contribution
is to your event. We also have an excellent reputation to maintain!
However, should we be forced to cancel because of severe ill health,
we will upon request be happy to provide a medical certificate. We
would also promise to endeavour to secure suitable alternative entertainment
through our established contact base.
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Q. We are having
some announcements. Can we use your PA?
A. Of course! With a wireless microphone and crystal-clear amplification,
we can cater for announcements from any part of the room and ensure
you are clearly heard.
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Q.
Do we need to provide you with refreshments?
A. Unlike some other bands, we do not demand to be fed and watered
throughout the evening. If you wish to invite us to join you for a
meal, provide sandwiches or simply buy us a thank you drink, that
would be much appreciated, but it will certainly not be expected.
With two drivers and a non-drinking singer, you can be assured that
the “help yourself to drinks on us” invite will not be
abused!
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Q. Are you insured?
A. Although our equipment is safety tested and we ensure our gear
is safely assembled for the event, we do have public liability insurance
up to £5m to give you complete peace of mind. A copy of our
insurance schedule can be found here.
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