Category: Band News

A Kettering Athletic Club wedding band that gets your whole hall dancing is exactly what Punch The Air are here for. We are a three-piece, guitar-driven indie rock and pop covers band, and we have been playing weddings and parties since 2013. Your wedding party at 104 Rockingham Road, Kettering, NN16 9AE deserves a soundtrack that everybody knows the words to, from your nan to your mates from uni. Contact band leader Andy to check on fee and availability.

Have a watch of the video below and see whether it looks like your kind of night.

Indie Rock Wedding Band 'Punch The Air'

Your Kettering Athletic Club wedding band, and how the evening runs

We are an indie rock wedding band, but that does not mean the evening is only for people who own a stack of guitar records. Yes, there are the big indie anthems, but there are also classics from the 50s right through to the 20s, so the younger guests, the parents and the work friends all get a look in. Nobody ends up stood at the edge of the room checking their phone.

Most couples ask us to play one long set once the cake has been cut and the buffet has been cleared away. There are no distractions by then and you get the best of the band while everyone is fed, watered and ready to go. That said if you would rather we performed two sets instead then this really isn’t an issue for us. It’s your wedding so you should always have it your way.

What the dancefloor sounds like

Here is a taste of what we might play at a wedding reception in Kettering. The full list lives on our indie covers band repertoire page, so have a scroll and tell us what you would love to hear.

• Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis
• Dakota by Stereophonics
• Summer Of 69 by Bryan Adams
• Sit Down by James
• Disco 2000 by Pulp
• Shut Up And Dance by Walk The Moon

Indie Rock Party Band 'Punch The Air' perform Teenage Kicks by The Undertones

Something for the older guests too from your Kettering Athletic Club Wedding Band

Weddings are mixed crowds, so we make sure there is plenty for everyone. Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen and Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd tend to pull in the guests who swore they were only staying for one drink. You can read what past couples have said on our live party band reviews page, and there are more clips on the party band videos page.

We also work with no agency in the middle, so you deal directly with Andy from first enquiry to the last song. You can read more about how that works on our no agency fees wedding band page.

About the club on Rockingham Road

Kettering Athletic Club, also known as Kettering Athletic WMC, is a private members club close to Kettering town centre. It has three rooms: a lounge, a games room and a large concert and function room, and the club takes bookings for weddings and other private functions. Anyone planning a big day here should call the club on 01536 485823 to check hire terms and dates.

The hall and lounge at a glance

• Main hall: up to 250 standing or 180 seated
• Lounge: a smaller, more intimate space for up to 70 guests
• Games room: skittles, darts and pool
• Address: 104 Rockingham Road, Kettering, NN16 9AE

Other celebrations for a party band in Kettering

The club lists a long run of events it hosts, and we are happy to play most of them. If you are looking for a party band in Kettering for a birthday party, a wedding anniversary, a retirement do or a Christmas party, we can bring the same energy we bring to a wedding. Businesses are welcome too, and our corporate event band page covers company nights and awards evenings. Charity fundraisers are a good fit as well, and there is a charity event party band page if that is what you are planning.

Kettering and the villages around it

Kettering sits in the heart of Northamptonshire, so couples from Corby, Wellingborough, Rushden, Desborough and Rothwell are all a short hop away. Just over the border you have Market Harborough in Leicestershire and Oakham in Rutland. We also play across Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and the wider East Midlands, so wherever your guests are travelling from we would love to hear from you.

Kettering Athletic Club, 104 Rockingham Road, Kettering, NN16 9AE: a three-piece indie rock and pop covers band for wedding receptions, birthdays and private parties.

Questions about booking a band for Kettering Athletic Club

How do I book a Kettering Athletic Club wedding band?

The quickest way is to get in touch with band leader Andy with your date. He will let you know if we are free and what the fee would be. Then speak to the club directly on 01536 485823 about the hall.

How big is the hall at the club?

The club says its hall takes up to 250 people standing or 180 seated, and the smaller lounge takes up to 70.

When in the evening do you play?

Most couples like us to start after the cake cutting and buffet, but if you would rather split our performance into two sets we are happy to do that. Just talk with us about what suits your day.

Many more answers are on our cover band FAQ page.

If you’re after a Wildes Inns wedding band that can carry your whole reception without ever sounding like a wedding disco playlist on shuffle, you’re in the right place. Punch The Air is a three-piece indie rock covers band playing real guitars, real drums and real vocals, and no backing tracks propping anything up. We know this Derbyshire country house hotel and its Ballroom well enough to know exactly how to fill it once the dancing starts. Contact band leader Andy to check on fee and availability.

What Makes Punch The Air the Right Wildes Inns Wedding Band

There’s no shortage of wedding bands who’ll turn up, plug in and work their way through the same tired set of covers. Punch The Air was formed in 2013 with a different idea in mind: play the songs indie rock fans actually grew up on, play them properly, and let the energy of a real band do the work a DJ or a duo can’t. We’re guitar-led, three-piece, and every note on the night is played live.

One Set, Properly Timed, No Filler

Rather than splitting the evening into two shorter chunks with a long gap in between, we play one continuous set once the cake has been cut and the buffet has cleared. It means the room stays full, the momentum never drops, and none of the band’s time gets wasted on false starts because guests aren’t ready to boogy yet and are probably being forced to enjoy themselves too early. A later live performance means a more natural time to start enjoying the evenings entertainment. For a Wildes Inns wedding band booking, that timing matters, because you want your guests dancing at the point in the evening when they’re actually ready to. That said if you’d rather we performed two sets instead then this really isn’t an issue for us. It’s your wedding so you should always have it YOUR way. 

Playing the Ballroom at Wildes Inns

Wildes Inns, on Worksop Road in Clowne, is a substantial country house hotel with several function spaces to choose from depending on the size of your wedding. The main Ballroom handles the bigger receptions, while the Sherwood Suite offers a slightly more intimate reception room, and couples marrying on site can also use the Chapel or the walled garden for the ceremony itself. However you’ve arranged your day, a live band changes the room in a way that recorded music can’t quite match, and a Wildes Inns wedding band booking is as much about that shift in atmosphere as it is about the music itself.

The building itself has a longer history than its current name suggests. The Wildes Group took on the former Van Dyk Hotel and carried out a £6 million refurbishment, completed in early 2020, adding new bedrooms, a spa, a brasserie and three walled gardens alongside what was described at the time as a full rebrand of the venue. For a good while afterwards it traded as Van Dyk by Wildes, and that name still crops up on some booking sites, but the venue’s own branding has since settled on simply Wildes Inns.

Here we are performing live as a Wildes Inns Wedding Band at a lovely wedding reception.

A Drinks Reception Option Worth Knowing About

If your ceremony or drinks reception is happening on site before the wedding breakfast, Andy also offers a solo acoustic performance earlier in the day, separate from the full band set later on. It’s a nice way of having live music running through more of the day without asking a three-piece band to play for hours longer than makes sense.

Songs You Might Hear on the Night

Our full repertoire runs well beyond what fits on any one page, but a Punch The Air set at Wildes Inns might well include Feeder’s “Buck Rogers”, Walk The Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance”, The Fratellis’ “Chelsea Dagger”, James’ “Sit Down”, Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” and Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ’69”. It’s a mix built to move between eras and moods without ever feeling like a covers band ticking boxes.

Not Just Weddings

While most of our bookings at venues like this one are wedding receptions and wedding parties, the same three-piece set-up works just as well for other private events at Wildes Inns: milestone birthdays, wedding anniversaries, corporate parties and private hire evenings. If you’re planning any kind of celebration where you want a live band rather than a playlist, the same booking process applies.

Clowne, Chesterfield and the Surrounding Area

Wildes Inns sits just outside Clowne, close to the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire border, within easy reach of Chesterfield, Worksop and Bolsover, and not far from the edge of South Yorkshire towards Sheffield. We’re regularly booked as a party band in Chesterfield and across the wider Derbyshire area, and we also play venues further into Nottinghamshire and across into Yorkshire. Couples looking at other country house hotels nearby sometimes also compare us against our page for the Fox and Goose near Chesterfield.

As an indie rock wedding band, we’re used to reading a room full of guests who might range from teenagers to grandparents, and building a set that keeps all of them on the dancefloor rather than just the ones who know every word to the latest chart hits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Punch The Air a full band or a duo at Wildes Inns?

We perform as a three-piece band: guitar, bass and drums, with lead vocals from Andy.

Can you play a wedding reception and a birthday party at the same venue?

Yes. The booking process is the same whether it’s a wedding reception, an anniversary, a birthday or a corporate event at Wildes Inns.

Where exactly is Wildes Inns?

Wildes Inns is on Worksop Road, Clowne, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S43 4TD.

How do I check availability for my date?

Contact band leader Andy directly with your date and he’ll confirm fee and availability.

Looking for a Hoby Village Hall wedding band? Punch The Air are a live indie rock and pop band playing weddings and parties across Leicestershire and the wider East Midlands, and a wedding reception in the heart of Hoby is just the kind of night we love to soundtrack. Expect The Killers, Arctic Monkeys and Oasis for your friends, alongside the classics your parents and grandparents can sing word for word. Contact band leader Andy to check on fee and availability.

Hoby Village Hall wedding band: live indie rock for a village celebration

Most couples want the room to lift when the first chorus lands and stay lifted until the last song. That is the job, and we take it seriously. Andy leads the band on vocals and bass, and everything you hear on the night is played live, which is why the videos further down this page were filmed at real celebrations with real audio rather than mimed to a studio track.

We have been playing weddings and parties since 2013, so we know how to read a room. A Saturday wedding party in Hoby might have three generations on the dance floor, and that suits us fine. The Killers and Arctic Monkeys for the friends, proper classics from the 60s, 70s and 80s for the aunties and uncles, and a few daft singalongs for whoever has had one glass of prosecco too many.

Live photos from a wedding at Hoby Village Hall of Punch The Air performing by Ian Bursill. 

How a night at Hoby usually unfolds

Over the years we have found that the band works best when we play one continuous set after the cake has been cut and the buffet has been cleared away. The speeches are done, nobody is queuing for sausage rolls and everyone is ready to dance. You get the best of the band at the moment your guests are most up for it, with no distractions to break the mood. But we can also play two sets split if you wish, it’s really not a problem for us.

A video of Punch The Air performing at a wedding at Hoby Village Hall 

Live music while the prosecco flows

Would you like live music earlier in the day as well, perhaps around the ceremony or when the prosecco starts flowing before the wedding breakfast? Andy also offers a solo acoustic performance for exactly that part of the day, then the full band takes over in the evening. If you need a microphone for the speeches, we can supply microphone and speaker hire for speeches too, so the best man is not shouting at the back row.

Songs your guests will sing back at you

Our set list stretches across seven decades. On the indie side you can expect There She Goes by The La’s, Rocks by Primal Scream, Place Your Hands by Reef, Disco 2000 by Pulp and Sit Down by James. When the dance floor needs a push we reach for Chelsea Dagger, Tubthumping or Shut Up And Dance. The older crowd gets Brown Eyed Girl, Johnny B Good and Sweet Home Alabama, and there are noughties singalongs like Stacy’s Mom and Teenage Dirtbag for everyone in between. Have a scroll through the full indie covers band repertoire and see how many you would request.

Why a live Hoby Village Hall wedding band beats a playlist

A playlist cannot read the room. A band can pick up the pace when the dance floor is filling, or change direction when it is not. You can also see what previous clients have said on our live party band reviews page before you decide.

Watch the band at a real wedding party

Here are two videos from real events. The guests’ reactions say more than we can.

About Hoby Village Hall on Main Street

The venue is Hoby Village Hall, 32 Main Street, Hoby, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE14 3DT, also known as Hoby and District Village Hall. It has been part of village life since it opened in 1926 and serves the communities of Hoby, Rotherby, Brooksby and Ragdale.

What the hall offers for a wedding reception or party

Hire listings describe a traditional hall with a wooden-beamed roof, a small stage, a kitchen and a bar area, along with ramped access and a large garden with views across the valley. They also mention street parking nearby. Details and capacity figures differ between listings, so please confirm the layout, guest numbers and hire terms directly with the hall’s bookings administrator when you start planning your day.

Party band in Melton Mowbray, Loughborough and the villages around Hoby

Hoby is a village in the Leicestershire countryside, and the nearest market town is Melton Mowbray, famous for its pork pies and Stilton. If you are searching for a party band in Melton Mowbray for a wedding, a birthday or a family celebration, we are happy to travel. Loughborough, home to a well known university, and the city of Leicester are both a reasonable drive from Hoby, so guests coming from either should have no trouble getting there. We are just as happy playing as a party band in any of the villages around Hoby, wherever there is a hall, marquee or function room and a dance floor waiting.

Leicestershire, Rutland and further afield

We play right across Leicestershire, and just over the border is Rutland, England’s smallest county, with Oakham as its county town. To the north lie Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, and you can see everywhere we work on our East Midlands wedding band page. If you like the village hall feel, take a look at our page for Norbury Village Hall too.

More than weddings: birthdays, anniversaries and corporate events

A village hall gets used for all sorts of occasions, and so do we. As an indie rock wedding band we play wedding receptions and wedding parties, but we are just as happy at a birthday party, a wedding anniversary party, a retirement party or a corporate event. Private hire nights, family get-togethers and charity fundraisers suit us too, and our party band page explains more. Whatever you are planning, get in touch with your date and a rough idea of guest numbers, and there are no agency fees to pay, as our no agency fees page explains.

Hoby Village Hall wedding band: your questions answered

Looking for a daytime wedding band that keeps the afternoon lively and still gets everyone home at a sensible hour? Punch The Air are a three-piece, guitar-based indie rock band who play wedding receptions from the afternoon into the early evening, with singalong indie anthems, classic crowd-pleasers and a proper party feel. Contact band leader Andy to check on fee and availability.

Why Choose a Daytime Wedding Band?

Not every couple wants the party to carry on into the small hours. Booking a daytime wedding band means the dancing starts while everyone is still fresh, fed and in a good mood, rather than at ten o’clock when half the room is fighting off a yawn.

Think about who is actually coming to your wedding. There may be grandparents who are happiest tucked up by early evening, children who would love to see a live band for the first time, and friends with a long drive home. A daytime wedding party lets all of them join in properly. You still get a full dancefloor and the buzz of a great night out, only in daylight, and with everyone home in time for a decent night’s sleep.

Daylight, a full dancefloor and a sensible bedtime.

Afternoon Wedding Reception Music Without the Late Finish

This is not polite background music. We turn up as a full band with our own sound and lighting, and we play like it is the last gig of our lives. The whole thing is live, and we know our songs off by heart rather than reading lyrics off a tablet, which means we can look at your guests and keep the room going.

For daytime weddings we find that moving back to whole “Split the set” works best, so you can fit in things inbetween like buffet, topping up drinks, popping out for a smoke, checking on the baby etc. Tell us when you would like us to start and we will fit around your timings. It is worth checking with your venue too. 

Songs Your Guests Already Know

With every generation in the room, we mix indie anthems with classics that get everybody up. You might hear Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis, Disco 2000 by Pulp, Friday I’m In Love by The Cure, Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison, Ever Fallen In Love by Buzzcocks, Tubthumping by Chumbawamba, Dance The Night Away by The Mavericks and Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Have a browse through our full indie covers band repertoire, which runs from the 1950s right up to today.

How an Afternoon Wedding Tends to Run

Every couple’s day looks different, but a daytime wedding often flows a bit like this:

• 3:30pm: The band arrive and set up while you are off getting married and being photographed from every angle. We will be the ones carrying heavy things and pretending we are not out of breath.
• 5:30pm: Guests arrive, drinks are poured and the buffet appears. Somebody’s uncle heads straight for the sausage rolls. Our DJ services keep the music going while everyone finds their seats.
• Speeches: Keep them short, keep the jokes clean and try not to cry before the main course. If you need a mic and speaker, well we’re here already so just use ours….for free.
• 6:30pm: Punch The Air take the stage for the first live set. This is where the dancefloor goes from “polite shuffle” to “someone’s dad is doing the worm”.
• 7:15pm: Time for a breather. Top up your drink, tackle the pudding, pop out for a smoke/vape or check the baby is still asleep. The DJ tunes keep things ticking over while we get our breath back.
• 8:00pm: The second live set. Everyone is fed, watered and warmed up, so expect the loudest singing of the day.
• 8:45pm: The DJ tunes return for a gentle wind down while we pack away and you finish your drinks. Some guests will still be dancing, and we love them for it.
• 9 to 9:30pm: The band leave, you go home and get an early night, ready for whatever the next day throws at you. Fix that fence, cut the hedge, clean the house, bath the budgie, sponge the chocolate cake of your hired suit before it needs to go back and hope no one notices. You are still allowed to smile smugly about the best wedding party in the county, though.

If you would like live music earlier in the day too, Andy also offers a solo acoustic performance. It suits the ceremony, or the drinks reception when the prosecco starts flowing before the wedding breakfast. We can also cover the gaps between events with music from our DJ services. For other kinds of daytime celebration, have a look at our page on the daytime live band.

Here is the band in action:

Party Band in Lichfield, Covering Staffordshire and Beyond

We are based in Lichfield, so if you are searching for a party band in Lichfield or anywhere around Staffordshire, you have found the right people. Our Staffordshire wedding band page is a good starting point, and the West Midlands wedding band page covers the wider region.

Couples in Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham are firmly on our patch, and we have played venues in Shropshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire too, including Telford and Shrewsbury. Wherever your wedding is, we are happy to travel.

Daytime Party Music for More Than Weddings

A lively afternoon party is not just for weddings. We play daytime and early evening sets for a birthday party band booking, a wedding anniversary get-together, a garden party or private hire, and corporate events where the team would rather dance than sit through another buffet. We also do charity fundraisers and outdoor events, including festival-style days as an indie rock festival band.

Booking a Daytime Wedding Band for Your Wedding Party

If you want an indie rock wedding band who can fill the dancefloor in the afternoon, the next step is simple. You book direct with the band, so there are no agency fees, and you can see what previous clients have said on our reviews page or watch more clips on the videos page. Smaller guest list? Our intimate wedding band page is worth a look. When you are ready, get in touch and tell us your date, your venue and the timings you have in mind.

Quick Answers

Can you play an afternoon wedding reception?

Yes. Tell us when you would like the music to start and we will work around your day, subject to your venue’s own arrangements.

Which areas do you cover?

We are based in Lichfield, Staffordshire, and cover Staffordshire, the West Midlands and the rest of the UK.

Will older guests enjoy an indie rock band?

Our repertoire runs from the 1950s to today, so grandparents get classics like Hound Dog and Johnny B Good while younger guests get their indie favourites. Our cover band FAQ answers plenty more questions.

How do I check availability?

Get in touch with band leader Andy, and he will confirm fee and availability for your date.

If you are looking for a Hawkesyard Estate wedding band that can turn a Grade II listed manor house into a proper party, you have found the right band. Punch The Air is a three-piece indie rock covers band who play weddings and private celebrations across Staffordshire and the wider Midlands, built around real guitars, tight harmonies and a set of songs your guests will actually want to hear. We have played country house venues like this one before and know how to make a grand old room feel warm and lively rather than stiff. Contact band leader Andy to check on fee and availability.

Hawkesyard Estate Wedding Band: Live Indie Rock For Your Reception

There is a reason so many couples search for a Hawkesyard Estate wedding band rather than settling for a DJ and a laptop. A room like the Armitage Suite deserves a proper live sound, and that is exactly what Punch The Air brings. We are not a covers act that reads from a script. Our set is built from guitar driven indie rock and pop songs spanning the last three decades, chosen because they get a genuine reaction on a dancefloor, not because they are easy to play. As an indie rock wedding band we have spent years learning what keeps a mixed wedding crowd on their feet, from grandparents to the couple’s own friends.

Live photos from one of our many weddings at this wonderful Rugeley wedding venue. 

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Our Sound On The Night

We play as a three-piece: guitar and lead vocals, bass and backing vocals, and a full acoustic drum kit. There is nothing what so ever on backing-track about what we do. Once the meal, speeches and cake cutting are out of the way, we take the room with one continuous run of live music rather than splitting the night into disjointed chunks, so the momentum builds properly rather than stopping and starting. Here is a taste of what that sounds like in a real function room:

Songs From Our Repertoire For Your Big Day

Our full repertoire and song list runs to well over a hundred tracks, and we rotate it depending on the crowd. For a Staffordshire manor house wedding, expect things like Stereophonics’ “Dakota”, Wheatus’ “Teenage Dirtbag”, Fountains Of Wayne’s “Stacy’s Mom”, Walk The Moon’s “Shut Up And Dance”, Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” and Bryan Adams’ “Summer Of ’69” sitting comfortably alongside the newer indie anthems. It is a set built to work for every generation in the room, not just one.

Inside Hawkesyard Estate: Suites, Gardens And History

Hawkesyard Estate sits at Armitage Lane, Armitage, Rugeley, Staffordshire, WS15 1ED, on the edge of Cannock Chase, and it is genuinely one of the more striking wedding venues in this part of the country. The current Hall dates back to the 18th century, with gothic revival details, battlements and pinnacles that give the place a proper fairy tale feel, all set within around 200 acres of parkland and formal gardens. Couples marrying here have their names and wedding date added to the estate’s historic Bell Tower, which is a nice touch of history to be part of.

For the reception itself, the Armitage Suite and Parkland Suite are both bright, air conditioned rooms with their own private bar and space for dining and dancing, comfortably holding up to 120 guests between wedding breakfast and evening party. The Lister Suite handles civil ceremonies under chandeliers with views over the formal gardens, and the Orangery serves as a charming garden bar for the drinks reception and photographs.

Ceremonies And Drinks Receptions At Hawkesyard Estate

If your ceremony and drinks reception fall earlier in the day, perhaps out in the Orangery or the gardens while the prosecco starts flowing, Andy also offers a solo acoustic performance especially for that part of proceedings, before the full band takes over once the wedding breakfast has finished. It is a nice way of having live music running through more of the day without asking the three-piece set-up to fill a smaller, quieter space too early.

A Grade II listed hall, 200 acres of Staffordshire parkland, and a band that actually plays live. That is the combination a Hawkesyard Estate wedding band should offer, and it is what we aim to deliver every time.

Weddings Near Lichfield, Rugeley And Across Staffordshire

Hawkesyard Estate is around ten minutes from Lichfield and about twenty minutes from Stafford, Cannock and Tamworth, which makes it a convenient venue for guests travelling from right across Staffordshire. We are based close by ourselves, so venues in and around Rugeley, Armitage and the Cannock Chase area are firmly on our home patch. If you are comparing other country house options nearby, we have also played Swinfen Hall, and for something further afield towards Birmingham we regularly cover weddings around Sutton Coldfield too. Guests coming from Burton upon Trent way will find us just as at home at venues like Burton Albion Football Club.

Other Celebrations We Play At Hawkesyard Estate

Weddings are only part of what happens at Hawkesyard Estate. The venue is equally set up for birthdays, engagements, wedding anniversaries and private hire, and both suites are built to handle a live band or a DJ with equal ease.

Corporate Events, Birthdays And Anniversaries

If you are organising a corporate event, a milestone birthday or an anniversary party rather than a wedding, the same suites and private bar set-up work just as well for that. We regularly play private parties of exactly this kind, bringing the same live energy to a fortieth birthday or a company celebration as we would to a wedding reception. Here is another clip that gives a fair idea of the atmosphere we aim for on the night:

Hawkesyard Estate Wedding Band FAQs

Is Hawkesyard Estate a good venue for a live wedding band?
Yes. The Armitage Suite and Parkland Suite are both spacious, air conditioned rooms with their own private bar, and live music is permitted, so a three-piece band has plenty of room to set up and fill the space properly.

What is the address of Hawkesyard Estate?
Hawkesyard Estate is at Armitage Lane, Armitage, Rugeley, Staffordshire, WS15 1ED.

Can Punch The Air play during the drinks reception as well as the evening party?
Yes. Andy also offers a solo acoustic performance for the earlier part of the day, such as the drinks reception in the Orangery, with the full three-piece band taking over for the evening once the wedding breakfast is done.

Does Hawkesyard Estate host events other than weddings?
Yes. Alongside weddings, Hawkesyard Estate hosts birthdays, anniversaries, engagements, christenings and corporate events, all of which suit a live band.

If you’re planning a Hartlebury Castle wedding band for your reception, you’re looking at pairing one of Worcestershire’s most striking historic buildings with three musicians who know how to fill a room without drowning out conversation first. Punch The Air play indie rock and pop covers at weddings across the Midlands and beyond, and a Grade I listed castle with a 15th-century Great Hall is exactly the kind of venue where a live band earns its keep. Contact band leader Andy to check on fee and availability.

Hartlebury Castle Wedding Band: Live Music for a Grade I Listed Setting

Hartlebury Castle has been standing in one form or another since the 9th century, when the land was first granted to the Bishop of Worcester. For well over a thousand years it served as the Bishops’ residence, and today it’s cared for by the Hartlebury Castle Preservation Trust, with money raised from weddings going back into keeping the building standing for the next few centuries too. It’s a properly historic backdrop, and it’s not the kind of place that suits background music playing quietly through a speaker in the corner. A wedding reception in a room like the Great Hall wants a band that can hold its own against the architecture.

Why an Indie Rock Wedding Band Suits Hartlebury Castle

There’s a temptation with grand old buildings to assume the music should be as traditional as the surroundings. We’d argue the opposite. The contrast between medieval stonework and a three-piece playing Kaiser Chiefs or The Fratellis is part of what makes a wedding reception at a venue like this memorable rather than predictable. Guests remember the moment the room shifts from polite mingling to an actual party, and that shift tends to land better when the music has some bite to it. We keep the set built around guitar-driven indie and pop that people already know, played properly rather than through a backing track.

Inside the Great Hall, the Saloon and the Bishop’s Study

The castle’s state rooms, the Medieval Great Hall, the Georgian Saloon and the Bishop’s Study, are all licensed for civil ceremonies and can accommodate a wedding breakfast for up to 100 guests, with room for further guests joining in the evening. The Carriage Circle outside gives couples an impressive spot for photographs and, weather allowing, a natural space to spill out into during the reception. It’s worth checking directly with the castle on which room your reception will be held in, since the acoustics and layout of the Saloon differ a little from the Great Hall, and we’ll always ask ahead of the day so we can plan our setup around the space you’ve actually booked.

The Reception: Prosecco, Speeches and the First Notes

A lot of couples getting married at Hartlebury Castle build their day around a drinks reception in the grounds or the Carriage Circle before guests move through to the wedding breakfast. If you’d like live music during that earlier part of the day, while the prosecco is flowing and guests are still finding their seats, Andy also offers a solo acoustic performance specifically for this part of the timeline, ahead of the full band taking over later on. It’s a nice way of having music running through more of the day without the volume of a full band competing with speeches.

Once the meal, speeches and any cutting of the cake are out of the way, that’s when we come in properly. Rather than splitting into short bursts through the evening, we find one continuous set works far better once the formalities are done, it keeps the momentum going and makes the most of the time we’ve got with your guests on the dancefloor. But we can of course split the set and take a break inbetween them if you wish. 

Songs That Fill a 15th-Century Great Hall

Our full band repertoire covers everything from Feeder and Walk The Moon through to Stereophonics and Van Morrison, so there’s plenty to choose from whatever mix your guests are likely to want. For a room with as much presence as the Great Hall, we tend to lean on tracks with a big, driving sound early in the set, before easing into some of the singalong classics once the dancefloor’s properly full. If there’s anything specific from our list you’d like weighted more heavily for your day, that’s exactly the sort of detail worth flagging when you book.

Other Celebrations at Hartlebury Castle

Weddings aside, a building with this much character also works well for other private events. We’ve played corporate events, milestone birthday parties and wedding anniversary celebrations at venues with a similar historic feel, and the same three-piece setup that works for a wedding reception translates easily to any private hire event where you want live music rather than a playlist.

Worcestershire, Kidderminster and the Surrounding Area

Hartlebury sits just south of Kidderminster, with Stourport-on-Severn a short drive to the west and Droitwich Spa and Worcester both within easy reach to the south. We cover weddings right across Worcestershire, and it’s a part of the country we know reasonably well, having played venues from the city of Worcester up towards Birmingham and the wider West Midlands. If your guest list is drawing from across this stretch of the county, getting an indie rock wedding band that’s used to working in historic, listed buildings is worth having on your shortlist.

A three-piece indie rock band, one continuous set after the meal and speeches, and a room with a thousand years of history behind it. That’s the combination a Hartlebury Castle wedding band brings to your reception.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a live band play inside the Great Hall at Hartlebury Castle?

Yes, the state rooms including the Great Hall and the Saloon are used for wedding receptions and can accommodate a live band, though we’d always confirm the exact space with the couple and the venue ahead of the day.

How many guests can Hartlebury Castle hold for a wedding breakfast?

The state rooms can seat up to 100 guests for a wedding breakfast, with additional guests able to join for the evening reception.

Do you offer music for the drinks reception as well as the evening?

Yes, Andy can provide a solo acoustic set for the earlier part of the day, such as the drinks reception, with the full band taking over once the meal and speeches are finished.

Is Hartlebury Castle suitable for other private events besides weddings?

It’s primarily known as a wedding venue, but its rooms and grounds would suit other private celebrations such as anniversaries or milestone birthday parties in a similar way.

Hartlebury Castle
Stourport Road, Hartlebury, Worcestershire, DY11 7XZ

Searching for The Hub St Marys Lichfield party band that will get a whole room moving? Punch The Air are a three-piece indie rock and pop covers band literally based in the city of Lichfield, Staffordshire and we play birthdays, wedding receptions and parties at the arts and heritage venue on Lichfield’s Market Square and right across Staffordshire. Contact band leader Andy to check on fee and availability.

There are three of us, we formed in 2013 and Andy fronts the band on vocals and bass. The line-up is guitar-based and rocking in all the right places, which suits a set built around songs that everybody has sung along to at some point in their lives.

The Hub St Marys Lichfield Party Band: Guitar-Led Indie Rock for Your Big Night

Most people who book us want one thing: a dance floor that stays busy. So we lean on indie anthems and pop singalongs, then slip in older classics for the parents, grandparents and workmates who grew up on different records. Think classic indie and early 2000s indie, a bit of punk, a few rock and roll standards and plenty of choruses that carry themselves.

At a party we play one long set once the buffet (And cake cutting and speeches for weddings) are out of the way. We have found it works far better than splitting the night into pieces. There are no gaps for people to drift away, nobody is chatting through the first half of the first set, and you get the best of the band while the room is still fresh.

What a Night With the Band Feels Like

We don’t do polite background music. We want people up and dancing, singing the chorus back at us and forgetting their phones for the duration. We chat to the crowd, keep the tempo up and read the room as we go. If it is your birthday, we will even play the Happy Birthday song for you.

Songs You Might Hear at Your Party

Our full band repertoire stretches from the 1950s to the present day. Proper singalong chorus’s with Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis, Dakota by Stereophonics, Sex On Fire by Kings Of Leon, Yellow by Coldplay and more.

For the older generation we have Hound Dog by Elvis Presley, Johnny B Good by Chuck Berry, Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison and Valerie by Amy Winehouse. Here is the band playing at real events:

The Hub St Marys Lichfield Party Band and Wedding Reception Music

The Hub is best known for touring bands, talks, exhibitions and arts events, so it is not the first name that comes to mind for most wedding couples. It is available to hire for events and celebrations though, so a wedding party or evening reception there is possible. If that is what you have in mind, check the venue’s hire terms for your date, then talk to us about the music. As a wedding reception band we bring the same energy to a wedding party that we bring to any other night, ideal if you want an indie rock wedding band rather than a standard function act.

If you would like live music earlier in the day, for the ceremony or while the prosecco is flowing before the wedding breakfast, Andy also offers a solo acoustic performance for exactly that. The full band then takes over in the evening.

More Reasons to Book a Live Band for a Lichfield Celebration

The space is used for community events, gigs and performances, and we are just as happy playing a party there as a wedding. Here are the occasions we play:

• Birthday parties, including 21st birthdays and 40th birthdays
• Wedding anniversary parties
• Retirement parties
• Corporate events and staff celebrations
• Charity and fundraising nights
• Christmas parties and private hire events

Whatever the occasion, the approach is the same. You tell us about your guests, we build the night around them, and you can add extras such as microphone and speaker hire for speeches or a late night DJ if you want the music to carry on. Have a look at everything on our live band extras page.

Finding The Hub at St Mary’s

St Mary’s is a former church in the middle of Lichfield, reopened after an award-winning renovation that began in 2018. The library is downstairs, while the top floor is home to The Hub, with its coffee shop, gallery and performing arts space. The venue describes itself as fully accessible, which is handy when a party spans several generations.

Lichfield and the Towns Around It

Lichfield is home for us, so we know this part of the world well. We also play for people in Tamworth, Burton upon Trent, Walsall and Cannock, and our Hednesford and Burton pages show a few of the local venues we have played. Further out, we cover Sutton Coldfield, Stafford and Birmingham.

Our county pages cover Staffordshire and the West Midlands. Closer to The Hub, see our Lichfield party band and Lichfield wedding band pages, or our pages for the Guildhall and the Cathedral Hotel. If you need a wider look at what we do, our indie rock party band homepage has the lot.

Booking The Hub St Marys Lichfield Party Band: Quick Answers

Have you played at The Hub at St Mary’s before?

Yes, we played a birthday party there recently. The venue is available for hire for events and celebrations, so check its hire terms for your date before you book.

How long does the band play for?

Usually one long set of around 90 minutes, once the food and cake are finished. It is your party though, so get in touch if you need something different.

Do you only play weddings?

No. We play birthdays, anniversaries, retirements, corporate events, charity nights and Christmas parties as well as wedding receptions.

Ready to plan your night? Get in touch with Andy and tell us the date, the occasion and how many guests you are expecting.

If you are searching for a Longbourn Barn wedding band, Punch The Air are a three-piece, guitar-based indie rock covers band who love filling a stone barn with big choruses and a busy dance floor. We play wedding receptions and parties right across Warwickshire and beyond, and a rustic barn in the fields near Kineton is exactly the sort of setting where live guitars feel at home. Contact band leader Andy to check on fee and availability.

Longbourn Barn Wedding Band: Live Indie Rock for Your Wedding Reception

We formed back in 2013 and we have been playing weddings, birthdays and parties ever since. On stage it is guitars, bass and drums, with Andy singing and playing bass. There are no backing tracks doing the heavy lifting and no laptop hiding behind the amps. What your guests get is a proper, sweaty, singalong guitar band, which is why so many couples who love their indie playlists book us for the last big stretch of the night.

What a wedding party in a stone barn needs from a band

Longbourn Estate Barn is a historic stone building with flagged floors, a vaulted roof and huge wooden doors, so it already has real character before a single decoration goes up. A room like that rewards a band that plays with energy and feel rather than just volume. We read the room, keep the sound punchy and clear, and let the crowd do the rest. Your grandparents can sit comfortably at the back while your friends take over the floor.

The songs your guests will sing back at us

Our set list leans on the big guitar records everyone knows. Expect bouncy singalongs from Wheatus and Fountains Of Wayne, feel-good anthems from Stereophonics, James and Feeder, a bit of Walk The Moon for the dancers, and a few older favourites from The Undertones and Van Morrison when the mood suits. Bryan Adams and Blink 182 usually make an appearance once the bar has been busy for a while. You can browse the whole list on our indie covers band repertoire page and tell us which tracks matter most to you.

The Main Barn, Threshing Barn and Milking Parlour

The venue sits at Longbourn Barn, Brookhampton Lane, Kineton, CV35 0JF, Warwickshire, in around 100 acres of South Warwickshire countryside. There are three main areas: the Main Barn, the Threshing Barn and the Milking Parlour. According to the venue, the Main Barn measures roughly 27 metres by 8 metres and comes with a split level stage, spotlights, a projector and a screen, which makes it a natural home for both the wedding breakfast and the dancing afterwards. Outside there is an orchard, a sweeping lawn, a space on The Green for a marquee, and a meadow that doubles as a car park. The church of St Peter and St Paul in Butlers Marston is described by the venue as a walk across the fields.

Why one long set after the buffet works best

We have tried different formats over the years and we always come back to the same one. A single long set once the cake has been cut and the buffet has been cleared gives you our best energy with no distractions. Nobody is queuing for food, the speeches are done, and the dance floor is ready to go. It also means we are not stopping and starting while your guests are trying to build momentum. But if you would like us to split the set into two then just say so and we will plan around your timings.

Live music for the ceremony and the drinks reception

If you would like live music earlier in the day, Andy also offers a solo acoustic performance for exactly this. It works well during the ceremony or when the prosecco starts flowing before the wedding breakfast, and it gives your guests something lovely to listen to while the photographs are being taken. Then the full band takes over in the evening.

Watch the band play

At a glance: three-piece guitar band, formed 2013, one long set after the buffet (Or split sets), optional solo acoustic performance earlier in the day, and a set list packed with indie rock and pop singalongs.

More than weddings at Longbourn Estate Barn

A big open barn like this suits plenty of celebrations besides weddings. If you are planning a wedding anniversary party, a milestone birthday party, or a private hire event for family and friends, we bring the same energy we bring to a wedding party. We also play for companies, so if you are looking at a summer staff party or client celebration, take a look at our corporate event band page.

Hiring a Longbourn Barn Wedding Band from across the region

Kineton sits in the south of Warwickshire, with Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick and Leamington Spa all within easy reach. Banbury and the wider county of Oxfordshire are close by to the south east, and we also play across Northamptonshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. Our Warwickshire wedding band page has more on the county, and you can see the neighbouring areas on our Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire pages. If your guests are travelling from further afield, we also cover Birmingham and the West Midlands.

Other Warwickshire and Cotswold edge venues we have written about include Nailcote Hall, Mythe Barn in Atherstone and Dumbleton Hall. If you want a guitar-driven indie rock wedding band for your own barn wedding, get in touch and we will happily talk through your plans.

Questions couples ask us about barn weddings

Where is Longbourn Barn?

The venue is at Brookhampton Lane, Kineton, CV35 0JF, Warwickshire, set in the South Warwickshire countryside.

How long does the band play for?

We find that one long set after the cake cutting and buffet have finished, so there are no distractions and your guests get the best of the band. We will plan the length and start time around your evening. We’re also to split the set into 2 or even 3 though if you so desire.

Can Andy play during the ceremony or drinks reception?

Yes. Andy offers a solo acoustic performance earlier in the day, which suits the ceremony or the drinks before the wedding breakfast.

Do you play other events besides weddings?

Yes. We play wedding anniversaries, birthdays, private parties and corporate events, and you can talk with us about what you have in mind.

If you’re after a genuinely superb Edale Village Hall wedding band, you want a group who can turn a stone-built hall tucked beneath Kinder Scout into the best party the valley’s seen all year, without needing anything more complicated than a plug socket and a bit of floor space. That’s exactly what Punch The Air do. We’re a three-piece indie rock covers band who travel out to venues across Derbyshire and well beyond it, bringing the same tight, full-throttle sound whether we’re playing a stately home or a village hall at the end of the Pennine Way. If you’re getting married at Edale Village Hall and want live music that gets the whole room up rather than politely nodding along from their seats, we’d love to be part of it. Contact band leader Andy to check on fee and availability.

Booking Punch The Air as Your Edale Village Hall Wedding Band

Most of what we do is about the band, so let’s start there. There are three of us: guitar, bass and drums all with no backing tracks propping anything up. We built the set list around songs that get a genuine, unforced reaction on a dancefloor, rather than songs that just sound good on a demo video. Think Kaiser Chiefs’ “I Predict A Riot”, Fountains Of Wayne’s “Stacy’s Mom”, The Undertones’ “Teenage Kicks” and Wheatus’s “Teenage Dirtbag” sitting alongside older crowd-pleasers like Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” and Bryan Adams’ “Summer Of ’69”. There’s a full song list on the site if you want to see the whole thing and start picking favourites, and we’re always happy to talk through any specific requests before the day.

One Set, Full Energy, No Stopping and Starting

We’ve found over the years that one long set works far better than splitting the evening into two shorter chunks. Once the meal’s cleared, the cake’s been cut and the buffet’s been demolished, we come on and stay on, so the room never loses momentum just as it’s building. It means every minute we’re plugged in is spent keeping people dancing rather than winding things down and starting again. Buuuuuuuut if you want us to split the set in 2 and have a break then we’re totally cool with that too…It’s your day so you should have it your way. 

Music While the Prosecco Flows

If your ceremony is happening at or near Edale Village Hall and you’d like some music while drinks are being poured beforehand, Andy also offers a solo acoustic set earlier in the day. It’s a nice, understated way to have live music running from the moment guests arrive, well before the full band takes over for the evening reception.

Three musicians, one long set, and a repertoire built to fill a Peak District dancefloor rather than just decorate a corner of the room.

Here’s a clip of us in full flow, which gives a better idea of the energy than any amount of text can:

Edale Village Hall and the Hope Valley

Edale Village Hall, Edale, Hope Valley, S33 7AA, sits right at the heart of one of the Peak District’s best-known villages, the southern starting point of the Pennine Way and a spot walkers and locals alike have gathered in for generations. It’s a proper community hall, the kind of place used for parish meetings and village gatherings throughout the year, and it makes for a lovely, unfussy setting for a wedding reception if you want the day to feel relaxed rather than overly formal. Booking a wedding band for Edale Village Hall means bringing a bit of that same relaxed, no-nonsense energy to the evening.

Nearby Towns and Villages

Edale sits within easy reach of Hope and Castleton, both just down the valley, and Hathersage a little further along. Sheffield and Chesterfield are both a reasonably short drive away too, and we regularly play further afield in Derbyshire generally, including out towards Buxton and at venues like the Fox and Goose near Chesterfield. If you’re comparing halls in the area, we’ve also played at Norbury Village Hall, so we know our way around a village hall wedding reception rather than just big hotel ballrooms.

Corporate Events, Birthdays and Private Parties Too

While most of our bookings at halls like this are weddings, we play plenty of other events too. Wedding anniversaries, milestone birthdays, private parties and corporate events all suit the same live set-up, and a village hall like Edale’s is just as good a setting for those as it is for a wedding reception. If your evening guests fancy grabbing a microphone themselves later on, it’s also worth asking about our wedding bandeoke option, where the band backs guests singing live rather than to a backing track. And if you’re looking for an indie rock party band for something other than a wedding entirely, we’re just as at home playing those too.

Here’s a second video showing more of what a night with us actually looks and sounds like:

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you play weddings at Edale Village Hall?
Yes. We regularly play village halls and community venues across Derbyshire and the wider Peak District, and Edale Village Hall is a setting we’d be very happy to play.

Where is Edale Village Hall?
The hall is at Edale Village Hall, Edale, Hope Valley, S33 7AA, in the Peak District National Park.

What songs do Punch The Air play?
Our set draws from indie rock, Britpop and classic crowd-pleasers, from bands like Kaiser Chiefs, The Undertones, Fountains Of Wayne and Wheatus through to older favourites such as Van Morrison and Bryan Adams. The full repertoire list is on the site.

Do you offer music for the drinks reception before the evening starts?
Yes, Andy offers a solo acoustic set for the earlier part of the day, with the full band taking over later on.

If you’re getting married and need to hire a Donington Park Farmhouse Wedding Band wanting live music that actually gets people out of their seats, then that’s what we do. Punch The Air is a three-piece indie rock covers band who play weddings, private parties and corporate events right across the Midlands, and a converted barn setting like this one happens to suit us down to the ground. Contact band leader Andy to check on fee and availability.

Why Couples Book Us As Their Donington Park Farmhouse Wedding Band

We’ve been doing this since 2013, and in that time we’ve learned that the bands people remember aren’t the ones with the biggest light show or the longest song list on paper. They’re the ones who read a room properly. Weddings at a venue like this one tend to have a good mix of ages on the guest list, so we build our set to bring everyone in rather than just playing to the twenty-somethings at the front. Expect indie anthems, some proper singalong classics, and enough energy that nobody’s checking their phone by nine o’clock.

We’re a genuinely live band, not a backing-track act with a singer stood in front of it. Guitar, bass and drums, three vocalists between us, and a PA and lighting rig that we bring and set up ourselves, so there’s nothing for you to sort beyond giving us a plug socket and a bit of floor space.

The Sound We Bring To A Barn Wedding

Barns and converted farm buildings like the Threshing Barn at Donington Park Farmhouse Hotel tend to have real character but also real acoustics to think about, exposed beams, brick walls, that kind of thing. We’ve played enough of these venues now to know how to balance a live band properly in a space like that, so the sound fills the room without drowning out conversation at the edges once people start drifting to the bar.

“We contacted Punch the air wedding band 16 months prior to our wedding cos we were sure we wanted a band… Andy responded promptly with his quote and also some really helpful advice.” — verified Trustpilot review.

What We Actually Play

Our repertoire runs from proper indie rock through to older classics that get grandparents dancing too. On any given night you might hear Feeder’s Buck Rogers, Fountains Of Wayne’s Stacy’s Mom, Wheatus’s Teenage Dirtbag, and tracks by Van Morrison, Bryan Adams, The Undertones and James, alongside some Elvis for the earlier part of the evening when people are still eating. We deliberately mix eras and genres within the set rather than sticking rigidly to one decade, because a wedding dancefloor is rarely made up of people with identical taste.

You can browse the full band repertoire and song list before booking, and we’re always happy to talk through specific requests when we speak.

Quick Facts

About Donington Park Farmhouse Hotel

Donington Park Farmhouse Hotel sits between Castle Donington and the historic village of Melbourne, on the Leicestershire and Derbyshire border, with far-reaching countryside views across the estate. The venue is built around a collection of converted farm buildings, including the old Threshing Barn used for ceremonies and receptions, with exposed beams and original brickwork that give it a proper rustic feel rather than a generic function room. It’s a family-run venue with twenty individually decorated bedrooms spread across the Farmhouse, Courtyard and Stables buildings, so a fair number of your guests can stay on site rather than driving home.

Being close to East Midlands Airport and the M1, it’s an easy venue to reach for guests travelling in from Derbyshire, Leicestershire and further afield, with Derby, Leicester and Nottingham all within a short drive. If your search has taken you further out, we also cover weddings across the wider Nottinghamshire area and the East Midlands more generally, so it’s worth a look if you’re comparing venues nearby.

Weddings, Receptions And Beyond

Most of our bookings at venues like this one are for the evening reception after the wedding breakfast, speeches and cake-cutting have wrapped up, we find one solid, uninterrupted set works far better than splitting the night into two shorter halves, since it keeps momentum on the dancefloor rather than losing it to a break. If you’re also looking for something quieter for the drinks reception earlier in the day, while prosecco is flowing and photos are being taken, Andy also offers a solo acoustic performance for that part of the day, which pairs nicely with the full band later on.

Beyond weddings, the same barn setting works equally well for private parties, wedding anniversaries, milestone birthdays and corporate events, and we’ve played all of the above at similar venues across the region. If you’re planning something other than a wedding reception at Donington Park Farmhouse Hotel, get in touch and we can talk through what suits the space and the crowd.

Nearby Areas We Also Cover

Castle Donington itself is a short drive from the venue and sits close to East Midlands Airport, while Melbourne is a quieter market village a couple of miles away, both worth knowing if you’re arranging guest accommodation beyond the venue’s own bedrooms. We regularly play weddings across Derbyshire and Leicestershire, including venues near Derby itself such as our Derby wedding band page, and further into Nottinghamshire at venues including the one on our Nottingham venue page. If you’re weighing up an indie rock wedding band for anywhere across the East Midlands, we’d be glad to talk it through.

Frequently Asked Questions