Category: Band News

Hire an Albright Hussey Party Band for a wedding, corporate event, birthday party or more and professional musicians Punch The Air will take care of all your live music. Tunes from The Killers, Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, Amy Winehouse, George Ezra, The Beatles and more. Contact band leader Andy Starkey for a quote for your special event. 

Book an Albright Hussey Party Band in Shrewsbury.

This Shrewsbury Shropshire hotel has an excellent load in and out for the musicians you hire for your event as we are able to access the side/rear door of the room from the rear parking area . This leads to a faster set up with less disruption to you and guests at your special event. The event room has a very nice live sound with no screaming feedback issues.

Venue Address: The Albright Hussey Manor Hotel, Ellesmere Rd, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY4 3AF

At the end of a rather good band rehearsal indie rock wedding band ‘Punch The Air’ decided set up a few cameras to record this Yellow by Coldplay cover. The video and audio had to go on the back burner for a while as we were very busy with weddings, birthdays and corporate event parties. But eventually Andy found some time to mix it all. Everything you see and hear is  played 100% live. This audio wasn’t recorded elsewhere in a studio that the band then mimed to while filming the video, it features fully live audio. This early 2000’s song is a staple in our live set and is very much loved at weddings. You too can hire an indie rock party band for a live event by contacting band leader Andy Starkey now. 

Self produced video and audio of Yellow by Coldplay Cover

Dressed in casual clothing you will see Punch The Air (not in our normal smart wedding band clothing) performing one of the most famous Coldplay singles. Yellow by Coldplay was recorded in March 2020 at Rockfield Studios, Monmouth, South Wales. It was released as a single in June 2020 and was taken from their debut album Parachutes. It reached number 4 in the UK singles chart and even went to number 1 in Iceland.

The original music video features lead singer Chris Martin walking down the sandy beach of Studland Bay in Dorset, UK. The video is one single take and the audio was sped up for Chris Martin to mime along too so that they could slow it back down later. This then gave a slow motion effect to the video. The single sleeve cover to Yellow by Coldplay features a silhouette of a dandelion in front of the sun on an orange/yellow background.

Here is how doing the speed ups/low down effect would look like if we added the live audio over the top of us miming along. Pretty interesting eh?

Yellow by Coldplay chords

Verse – B F# E
Bridge – E G#m F#

The song is actually in E A D G B Eb(D#) tuning but it’s still possible to play it without needing to retune the high E string down to E flat.

The song doesn’t really feature a chorus its just made up of a verse, bridge and another bridge.

Members of Coldplay:

• Chris Martin – Lead vocals / Keyboard / Guitar
• Jonny Buckland – Lead guitar
• Guy Berryman – Bass player
• Will Champion – Drums

B sides of Yellow.

• Help Is Round the Corner
• No More Keeping My Feet on the Ground

Hire a live covers band for a wedding, birthday party or corporate event.

If you’re looking for a care home musician then I, Andy Starkey will be perfect for your residents to sing, clap and in some cases even dance along to. I will perform for you with my acoustic guitar amped up so everyone can clearly hear me singing and playing hits from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. I can also perform songs from the nineteen nineties, two thousands and more modern day tunes too. Everyone will know and love my repertoire of songs by The Beatles, Elvis, Chuck Berry, Van Morrison, Simon & Garfunkel, The Monkees, Neil Diamond and more. As a care home singer of many years I assure that your residents and you yourself will enjoy every single song I play live. 

Hire A Care Home Musician

I’ve performed at many care home over the years including Thurlaston Meadows Rugby, Homestead Care Home Brownhills, Birmingham Settlement Aston, Maypole Grove and more.

I can perform at:

• Care homes
• Retirement housing
• Sheltered accommodation
• Retirement homes
• Retirement properties
• Extra care housing
• Assisted living community
• Retirement villages
• Retirement communities
• Care villages
• Close care housing
• Retirement apartments
• Retirement flats
• Retirement bungalows
• and more

I will come to you at your residential care home, arrive on time, set up my equipment, perform whatever length set you require and then pack away without any fuss or noise. I pride myself on encouraging guests to sing and clap along with me. If they are able to get up for a little boogie too then all the better. I will perform at a volume that you advise is suitable for your residents as I am not a “Diva” who thinks he knows best. I will chat to guests throughout my stay and will always be polite and courteous. 

Testimonial

“Thank you to Andrew Starkey for the fabulous music we all enjoyed dancing and a perfect end to a Friday night!” – Thurlaston Meadows Care Home

To arrange a performance please email me at punchtheairband@gmail.com or call UK 07794 659405. Otherwise you may find it easier to fill in the contact form. I really do look forward to hearing from you and hopefully securing a booking at your care home.

Many thanks

Andy Starkey.

Hire a Homme House Wedding Band and high energy musicians ‘Punch The Air‘ will rock your Much Marcle wedding venue to the max. Brides and grooms have put their faith in our Ledbury wedding band for over a decade now and we have always given them the night of their lives. Big massive chart hits from Coldplay, The Beatles, Blink 182, George Ezra, The Killers, Walk The Moon, Neil Diamond, Bryan Adams and more. Contact band leader Andy Starkey to hire a Herefordshire wedding band for your historic house wedding reception.

Live photos of Punch The Air performing as a Homme House Wedding Band

Jessica & Richard put their faith in our professional Ledbury wedding band and everyone had an amazing Hertfordshire wedding reception with us handling all live music and DJ too. We even allowed a friend of theirs up on stage to sing with the band too.

Hertfordshire wedding reception address:

Homme House
Much Marcle
Ledbury
Herefordshire
HR8 2LY
UK

For your Derbyshire Hotel wedding band you’ll want to hire musicians who have a proven track record of over a decade entertaining brides, grooms and guests. The band you need to book is Punch The Air for your Holiday Inn wedding reception. This IHG Hotels & Resorts wedding venue in Alfreton, Derbyshire has two large wedding reception suites with a dance-floor and plenty of space for a live band and all your guests to enjoy. A part of InterContinental Hotels Group this South Normanton wedding venue is highly recommended by our indie rock and chart pop professional wedding band.

Hire a Derbyshire Hotel Wedding Band

Live photos of Punch The Air performing at this Derbyshire wedding venue where we performed songs by Kaiser Chiefs, The Beatles, The Killers, Kings Of Leon, Amy Winehouse and more. 

Venue address:

The Derbyshire Hotel
Holiday Inn South Normanton M1, JCT.28, an IHG Hotel
Carter Lane East,
South Normanton,
Alfreton,
Derbyshire,
DE55 2EH
UK

Hire a Stanford Farm Wedding Band Shrewsbury Shropshire and have premiere function band Punch The Air perform live for you and all your guests. We absolutely love this barn farm style wedding venue and have performed here on many occasions. In fact, as you read this we will be booked in to appear there twice again this year (We always have a booking in the diary for Stanford Barn year upon year). Contact bass player Andy Starkey to check on price and availability of a live wedding band for this SY5 wedding venue. We’d love to play a part in your special day.

Hire a Stanford Farm Wedding Band Shrewsbury Shropshire

The wedding venue owners really have thought about live music when you hire a Stanford Farm wedding band. This Halfway House wedding venue has a brilliant sized stage for our three piece guitar based wedding band to perform on. Lifting the band above the height of the guests on a stage really gives a live concert feel to your wonderful wedding reception. There is also enough room to have a DJ booth at the side of the stage too. Whether you’re going festival, boho or vintage style, Stanford Farm is ideal for your wedding party. The fully licensed wedding venue is also available to hire exclusively. Onsite it features 5 bedroom farmhouses. Also camping facilities and bell tents . Nearby there are many excellent B&B and AirBnB overnight options to choose from.

Live video of Punch The Air performing Wonderwall by Oasis at Stanford Farm.

Stanford Barn

Stanford Farm address is Halfway House, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY5 9DW, just off Pecknall Lane, off A458. It is located in Stanford near to the villages of Halfway House and Wollaston. Sitting on the England/Wales border close by to Coedway, Bulthy and Alberbury. It is just West of Shrewsbury county town within the county of Shropshire. Within the ground are The Stables used for wedding ceremonies, The Bull Barn for your bar. Also the Cow House is where our live wedding band and up to 200 of your guests will party the night away. Similarly outdoors you have the Courtyard and Garden Oval. This former farm regularly see’s brides & groom booking from as far a field as Norfolk, Biggleswade, Lincolnshire and Kent. 

Live photos of Punch The Air performing at Stanford Farm, Shropshire wedding venue. 

Book Premier Shropshire function band ‘Punch The Air’ for your wedding.

Whether you’re planing a same sex wedding, lesbian wedding, gay wedding, transgender wedding or heterosexual wedding, we take huge pride in every single performance at this wonderful Shropshire wedding venue. We come supplied with absolutely everything needed to perform live included in the price. So that’s all the bands sound and lighting equipment and we’ll even give you DJ services until midnight too if you like. Our premier Shropshire function band are able to load on to the stage from the side of the building. This is excellent for you as there wont be any disruptions due to manoeuvring gear around the tables and chairs. Expect high energy performances while hearing indie rock and chart pop from The Killers, Coldplay, George Ezra, Stereophonics, The Beatles, Bryan Adams, Blink 182 and more. Contact lead singer Andy Starkey to check on Punch The Air price and availability now. 

Hire a Tern Hill Hall Wedding Band in Market Drayton and Punch The Air will indie rock your wedding and give you the best wedding reception you could ever dream of. Amazing songs performed live by a professional Shropshire wedding band who have been together over a decade. Kaiser Chiefs, Killers, Amy Winehouse, The Beatles, Kings Of Leon and more from our party repertoire.  Contact band leader Andy Starkey to advise on the date of your wedding party and he’ll get back to you with a super price with our Tern Hill Hall band. 

Looking for a Tern Hill Hall Wedding Band? Then Punch The Air are the professional musicians for you.

Video testimonial of our Tern Hill band live performance from bride and groom Eleanor & Steve. As you will hear they tell you to “BOOK BOOK BOOK BOOK BOOK the band”. They were a super lovely couple who danced their hearts out the entire night with all their friends and family at this Market Drayton wedding reception venue. 

Photos of Punch The Air performing live at Tern Hill Hall Wedding Reception

Punch The Air highly recommend Turn Hill Hall wedding venue if you are having a band perform at your wedding reception. There is plenty of room for the band to set up in front of the dancefloor area and be able to play down the room, towards the tables and bar (As opposed to across the room which all bands hate doing). This captures everyone attention and makes ure more people always get up to enjoy themselves.

Market Drayton wedding reception venue address:

Tern Hill Hall,
Tern Hill,
Market Drayton
Shropshire
TF9 3PU
UK

Update: End Of All Covid Restrictions: 

All Covid restrictions have been lifted in the UK and there is no needs for Wedding With 30 Guests. So now it’s time to ignore all the below info and hire a Coronavirus Party Band. Contact band leader Andy Starkey now to check on price and availability.

We’re ready to rock your party!!!!!

Update 26th April 2021: Covid restrictions are starting to be lifted again and up to 15 guests are now allowed at weddings once again. When Covid restrictions ease further we will attempt to make sense of the specific rules and update this page.

You can read wedding band Punch The Air new page regarding getting your wedding back on track after 21st June 2021 which includes the Covid Wedding Calendar. This advises you how many guests can attend your weddings on which date of each of the four steps.

Previous Coronavirus wedding information.

Updated Wednesday 9th September 2020 – Social gatherings are back down to no more than six people but Weddings are excluded from this “Rule Of Six / 6 People Limit”. So read on…..We still live in uncertain times regarding wedding with 30 guests or wedding with 15 guests with the Covid-19 epidemic still around. Even with everything laid out by continuously by the government the virus situation is still very unclear. Can you or can’t you currently get married with the outbreak still controlling the country? Should you even get married at this moment in time or should you still isolate or be in quarantine? How will your wedding be different to everything you ever dreamed it would be? Are you allowed Covid wedding entertainment?

Good news: Rule Of Six / 6 People Limit does not affect Weddings. (Hands. Face. Space.)

Now that regular Government press conferences have ended how will you be able to keep up to date with the latest wedding Covid-19 do’s and don’ts? What WHO World Health Organization advise is often too long winded to read in its entirety for some people. Below we outline what you can and cant do at a wedding with 30 guests during Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic.  

Can a wedding band perform at my Covid wedding? The bad news first.

Before we get into these questions and answers we have some bad news for you about wedding bands. Simply put, under the current government rules and guidelines (Updated as of Wednesday 9th September 2020) you cannot have a live band perform at your wedding.  For this, any many other good reasons you might even ask yourself, “Is it worth getting married right now, even if I can?”

That said it’s never too early to book a wedding band for a future date. So why not book a Covid secure secure wedding band ‘Punch The Air‘ to take care of all of your live entertainment? With our Coronavirus Deposit Refund Guarantee you won’t loose anything if the virus is still around at the time of your wedding and need to cancel/delay. We’re Covid Compliant and ready to take your booking whenever you feel safe and ready to do so. Also don’t forget our No Price Increase Promise over 2020 and 2021 for Coronavirus weddings.

You can book us when you’re ready at todays prices until the end of 2021. Thats as long as someone else hasn’t already booked our wedding band on your wedding date. So contact ‘Punch The Air‘ as soon as possible to check if your date is still available. 

Our previous post about Weddings With A Maximum Of 30 Guests threw up more questions than answers. So we’re going to attempt to answer some of the most asked questions here regarding Covid secure weddings. We will update this page regularly as and when the government provide us with more information. It will feature all the latest wedding rules during Coronavirus. So please remember to bookmark this page for future reference. You can also read more about planning or rescheduling your Coronavirus wedding in 2020 / 2021.

(Latest update Wednesday 9th September 4:30pm)

Questions and answers about weddings with thirty guests.  What can I and what can’t I do at my wedding with 30 guests.

These are your unanswered questions about the new thirty guests at a wedding rule.

Can I get married now?

Yes, as of 15th August 2020 you can now get married again…With up to 30 guests attending your wedding ceremony. Guests names and addresses will need to be supplied to assist with Test And Trace contact tracing. “Ceremonies need to be kept as short as reasonably possible. Limited as far as reasonably possible to the parts of the ceremonies that are required in order for the marriage or civil partnership to be legally binding”.

Can I have a same sex civil partnerships wedding or civil ceremony?

Yes, see above for marriages.

More of what you can and can’t do at weddings on / after Saturday 15th August 2020.

Can I get married in another venue thats not a place of worship/church?

Yes but marriage ceremonies should only take place at COVID-19 secure environments.

Do bridesmaids, flower girls, ushers, groomsmen, photographers, staff etc count towards my 30 guests?

Yes, bridesmaids, flower girls, ushers, groomsmen etc do count towards your 30 guests. This also includes photographers and security. But it does not include staff employed by the venue or any third party catering staff.

Does the vicar/marriage officiant count as one of my 30 guests?

Yes, your vicar/marriage officiant does count as one of my 30 guests

Entertainment, music and singing.

Can I have a wedding band play / have live music at my wedding?

No. Government guidelines state “At this time, venues should not permit indoor performances, including drama, comedy and music, to take place in front of a live audience. (Update to follow soon, possibly from 15th August 2020)”. Helping to stop spread the infection is quite rightly more important than entertainment right now. Can I have a band at my wedding covid? No.

Can I have a band play at my wedding within a place or worship, Covid secure wedding venue?

No although the guidance states “Where required for the marriage or civil partnership, only one individual should be permitted to sing or chant, and the use of plexi-glass screens should be considered to protect guests, as this will further prevent transmission and the screen can be easily cleaned.” So in theory a Covid Secure acoustic wedding singer musician could perform for you as you walk down the aisle. 

Can we sing songs / sing along at our wedding ceremony?

No. You must refrain from singing at your wedding ceremony. This (as with everything on this page) is to mitigate the risks of contagion of Coronavirus transmission.

Can we dance at our wedding?

If you are not allowed wedding music of any kind then what will you actually be dancing to? The government state “Wedding receptions or parties should not currently be taking place” but have not mentioned anything about the wedding couple dancing together. When in doubt use your common sense.

Questions and answers about the numbers of guests at a wedding and social distancing.

Is it 30 guests plus myself and my parter as the bride or groom or 28 guests plus the bride and groom?

It is 30 people at a wedding full stop. So that is the couple getting married plus 28 other people/guests.

If I book a wedding band for my wedding reception are they part of the 30 allowed guests?

Wedding bands and live music are currently not allowed at weddings of any kind. As to whether band members will be classed within your number of guests in the future is currently unclear. 

Do babies count as wedding guests covid?

Yes, babies are classed as a full guest at a covid wedding.

Do we still need to observe one plus metre social distancing rules with friends and family from outside our home at our wedding?

One plus metre social distancing should still be adhered to under all circumstances.

About the wedding breakfast and wedding reception.

Can we have a wedding breakfast / sit down meal with our 30 guests?

Yes, we presume…but this is still slightly muddy. The Government document states “Sit down meals for no more than 30 people and subject to Covid-19 Secure guidance. This change will not take place until at least 15 August, at the earliest.” So does that mean you can or you can’t have a wedding breakfast as long as with Coronavirus secure guidance is adhered to?

Can we have an evening wedding reception / wedding party?

No, not as in a wedding reception in a wedding venue. The guidelines state “Wedding receptions or parties should not currently be taking place.” But it then goes on to state “Any celebration after the ceremony should follow the broader social distancing guidance of involving no more than two households in any location or, if outdoors, up to 6 people from different households.”. Which we assume means along lines of its OK if you go back to someones house after the ceremony. NOT a full blown party in a wedding reception venue. 

If I have a wedding reception, are waiting, serving and bar staff classed as guests?

Wedding receptions are currently a no-no situation. As to whether waiting, serving and bar staff will be classed within your number of 30 guests moving forward is currently unclear. Although we assume the number of guests will increase in the future and then waiting, serving and bar staff will be included in this number. Or a new separate number of “Staff” will be added to the equation.

Summing up the 30 wedding guests rule.

There is a LOT of conflicting information supplied by the Government right now. And to sum up there is not currently 100% clarity on what you can and can’t do at a wedding with only 30 guests. If you want a fully functional/normal wedding then you may want to possibly hold off a little longer when social distancing restrictions will be lifted further. Then you will be able to have your wedding more like the way you have always dreamed of.

If you have any further questions regarding the above rules and regulations then please contact us. We will do our best to answer your questions as fast as possible.

Professional indie rock wedding band ‘Punch The Air’ would love to play a large or small part of your very special day once we are able to. We’ll give you two high energy live performances and include all sound and lighting equipment. Massive singalong tunes by Stereophonics, The Beatles, Oasis, Amy Winehouse and The Killers. Also huge chart pop by George Ezra, Queen, Kings Of Leon, Blink 182 and more.  Contact for price and availability to book a Staffordshire wedding band or a Derbyshire wedding band. Also book a band for a wedding in Shropshire and hire a wedding band in Leicestershire. In fact you can book ‘Punch The Air‘ for weddings all over the UK and beyond. We’ll come to you no matter where your wedding reception is.

Sources of information and statements about weddings and entertainment:

14th August 2020 – The most recent information on this page is taken from GOV.UK – Guidance COVID-19: Guidance for small marriages and civil partnerships (Updated 13 August 2020). 

Indie Function Band Songs by upbeat indie rock covers band ‘Punch The Air‘ include the following guitar driven bands:

• Arctic Monkeys
• Blink 182
• Blur
• Chumbawamba
• Coldplay
• The Cure
• Feeder
• Foo Fighters
• Fountains Of Wayne
• The Fratellis
• James
• Kaiser Chiefs
• The Killers
• Kings Of Leon
• The La’s
• The Lemonheads
• Muse
• Oasis
• Ocean Colour Scene
• Primal Scream
• Pulp
• Reef
• Stereophonics
• Wheatus

Live Indie Indie Function Band Video

You’ll see and hear ‘Punch The Air‘ performing songs by some of the above Indie Rock Bands in the wedding video below. We’ve always got the indie beats you’re looking for at your wedding, birthday, corporate event or party.

Indie Rock Covers Band

Indie Rock is a fantastically broad genre that draws on influences from 60s artists such as The Beatles and The Kinks. With Indie music taking ideas from pop, rock, dance, new wave and punk it works very for function band events such as awards ceremonies, festivals, weddings, birthdays and charity events.

Corporate events, graduation parties, works parties, office celebrations, anniversaries and special events also work well with the following Indie function band songs.

• All The Small Things
• Buck Rogers
• Cant Take My Eyes Of You
• Chelsea Dagger
• Dakota
• Day We Caught The Train
• Disco 2000
• Don’t Look Back In Anger
• Friday I’m In Love
• I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
• I Predict A Riot
• Sit Down
• Mr. Brightside
• Mrs. Robinson
• Never Gonna Give You Up
• Parklife
• Place Your Hands
• Rocks
• Sex On Fire
• Stacey’s Mom
• Song 2
• Teenage Dirtbag
• There She Goes
• Tubthumping
• When You Were Young
• Yellow

Other Indie Function Band Songs

The great thing about Indie Function Band ‘Punch The Air‘ is that as well as supplying you with live Indie Rock guitar music above we can also perform hits from modern day back to the 1950s as well. This keeps everyone at your Indie Party happily dancing along all night long to our live entertainment.

Where ‘Punch The Air’ perform.

Indie rock party band ‘Punch The Air’ perform Indie Rock in Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Yorkshire, Shropshire and all over the UK.

Contact Indie Function Band

If this is the kind of music you’re into for your wedding band, function band, festival band, corporate event band, graduation, awards ceremonies, charity events, birthday party band. Also a garden party, work outings, or office parties then get in touch with band leader Andy Starkey.

Book a Sweeney Hall Wedding Band Oswestry Shropshire and have premiere function band Punch The Air perform live for you and all your guests. Contact bass player/band leader Andy Starkey to check on price and availability to book a live wedding reception band.

Hire a Sweeney Hall Wedding Band Oswestry Shropshire

Sweeney Hall Hotel, Morda, Oswestry, Shropshire, Oswestry, SY10 9EU

Book a wedding band for your wedding reception at Sweeney Hall.

Live videos below.