Category Archives: Artists For Hire

The most romantic of venues

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Choosing a wedding venue is almost always on the top of a couple’s ‘to do’ list.  This is the place that you will remember forever, it is the place where you will kiss your new husband/wife for the first time, it is the place where you will take your children  and your grand-children back to, all to show them where you had the happiest day of your life. 

So a wedding venue needs to be characterful with its own qualities that make it desirable for a couple, but it must also to be enough of a blank canvas that a couple can put their own stamp on it.

Kew Gardens is a beautiful venue.  There are a number of beautiful and completely different areas within the venue of Kew Garden, that offer endless possibilities for the big day

There is the cosy Cambridge Cottage that can hold up to 80 guests for both ceremony and wedding reception.  The Cottage is a former royal residence and has a clean and fresh décor, which allows the Bride and Groom to choose any particular colour to use throughout the wedding, happily knowing that it will not clash with anything will always look perfect.  The cottage is steeped in traditional horticulture with floral pictures on the walls, which some couples do like to combine with their own ideas; using very bright and expressive flowers to decorate the venue, or use flower names as table names.

With entertainment, the light and elegant tone of Cambridge Cottage lends itself perfectly to string instruments, particular the harp or string quartet for a ceremony or reception.  The cottage backs on to the gardens and the sound of a string quartet drifting through the air could not be more perfect for a warm, summer wedding.

For the evening, the intimacy of Cambridge Cottage means that either a 4 piece band or a solo singer works really well and creates a flawless party atmosphere.

Within the Grounds of the Gardens there are also the 3 beautiful Conservatories – The Nash Conservatory is a nineteenth century glasshouse that has started being used for Civil Ceremonies this year and can hold up to 200 guests.  The Nash Conservatory is used in conjunction with The Orangery, which is available for evening hire for up to 400 guests for a cocktail reception

The Princess of Wales Conservatory can either be used by itself as a cocktail reception venue for up to 250 guests or in combination with The Orangery or Cambridge Cottage, as a venue for pre or post dinner drinks.  The Conservatory itself was commissioned in 1982 and was named after Princess Augusta, the founder of Kew.  Opened in 1987 by Diana, Princess of Wales, the Princess of Wales Conservatory is the most complex glasshouse at Kew, containing ten computer-controlled climatic zones, which only adds to this completely unique and interesting venue.

So with more than a few options for Weddings and Civil Ceremonies, it’s a great place to suggest wedding entertainment for – so many different acts work in the different spaces that the possibilities are endless.

What’s best for you?

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Events are an intriguing proposition. Depending on the stage at which you are at in life, certain acts may be perfectly suited to you. Others perhaps less so. You’re hardly likely to book a wine tasting for a child’s birthday party and the less said about the ‘Happy 75th’ bouncy castle booking the better. With that in mind, we thought it may be useful to run through a few ideas you may wish to have a look at depending on the life stage within which you currently reside.

Who can forget childhood? A time when you were completely carefree but were still liable to be dragged along to events at your parent’s insistence. Thankfully, many times there were acts at these events that were tailor made for you. Ah, life was hugely enjoyable when you were being entertained by such acts like a hired balloon modeller (“a dog please”) and a children’s entertainer that you happily got involved, all memories of missing your favourite cartoon on television completely forgotten.

The most important part of your wedding day is undoubtedly the exchanging of the vows, declaring a lifelong commitment to one another. Everything else is window dressing but hey, you want the finest window dressing there is. To that end, splashing out for the V&A was quite the declaration of your love. And nobody will forget the reception at the Waldorf in a hurry. And booking stilt walkers and aerialists was a great idea. With the photo booth images providing a fun way to scrapbook your event, everyone went home happy– Wait a second! Was that the Queen in attendance?

Of course, many of the acts depicted here can’t really be compartmentalised and we have lots of ideas that you can look through on our entertainment directory. So have fun, pick some entertainers that would be a real surprise and make your whole event a magical one…

40th Birthday Ideas…

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I went to a very well organised 40th Birthday and it was the most enjoyable ‘Birthday bash’ I have been to in a long while. Why not give your loved one a birthday party to remember for years to come and here is a taster of what was on offer at this particular one:

This party was all arranged to ensure that guests never knew quite what was coming next: 

Just sixty minutes from London, Aynhoe Park offers a luxurious private home and embodies pure British eccentricity from top to toe. For Friday night, guests were treated to a sumptuous dinner and comic delights for entertainment.

When you hire Aynhoe Park, it essentially becomes your home. You can do as you please and there are fantastic events staff on hand to cater to your needs. It really is an incredible place. Acts were provided to be immersive, with no obvious staging required. Saturday night was the big party day and guests could move freely from room to room, never knowing what they were about to encounter. With no announcements necessary, the evening flowed beautifully and it was a fantastic idea to enhance the event.

The pop-up nature of the evening began with a superb pianist, who performed on the vintage piano as partygoers took in the experience; drinking their cocktails, sampling the canapés on display and marvelling at the Aynhoe Park experience and quirky nature of the event!

In a different area of Aynhoe Park; A Capella singing combined with a beatboxer more than delivered and really got the party started. Guests were whooping and cheering throughout, even calling out for an encore, which was duly respected!

And for a finale, what better act than the illuminating lights of a fire show. Performing in the orangery with the audience surrounding them, they managed to create a club-inspired atmosphere that was perfect to lead into the DJ who played across two different zones – his first set was commercial pop and dance floor fillers, before moving onto deep house music until 4am!

Hottest Corporate event trends

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For all 2015 Christmas corporate events, décor will be key. Your venue needs to wow your guests from the moment they walk in, creating a special and uniquely defined space for your event. Two highly contrasting themes for decor for Christmas 2015 are high tech interactive and natural materials, enabling your company to show off its tech prowess, or boost its eco credentials.

If you choose a high tech theme, your entertainment must be 100% integrated to the whole tech ambience. Look for entertainers that offer a tech twist in their act, such as iPad illusionists, LED light performers and street magicians that work with the latest phones and mobile gadgets. 

Turn your corporate event into a natural winter wonderland with ice sculptures. Christmas walkabout artists, pine forest greenery and seasonal winter menus. Welcome guests with the warming aromas of mulled wine, or entice people out into the crisp winter air with heated seating areas, piles of rugs and sweet chestnuts roasting on a real coal brazier.

Then, extend your ‘mother earth’ eco-friendly theme beyond décor and food into acoustic musical acts, for a more ‘natural’ sound. Entertain with acoustic performances by Christmas Carol choral singers or a gospel choir singing Christmas songs, cool and trendy A Capella group.

And when you want your corporate party to finally hot up, keep the theme with classic Christmas tracks that really evoke the sights and sounds of the season with top UK function and party bands who know their Slade and their Sleigh Ride!

Take lighting to the next level and illuminate your event to create spectacle and visual interest. Any venue can be transformed with clever and creative use of lighting even on the more limited of budgets. Use party lighting to throw unusual shadows, to colour tables rather than using flowers, and use wireless technology to alter lighting states to reflect the various stages of your event.

Your entertainment should be equally well lit! Look for party DJ;s with their own light shows, rock and pop function bands that provide their own lighting, and artists that use light in imaginative ways, from fire performers to bespoke firework displays.

For larger events, book artists that have a strong visual impact enhanced by theatrical style lighting, such as dance troupes, ballet dancers or aerial artists, or the outrageous wigs and costumes of drag act.

Every guest or delegate should find your event pleasurable. This might sound like a given, but this applies just as much to winter conferences and sales meetings as high profile product launches and Christmas hospitality events.

Birthday Celebration Ideas

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The tradition of holding a party to celebrate the anniversary of birth began centuries ago in Europe when it was feared that evil spirits sought out people on their birthdays. To protect them from harm, friends and family would gather around to bring good thoughts and wishes. Giving gifts brought even more good cheer to ward off evil spirits, and candles were placed on cakes to transport the birthday wishes directly to God.

Initially, only royalty was deemed important enough to have a birthday celebration, but the tradition soon spread with the introduction of the children’s party in Germany, the Kinderfeste.

For the trivia buffs amongst you; the lyrically astounding ‘Happy Birthday to You’ song was written in 1839 by sisters Mildred and Patty Smith Hill!!

Birthday party fancy dress themes work really well let your imagination run wild…

It’s good to ensure there are plenty of attractions to keep guests talking & mingling so you could also consider casino tables which can tie in nicely with a James Bond theme, for example, and create a space for guests to meet, mix and break the ice. Also check out our celebrity lookalikes who will work the floor & get people talking.

For a rocking party, you could book a party band to play songs fitting to that theme or just a general Rock, Pop, Soul, and Swing or even a hired Jazz band to keep your guests dancing all evening long.

Hiring a Celebrity lookalike of your favourite celebrity would be a great touch. For a great surprise you could hire some comedy music acts who can act “incognito” for part of the evening before bursting into song when your guests least expect it!

Hire your very own ‘sell out performance’

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You know that sinking feeling when you just miss out on tickets to see your favourite musicians? It is a sad and sometimes frustrating moment – However Red Masque directory have a solution that could work out cheaper than using those extortionate touting websites.

How often have you eagerly anticipated seeing your favourite band or artist live onstage, only to discover that tour tickets sold out in nanoseconds on the one morning you had a meeting at the Slough office?

Or have you calculated that with the combined cost of decent tickets which don’t have a restricted view or are so far back you need binoculars, travel costs, parking, over-priced drinks, programmes and inevitable late night burger at 1am, you’ll be pushing £200 each?

Luckily, there is an answer – book a Tribute band instead. For the cost of you and five mates attending a major gig), you can hire a superb tribute band or act that play all your favourite tracks, not just the ones nobody wants to hear from their new album. And there are lots of tribute acts for hire to choose from too!

Robbie finished the UK leg of his tour in early July at the O2, so unless you can afford the cost of tickets PLUS air travel to Australia, you won’t be able to see him live this year! Instead, book a Robbie Williams tribute act for all those hits like ‘Angels” and “Rock DJ”. If you prefer his swing albums, why not book a Rat Pack tribute act, who perform all the great hits Robbie covers in his swing shows, such as “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head”, “Mr Bojangles” and “My Way

Want tickets? You Should Be So Lucky! Kicking off with shows in Liverpool, Kylie embarks on an arena tour of the UK in September, and already its standing room only or those pricey “packages” for almost every night. So, why not book a Kylie tribute instead and have a superb night with 100% pop diva fun for friends and family, without the travel and hassle

Recreate the magic that’ll never happen again with tribute bands for some of the world’s most famous artists and bands. Tribute bands play all the hits you love, have all the moves, the costumes, the style.  It’s a great way to enjoy the bands you loved as they were in the hey-day, and without the senior citizen bus passes. Tribute bands for hire are terrific as fundraising concerts and events, as well as party entertainment. See our Tribute Bands on the Red Masque directory and you won’t look back…

Let there be light!!

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Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are a major feature of most modern technology such as TVs, tablet computers, mobile phones and remote controls. Read this to find out why LEDs are so important to Red Masque’s party and event entertainers and even their existence…

It’s one of those little things we take for granted, the glowing LED light that shows us that something is ON. Be it red or green, it’s a light that says, “Notice Me”, and it’s probably the one thing you can see at a gig when all the lights go out on stage.

The Prize had been won by three Japanese scientists, who invented blue LEDs. Their work led to the development of today’s LEDs, as used extensively in screens for TVs, PCs, phones and tablets.

However, the acknowledged inventor of the red LED, was not recognized, and was allegedly miffed at being left out from the $1.1million prize.

It’s a sort of chicken and egg thing: without the red LED, there would be no blue LED, and without the blue, no LED screens. Just to confuse the issue further, the first LED was actually created by a Russian scientist who died in 1942.

The reason we sympathise with both sides of this argument is purely because LEDs play such a key role in our entertainment directory.

• Most of Red Masque directory musicians use a PA system, and try finding one of those without LEDs on it.

• All of our artists have mobile phones, so they can contact us and clients about bookings, wherever they are in the country. What lights the screens? LEDs.

• And, of course, you wouldn’t be able to see our website in all its glory on your mobile or tablet without LED technology either.

There is one set of performers, however, who literally wouldn’t exist without LEDS; our LED light show performers. By whirling and twirling LED sights, these talented artists create intricate patterns and optical illusions in light for both inside and outdoor venues, without the concerns over fire regulations and health and safety of their ‘real’ fire and glow counterparts.

Equally, any artists using a mobile device in their act, from iPad magicians, portrait artists and hired caricaturists to function bands offering iPod-based DJ services would quite literally be out of a job.

And DJ’s and rock band lighting would be heavier, more expensive and considerably less exciting, as LED lighting is lightweight, energy efficient, cool to the touch and can create a whole variety of colours without the need for coloured ‘gels’.

Planning the perfect party

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My Auntie has a huge celebration for her 60th birthday party. With over 100+ guests packed into function rooms, she was determined to create an inclusive evening of live and unique entertainment for everybody attending. A night where everyone could get dressed up and simply have a great time from start to finish.

Red Masque are able to book individual artists for events as well as a full evenings worth of continuous live entertainment at parties such as this one.  

A stunning visual effect was created by booking one of Red Masque’s living statues who greeted guests on arrival. They went down a storm and were a real conversation starter… “Rather than get your drinks from the bar, you could go and get one from a living statue!” (This by the way was in the shape of a table)

The next surprise was a quartet of comedy singers who broke into song during the drinks reception to much awe and wonder from all in attendance. They were by far the favourite of many of the guests and left everyone excited for what was coming up next!

Then a fantastic live jazz band and swing band hired for the event. They started the party as people were moving from one room to the other, getting everybody in the mood for dancing!

During the sit down meal, three magicians, performed to guests in their seats with card tricks, sleight of hand and close up magic leaving all in attendance both entertained and perplexed as only magicians can!

Also providing a background ambience and continuing the jazz music theme during the meal was a saxophone artist. The incredible sax playing really added some continuity to the musical background of the event so far.

And finally, the 8-piece function band opened up the dancefloor with everyone in attendance putting on their dancing shoes and taking to the floor. Excite put their stamp on every song and provided the perfect round off to the evening

The entertainment really helped make this party into an event and a show to be beat! With wall-to-wall entertainment throughout the night from start to finish, all gaps were filled with a number of the guests commenting on how they’d never been to such an entertaining party!

So, if you think you’d like something similar for your party, please feel free to browse on our gallery and see what you can come up with to hire. Not is only is an event like this great fun for you and your guests on the night, but you’ll be safe in the knowledge that you will hire only the best artists in the business.

Retirement party ideas…

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Traditionally a gold watch was given to prized employees retiring after 30 years, though long service medals and other gifts were often given depending on the nature of the job or the type of work carried out.

If you’re planning a party for a work colleague, a novel idea is to give a countdown clock which runs backwards for 6 months until the last day of work, ideal for someone whose retirement can’t arrive too soon!

These days the whole emphasis of working life is much more temporary than ever before in history, with few people expecting to stay in the same employment for 30 months, let alone 30 years!

If you, or someone you know, have been lucky enough to keep the same job right up to retirement age then they certainly deserve a fun-filled and exciting send off.

Party Themes…

To decide on a theme for your party, choose something relevant to the retiree, for example a favourite hobby, a work related topic, their favourite musical era or the place they’re retiring to, especially if this is abroad.

A popular theme is to dress up and hire a live band to suit the era when the retiree started work. For the 50’s choose a rock n roll band or Elvis Tribute singer for the 60’s go with a Beatles tribute band, for the 70’s how about a 70’s party tribute act? The options are endless.

We also have a great range of lookalike artists so why not surprise the retiree with a visit from their favourite celebrity or sports star?

Decorate to suit the theme…

You should dress the entire venue with memorabilia, ‘Happy Retirement’ banners and party decorations which follow the theme in seamless detail. Lots of companies supply party props and ‘scene setters’.

If you choose a golf theme for example then decorate the room as a golf course, with elaborate sand pits, flags, golf ball name settings and card board cut outs of famous golfers. Everyone should arrive in outrageous golfing trousers and pringle jumpers, and if your venue is a golf club why not include half an hour on the driving range before dinner?

This is your life!

A great idea for a surprise retirement party is to hold your own version of the TV show ‘This is your life’.

Friends, family and colleagues will love collecting stories, photos and tales of long-forgotten, and often best forgotten antics from the workplace or otherwise. Try and get in touch with old colleagues or long lost friends and invite them along in secret, introducing them at the perfect moment for an emotional reunion.

A confident younger relative or the retiree’s manager should compére the event. Buy a ‘big red book’ as an album for the collection and present it to the retiree at the end of the night.

A work of art

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Madame Tussauds Famous for its incredible wax works of celebrities and royalty from around the world, Madam Tussauds is also an award winning themed venue that has been hosting high-profile events for over fifty years.

Situated right in the heart of London, the venues offers five themed areas that can host events with up to 1,000 guests. Each event space can be adapted to suit your events exact requirements making it an ideal location for award dinners, presentations, gala events and press conferences. The World Stage Ballroom was designed to impress with a grand stage, back projected screen, full lighting rig and plasma screens. LED lighting can be programmed to display specific colours to suit your corporate identity or theme. The largest space in Madame Tussauds, it is perfect for a whole host of corporate events and can even accommodate smaller events with adjustable and removable walls that can be used to create a more intimate space.

Not forgetting that this venue’s main attraction is its spectacular collection of wax works, guests can walk through over 200 years of history and with the museum-style ropes and poles gone they can also get up close and personal with historical icons, A-list celebrities and sporting legends. Not only is Madame Tussauds a great venue for corporate event entertainment but it also offers team building exercises and incentives: staff also have the chance to go behind the scenes and see how a waxwork is made at Madam Tussauds, ride through London’s history in a mini black cab and battle with Marvel Super Heroes in a 4D movie experience!

A popular choice for high-profile celebrity launches, Madame Tussauds is an impressive event space twice voted the UK’s number 1 favourite venue! No entertainment is more apt to accompany your event at this exclusive venue than one of our real life lookalikes available for hire. Why not invite 007, or Elton John to entertain guests, as they pose for photos and suavely mingles with guests.