In our line of work there’s always a focus (quite rightly!) on helping clients to choose the perfect act for their event. Award ceremonies, product launches, corporate events, weddings… you name it -our business is all about the client booking the best possible entertainment to make sure their event passes off in real style. We thought it would be timely for an event review.
So, the client is happy and their guests are happy – but what is it like for the acts themselves?
What’s the experience like for the acts who take bookings with Silk Street?
Event Review: Nightjar
Well, one of our new acts, Nightjar, recently had their first Silk Street booking at an Awards Ceremony in London – The Ealing Apprenticeship Awards on 22 November -We chatted to Bess from Nightjar to find out what it was like for them…
Why you were chosen for this event and what made you the most suitable act?
Well, I’m not actually sure why we were chosen exactly, but our willingness to be flexible to suit the client’s needs certainly helped. The client specifically asked for us to perform a Sigur Ros song and we were happy to accept the challenge.
We’d never performed at an Awards Ceremony before so we were happy to be guided by the client. The organiser of the event, Vanita, outlined exactly what she wanted but was also open to suggestions too. It was really a two-way process.
How did you liaise with the client?
I had an initial consultation on the phone with Vanita and we had a few follow-up emails after that. She was very easy to talk to and she was able to express exactly what she wanted for the event, which made our lives easier.
What preparation did you do before the event?
The rehearsals were fun as we has been asked to create some stings (short extracts of music) for when the award winners would come up on stage. We had to keep these flexible in length depending on how far away from the stage the winner was sitting.
We were also asked to compose an atmospheric procession piece for the end of the ceremony which was also great fun.
What was it like on the day of the event?
We travelled down from the north in two vans and had an opportunity to familiarise ourselves with the set-up and do a soundcheck. The organiser had already sent me a detailed final plan of the event by email, but we chatted through this to check everything was at is should be.
After changing into our black and white attire (to match the Winter Wonderland theme), we opened up with our take on Sigur Ros’ Svefn-G-Englar.
We followed this with two 15-minute sets consisting of Ain’t Nobody, No Diggity, Royals, Upriding, When I’m Alone & The Pretender. We also performed our 5 stings for the award announcements and our procession piece for the finale.
How would you rate the overall experience?
It was first class! The awards were celebrating the participants, the assessors and employers of the Ealing Apprenticeship Network and hearing testimonies and the nomination statements was so inspiring. We felt very honoured to have been given this opportunity to be involved. Being fed Thai curry and cheesecake was a real treat too!
We had such a fun evening. It was different to what we’re used to but an excellent experience all the same. We can’t thank Vanita and the London Borough of Ealing Apprenticeship Network team enough. It was great for us to play at their awards ceremony and to be looked after us so well.
Thanks also to Silk Street for for helping out with the admin side of things.
What other events would you be suitable for?
We now know that Nightjar is suitable for award ceremonies. But we’re also experienced in performing at weddings, birthday parties, charity events and corporate events. We’re very flexible and love to discuss plans. We want to ensure we’re delivering exactly what the client needs.
Event review: It could be you!
Are you an entertainment act and interested in joining the Silk Street roster? Check out Silk Street and get in touch today. You never know, we could be writing an event review of you one day soon!
