Reviews

Hi Mike, a big thank you to you and the band for Friday. Everyone mentioned how amazing you were!

The band was fantastic, I really enjoyed them and the feed back I got from other people was the same. I will keep them in mind for next year depending on what we decide to do.

Dear Mike et al, Thank you all so very much for such wonderful entertainment last night. Everyone commented on how brilliant you all were, you made the party a night to remember for us. Hope everyone had enough food and drink etc and that there were no problems on the night for you, and you all got home safely. Will be handing out your card to everyone.

The Get Downs were absolutely amazing and were instrumental in making our evening unforgettable. We had a Great Gatsby theme in a lovely marquee and the band ensured their choice of music fitted in perfectly with the theme - swing and Rat Pack. The singer was sensational and the whole band looked great. My dad was at the opening of Ronnie Scott's in London and even he was bowled over by the band - he thought their music was divine. I would highly recommend the band.

  We got married in the summer of 2012 and hired The Get Downs Lite for our wedding day. Before going into more detail, to summarise, we were absolutely thrilled to have The Get Downs Lite play at our wedding. We thought they did a fantastic job and really helped to make our wedding day so special. We have received so my compliments about the band. Now for a little more detail...

Choosing The Get Downs Lite

We found Mike Paul-Smith Music through internet searches which are a little daunting as they are a step into the unknown. However, Mike’s (the band leader) communication was amazing from the outset. He discussed configurations, set list and prices. Other bands we researched just did not seem to have that level of professionalism, versatility in music and customer focus that Mike Paul-Smith Music have in abundance. Their website is also fully representative of their ability. How they sound in their videos is how they sound in real life. We just did not get that level of comfort from other bands we looked at. We were even fortunate enough to see the band perform in a South London bar. This made the decision for us very easy as they performed so well and were very approachable and friendly in person. Mike’s care and attention deserves special merit. Every time we called or emailed we got a near instant response. He was happy to discuss any idea and answer any question swiftly. No other wedding supplier was so helpful, fast and diligent. Mike was also excellent when dealing with the venue. We wanted the 7-piece configuration of the band, but are venue had a rule that restricted bands to 5-pieces. Mike was pro-active and helpful by speaking with the reception venue coordinator and negotiated for us to have the 6-piece as a compromise. This was a relief and it was great to be able to rely upon them for this.

The Big Day

For our first dance, we wanted the Swing number ‘Sing, Sing, Sing’. This was not in the band’s original repertoire for a 6 piece. However, they were happy to accomodate us and even sent us a recording of the song before the wedding. In terms of the set play list: the song selection was full of energy and well balanced. Our guests, from young to old, had an amazing time and enjoyed all the songs. We had Swing/big band music to start, followed by soul and Motown classics. Everyone enjoyed themselves because of the enthusiasm, the calibre of singing (thank you Nicky, you have an amazing voice, remarkably suited to such a wide range of genres) and the standard of the musicians. The bands also brought their own lighting which was ideal (not too much that it overwhelmed the room, but enough to create a fabulous atmosphere). Another great benefit of The Get Downs Lite is the "auto-DJ service". You choose the music you want to be played once the band’s set have finished. Many other bands try to charge you extra for a DJ, but the band do this as a free extra for 30 minutes after their performance. In addition to excellent communication, we really appreciated the bands flexibility on various issues. From the song list to facilities, and set running times to food, they were extremely accommodating. Even when we wanted to delay the second set to accommodate some timing changes on the day, this was done with no fuss. The biggest compliment of all and testament to their quality was the fact that our dancefloor was constantly packed throughout the night until the very end. We have heard it said from several friends that "they had never seen a Bride dance so much". Anyone who organises a wedding knows how many things there are to do. Mike Paul-Smith Music really took the stress out of hiring a band and did an amazing job. What makes Mike Paul-Smith Music stand out form other bands? 3 things: 1. Talented singers and musicians 2. Professionalism and lovely people to deal with 3. Excellent value We could not be happier. Thank you.

Not knowing at all where to start planning a wedding, I asked friends for recommendations on everything from florists to dresses to wedding music. A friend of ours, who wouldn't mind me saying is quite tough to please, unreservedly recommended The Get Downs and said that at his wedding, even if everything else had gone wrong (which thankfully it didn't!), it would have been a fantastic day just for having The Get Downs perform. So off we went to their Christmas Concert and booked right up. Right from the start, Mike treated us as friends and went out of his way in many ways to help make sure everything was just right and 'us' - and it absolutely was! The band are wonderfully professional and on such a busy day it was great to know we could just trust them to sort everything and they blew everyone away! We had a good number of professional musicians in our midsts and all said how brilliant the band was and how much they'd enjoyed the music - praise indeed! It's a lot of responsibility to make a recommendation of any kind for someone else's wedding but I am enthusiastically following my friend's lead and recommending The Get Downs all over the show!

Hi Mike, Huge apologies for taking so long to write to you...time has simply flown past since the wedding and now, on Wednesday morning, we finally leave the UK. Thank you. Thank you all so, so much for providing such brilliant music and entertainment! I loved every single moment, and though I wasn't there dancing all the time, I was listening everywhere I went. I was disappointed that more people weren't up and dancing, however I have since found out that Dan put the Olympics on. Had I gave known about this I'd have turned the TV off! However, given that it turned out to be the biggest night for GB I guess I can let him off... We have decided that we will have a party for our tenth anniversary. I'm working on Dan because I actually want one a lot sooner than this and will, without a doubt, want you guys to be there again. We had so many compliments about the music played and each time I did manage to get in the dance floor I had the best time! Take care.

Dear Mike, Many thanks for the amazing set on our wedding day. Honestly we had a blast and so did all of our guests. We could not stop talking about how fabulous you all were. A very special thank you from Paul and I for learning our first dance, it was truly beautiful. Best Wishes and thanks again.

Well what can we say? Outstanding! Thank you so much for your performance on Saturday. Guests would come up and say "where did you find the band?". You played your socks off, and made the occasion a truly memorable one. We had a wonderful time, hope you enjoyed yourselves too. We’ll send photos of you all in due course.

Down for the Count were absolutely fantastic, in fact I have to say they are probably the best live swing band I have seen. They were very accommodating and good fun before and after the evening.

Hi Mike, Thanks for your time on Saturday. You guys were excellent! Both our guests and staff members really enjoyed your sets. I should also note I have passed on your contact details to our Alumni team too, they already have a bands and entertainment on their books, but it’s always good to promote reliable suppliers internally. I of course will keep your details on file for any other MBA events, and should my colleagues ask about any great bands!

Dear Mike, We thought that we must get in contact to thank each and every one of you for the performance which you gave to us last Sunday evening at Charlotte and Ian's wedding event. It was very evident as soon as you started to play and sing that you would notch up the atmosphere to another level. Everyone was soon on the dancefloor "strutting their stuff". What was even more remarkable was the age range of people motivated to "get up and boogie". Babes in arms being held by their mother all the way through to grans in their eighties were dancing away on the dancefloor. What was particularly remarkable was the fact that you kept them there for song after song. The way that you linked in one song after the other went a long way to keeping the atmosphere going throughout the evening. Thanks also for the interaction you had with the guests, both when making requests and with the encore which you gave. It was obvious that the audience didn't want you to stop! We've had so many complimentary comments from people attending the event about how you made their evening. One auntie of the bride said that it was the best party she'd ever been to, in no small part down to the performance which you gave. Once again, many thanks for all that you all did on the night and for the advice you gave to Charlotte and Ian in the the days leading up to their special day. Kind Regards.

Hi Mike - just wanted to drop you a quick line from Mauritius to say thank you to you and the entire band for being so fantastic on Saturday. Everybody was raving about you and we loved our first dance bring performed live. Made a special day that much more magic. Thanks again - and I'll be sure to recommend you in the future.

Hi Mike, I hope you are well. Please forgive the delay in writing this email but the aftermath of the ball seems to involve just as much work as the preparation! Anyway I am finally writing to say a massive ‘THANK YOU!!’ for, well basically, being AMAZING at The Killer Heels Charity Ball! I've had so many compliments about your fantastic music. You all played every song with such energy and enthusiasm, the dance floor was jam-packed the whole time!! Your enthusiasm was infectious and your music suited guests of all ages, thank you also for being so flexible when the auction ran over - I simply could not have picked a better band!! I have been telling everybody about you guys - I'm contemplating organising another ball just so I have a reason to book you again! In the meantime I shall have to make do with your two CD's that I have just ordered on your website! The whole event went without a hitch and was a roaring success. Eynsham Hall were brilliant and ensured that the event ran smoothly and that the delicious food was served promptly despite my interruptions with 2 raffles and the auction! Both the raffles and the auction were a huge success and raised £2,475 between them! Ticket sales along with some other donations has meant that the total raised for my chosen charity Ovacome was over £6,000! This amazing sum exceeded my expectations by far! Our local TV company, Witney TV, joined us on the night to make a short film about the event - http://www.witneytv.co.uk/videos/killer-heels-ball I really cannot Thank You enough for making it such a fabulous night. You're all such energetic young musicians and very professional to deal with, it was an absolute pleasure working with you. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

Hi Mike, We would like to say a massive thank you to you and the rest of Down for the Count for your fantastic music on Saturday. We received compliment after compliment from our guests about the choice of band and we are thrilled that we booked you. The evening was perfect and everyone very clearly had a great time. We're also fairly certain (the whole evening passed in a bit of a blur) that you adjusted your performance time to accommodate the fact that we were running behind so many thanks for your flexibility. Many thanks for all your hard work. We won't hesitate to recommend you and will be in touch should we ever need to book a band again.