Reviews

Hi Mike, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to write to you but we had a pretty long honeymoon and since we've been back it has been non-stop really! Thank you so much for the wonderful music you played at our wedding. Your band was just fantastic, more than we could have hoped for and you really made the evening part of the reception fun and vibrant. We had so many compliments about your band, my brother-in-law even said he preferred you guys to the band he had at his wedding, although I wasn't allowed to tell my sister that! What I really loved most was that you were are very relaxed and friendly and that helped the vibe so that people could just have a great time dancing. I also was so happy when you played "Sing Sing Sing" and "In The Mood" as these are songs that I love and really wanted to hear but as you were in your 7-piece format I hadn't expected to hear them at all. I remember being at the cheeseboard on the other side of the marquee and hearing the drums start up for Sing Sing Sing and I just dropped everything and ran onto the dancefloor! Thank you so much once again.

I am delighted with how everything went in booking Down for the Count. The evening was an outstanding success in big part thanks to the Band. They were professional (and SO YOUNG!), courteous, great sound and combination of sets, and kept the floor full for most of the night - I really can't praise them more highly and the feedback both on the night and since has been ALL positive. We had used another band on our first Ball who were very good and I was slightly concerned that we couldn't match it - but Down for the Count over-delivered and I will definitely consider booking them again. Thank you all for helping to create a superb evening - I think a sign of a great event is when the band also has a good time, and I'm pretty certain that a good time was had by all at The Enigma Ball.

Oh, we do hope you enjoyed last Friday nearly as much as we did! Rosalind and Oliver had such a special time, which in no small part was down to you. Firstly with the lovely, dignified ceremony music, then the happy atmospheric quartet (and they loved the Louis Armstrong number) and that magnificent evening entertainment. There were people there we had known for thirty years and had never seen dance before! And the new Grandma had to go and fix her mascara after “Georgia On My Mind”. You all made it feel so special, and though you have moved on to the next events already, we hope you know that when “The Get Downs” are mentioned, it will bring on happy grins in the new Lambert family for at least the next forty years! All good wishes.

We hunted high and low for a band with a broad repertoire, high quality vocals and instrumentals. None quite matched up to The Get Downs. We found it very scary hiring a live band - if it went well, it would be amazing and so much better than a DJ, but if they were late, too loud, not up to scratch the whole day could be ruined. From our first enquiry through many follow-up requests Mike was helpful and efficient every step of the way. He also managed to liase with me, the bride, and my Mum, keeping secrets where appropriate! Our wedding wasn't until 4pm, so our guests had plenty of time to get there and get ready. We also had plenty of time to get ready, which was great for the bride and bridesmaid, but allowed the groom to get a little nervous about his speech and our first dance. Our guests assembled from around 3.30pm with Mike playing a selection of romantic songs from our favourite musicals on the keyboard. Before we knew it 4pm had arrived and the bride entered to "The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba" which everyone felt was very appropriate! The ceremony flew by, we hardly heard our vows, as we were concentrating so hard on what we were saying. Mike played "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring" and "Ave Maria" while we signed the register, which was wonderfully calming. Once the ceremony was complete we made our way outside to Handel's "La Réjouissance". I'd like to say we remember that bit but we were a bit overwhelmed by that point. However after a quick sprint Mike joined his bandmates in the next room, to play a favourite of the mother of the bride, Louis Armstrong's jazz version of "Here Comes the Bride" from the film "High Society". This was secret Mike had kept from the bride, and a very lovely surprise it was too. The jazz band continued to play as we drank champagne and had photographs taken in the sunshine. After dinner the rest of the group had assembled to form the full 9-piece function band and we were ready for our first dance, "The Way You Make Me Feel', specially arranged and learnt at our request. This was the most nerve-racking part of the day, as we had practised with the recorded version but obvioulsy hadn't heard the band. Their performance was spot on and kept to just three minutes, as requested. The original is over five minutes and therefore far too long to keep dancing for! The dancing continued all evening, with a bit of something for everyone, including a few current songs on our iPod while the band took their breaks. The dancefloor was heaving all night and everyone enjoyed the music immensely. They wrapped our evening up for us with a final dance of "Rock With You", after which we left everyone else to dance a little longer, and we headed down the road in a personalised London taxi! A huge thanks to everyone in The Get Downs, especially Mike. We hope you choose to invite them to perform at your wedding - whichever part of the day you want them for, we know they can cover whatever you might want, just as they did for us!

The Get Downs gave a great performance at the RAF Christmas Party. The arrangements for the band all went very smoothly, and the show on the night was first rate - the band even agreed to perform an additional set at short notice. They were virtually held hostage by the crowd until the end of their third encore! I’d have absolutely no hesitation in booking them again.

The band was fantastic - a great centrepiece for the evening reception! Excellent style and lots of fun for all generations. Four months on and we still hear a lot of praise for the band from all our guests. The logistics also worked perfectly, which is ever so important on the day. We would highly recommend them!

Dear Mike, We're just back from our honeymoon and I wanted to say a big thank you to the band for such an amazing performance. Sorry I didn't get to say much on the night, as you can imagine it was a bit hectic! Your performance was perfect, I couldn't have imagined anything better, you were extremely professional and the music and singing was incredible - a beautiful entertainment group that completed a perfect evening. Thanks again, and please say a big thank you to everyone in the band.

Dear Mike, When I heard about you, a jazz, Rat Pack and soul band made up from former AGS and AHS pupils, I just knew you were perfect for our Ball to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Aylesbury High School. Now we are here on Monday after the Ball, I have to tell you how many people have contacted me to let me know how WONDERFUL Down for the Count were. You were professional, smart and above all flexible! You changed from a jazz quintet to greet our guests as they sipped champagne, to the full function band to dance to after the dinner. And dance! I have never seen a dance floor more packed for the whole evening. Everyone loved dancing to the Rat Pack set - so sophisticated! The soul set was perfect to dance to the end of the evening. You may have heard that no-one was prepared to let you off the stage - the "encores" could be heard in the next county! So a very big thank you from us all at AHS - you made the evening.

Hi Mike, Just a short email to say how much we enjoyed having The Get Downs at our party on Saturday. You were absolutely fantastic. Very nice people, very smartly dressed, very well organised and flexible, and you even learnt a song that we requested! We were so happy with the band and would thoroughly recommend you to anyone. You were absolutely great. Thanks very much.

Hi Mike, I just wanted to drop you a quick email to thank you and your band members for the excellent music we received for my special birthday celebration dinner on 7th November at the Carriage House Restaurant. Without exception, all my guests were impressed with the quality and professionalism of your band. I have received lots of compliments - all of which you certainly deserve. The evening went without a hitch and we could have all danced on for hours and hours!! My thanks again for helping to make the musical entertainment part of a memorable evening. I will certainly recommend you to anyone who is looking for high quality music for a special event.

Hi Mike Thank you for Saturday, Kate and Michael said when they returned from church it was just idyllic to hear you playing.

Thank you so much to you both for making it a truly special party on Saturday. Stuart and I really appreciated how hard you both worked to produce such a relaxing and perfectly pitched atmosphere.

Hi Mike, After our wedding last week we wanted to write to thank you and the band for your fantastic performance. We both had a brilliant day, as did our guests, and The Get Downs were a vital part of it, creating the perfect atmosphere. All three of the sets were spot on and really kept the night buzzing right through to the end of the party. So many people have commented on how much they loved both the music and the dancing and it will certainly live long in our memories. Thanks also for letting us plug in our laptop, use your mics and for being so accommodating and flexible with our timings for the evening which went a bit off schedule. Thanks again for helping to make our wedding party so special.

Well, what a fabulous evening!! Thank you so much for making the party so enjoyable. All of our friends had a great time and several said "it was the best party ever"! They especially liked the music and were impressed by your repertoire and talent. We loved the jazz sets and I am sure you all noticed how many people were dancing to the soul set. Please pass on our thanks to the band and especially to you for your hard work and energy - you should get some follow on gigs from the rave comments I heard.

Dear Mike, Sarah and Jami are, of course, on honeymoon. However I couldn't wait until they return to send our own thank-you for your fantastic music at our daughter's wedding last Saturday. You were absolutely perfect and really hit the spot getting all ages on the floor - from age four to ninety! We will highly recommend you.