5.0 on Google 9-Piece Live Band
Function Band in Manchester
Looking for a band to make your Manchester party one to remember? Brass Monkees are a high-energy 9-piece live band performing across Manchester city centre, Salford, Trafford, Stockport, Bury, Bolton and the wider Greater Manchester area. From city hotels and converted mills to rooftop bars and suburban function rooms, we bring the energy, the professionalism and a dancefloor that stays full until the lights come up.
019 Piece Band
Nine musicians including a three-piece horn section, so your Manchester party gets a proper live band, big enough for a city hotel ballroom or a converted mill.
022 Hours of Live Music
Two hours on stage, split as two 60-minute sets or three of 45 minutes, slotted around the buffet, the toasts and whatever else your night includes.
03No Agency Fees
Book with the band directly and get one price covering the performance and travel anywhere in Greater Manchester. No agent means no added commission.
04Wide Range of Music
Soul, Funk, R&B, Motown and Pop, old and new, so a 40th, a retirement do or a charity ball all get a set that suits the room.
Add strolling horns to welcome guests, an acoustic singer and guitarist for the drinks, or a manned DJ booth to keep going after the last set.
“I’ve never seen so many people on their feet so quickly and people were up dancing all night.”
Sean, 25th anniversary party, RawtenstallA 9-piece party band
MANCHESTER FUNCTION BAND
A nine-piece band with a live horn section, playing your Manchester party from the first song to the last.
Birthdays, anniversaries, engagement parties, sports club dinners, charity balls and Christmas parties: we play them in city-centre hotels and function rooms and out across Greater Manchester, from Didsbury, Chorlton and Salford to Altrincham, Sale, Stockport, Bury and Bolton. The song list covers Soul, Funk, R&B, Motown and Pop, so the classics your parents love sit alongside the songs your friends know every word to.
We read the room as we go. A big hall or a packed bar each needs a different pace, and we adjust the set on the night to keep people dancing. We won at the Manchester and North West England Prestige Awards, we’re rated 5.0 on Google, and nothing we play is on a backing track.
There’s no agency involved: you speak to the band and get one clear price. Add roaming brass in Manchester to welcome guests, an acoustic singer and guitarist for the early part of the night, or our manned DJ booth to finish, all in our event packages. Planning a company event? See our corporate event band page.
Fully Insured
City-centre hotels and event spaces in Manchester usually ask for a band’s paperwork before the night. Our £10 million public liability certificate and PAT test records go straight to your venue, so their events team has everything they need.
Check your dateNo DJ Needed
Our playlist runs from the moment we’ve set up, through the breaks and after the last song, so the music never drops out. To carry the party on later, add a DJ in our manned booth.
See the DJ booth optionPA and Lighting Included
We bring our own sound system and stage lighting and set them to suit the space, from a sports club function room in Bury to a big hotel suite on Deansgate. You don’t need to hire anything else.
View our tech riderSong list
Songs for your Manchester party
Our set covers Soul, Funk, R&B, Motown and Pop, spanning the 1950s to this year’s hits, with live horns on every track. Search for a favourite or browse by decade to see what we play.
- Get Ready60sThe Temptations
- Same Old Song60sFour Tops
- Knock On Wood60sEddie Floyd
- Needle In A Haystack60sThe Velvelettes
- Tears Of A Clown60sSmokey Robinson
- This Old Heart Of Mine60sThe Isley Brothers
- Reet Petite60sJackie Wilson
- Gimme Some Lovin'60sSpencer Davis Group
- Higher and Higher60sJackie Wilson
- Soul Man60sSam & Dave
- In the Midnight Hour60sWilson Pickett
- Jimmy Mack60sMartha Reeves
- Really Saying Something60sThe Velvelettes
- Rescue Me60sFontella Bass
- Heatwave60sMartha and the Vandellas
- Do You Love Me60sThe Contours
- Shout60sLulu
- Hold On, I'm Comin'60sSam & Dave
- Respect60sAretha Franklin
- Dancing in the Street60sMartha and the Vandellas
- I Can't Help Myself60sFour Tops
- Build Me Up Buttercup60sThe Foundations
- I Just Wanna Make Love To You60sEtta James
- Mustang Sally60sWilson Pickett
- Feeling Good60sNina Simone
- It's Not Unusual60sTom Jones
- Brown Eyed Girl60sVan Morrison
- Twist & Shout60sThe Beatles
- Jailhouse Rock60sElvis Presley
- I Got You (I Feel Good)60sJames Brown
- At Last60sEtta James
- My Girl60sThe Temptations
- Ain't No Mountain High Enough60sMarvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
- There's A Ghost In My House60sR. Dean Taylor
- I Saw Her Standing There60sThe Beatles
- I Heard It Through the Grapevine60sMarvin Gaye
- Soul Finger60sThe Bar-Kays
- Tainted Love70sGloria Jones
- Best of My Love70sThe Emotions
- Move On Up70sCurtis Mayfield
- Band of Gold70sFreda Payne
- I Wish70sStevie Wonder
- Signed, Sealed, Delivered70sStevie Wonder
- Sir Duke70sStevie Wonder
- Superstition70sStevie Wonder
- Got to Be Real70sCheryl Lynn
- Use Me70sBill Withers
- Le Freak70sChic
- Boogie Oogie Oogie70sA Taste of Honey
- Shake Your Body70sThe Jacksons
- Let's Stick Together70sBryan Ferry
- September70sEarth, Wind & Fire
- One Step Beyond70sMadness
- Got to Get You Into My Life70sEarth, Wind & Fire
- Nutbush City Limits70sTina Turner
- Get Up Offa That Thing70sJames Brown
- Jackie Wilson Said70sVan Morrison
- Play That Funky Music70sWild Cherry
- Flip, Flop and Fly70sThe Blues Brothers
- Young Hearts Run Free70sCandi Staton
- Let's Stay Together70sAl Green
- Rock with You70sMichael Jackson
- Thinking of You70sSister Sledge
- Boogie Wonderland70sEarth, Wind & Fire
- Red Light Spells Danger70sBilly Ocean
- Son of a Preacher Man70sAretha Franklin
- Memphis Soul Stew70sKing Curtis
- Brown Sugar70sThe Rolling Stones
- I Wanna Be Your Lover70sPrince
- Rock Steady70sAretha Franklin
- Blame It on the Boogie70sThe Jacksons
- Pick Up The Pieces70sAverage White Band
- Let's Groove70sEarth, Wind & Fire
- Soul Power70sJames Brown
- Shake a Tail Feather / Sweet Soul Music80sThe Blues Brothers
- Somebody Else's Guy80sJocelyn Brown
- Never Too Much80sLuther Vandross
- Do I Do80sStevie Wonder
- I Feel for You80sChaka Khan
- Get Down Saturday Night80sOliver Cheatham
- Walking On Sunshine80sKatrina and the Waves
- Everybody Needs Somebody to Love80sThe Blues Brothers
- Geno80sDexys Midnight Runners
- Let's Dance80sDavid Bowie
- Back in Black80sAC/DC
- Proud Mary80sTina Turner
- Shake Everything You've Got80sMaceo Parker
- Pass the Peas80sMaceo Parker
- Sweet Home Chicago80sThe Blues Brothers
- All Night Long80sLionel Richie
- Ain't Nobody80sChaka Khan
- Sledgehammer80sPeter Gabriel
- Baggy Trousers80sMadness
- I'm Coming Out80sDiana Ross
- Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go80sWham!
- Forget Me Nots80sPatrice Rushen
- Dream Come True90sThe Brand New Heavies
- Midnight at the Oasis90sThe Brand New Heavies
- Always There90sIncognito
- Ride in the Sky90sThe Brand New Heavies
- Hard To Handle90sThe Commitments
- I Don't Want to Miss a Thing90sAerosmith
- Smooth90sSantana
- Talkin' Loud90sIncognito
- Groove Is in the Heart90sDeee-Lite
- Relight My Fire90sTake That
- So I Got To Groove90sTower Of Power
- Mr Pitiful90sThe Commitments
- Who Do You Think You Are90sSpice Girls
- No Scrubs90sTLC
- Parklife90sBlur
- Gypsy Woman90sCrystal Waters
- Canned Heat90sJamiroquai
- Finally90sCeCe Peniston
- Freed From Desire90sGala
- Don't Look Back in Anger90sOasis
- Red Alert90sBasement Jaxx
- Happy00s – TodayPharrell Williams
- Valerie00s – TodayAmy Winehouse
- Rock Your Body00s – TodayJustin Timberlake
- Crazy in Love00s – TodayBeyoncé
- Get Lucky00s – TodayDaft Punk ft. Pharrell Williams
- Uptown Funk00s – TodayMark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars
- Hold My Hand00s – TodayJess Glynne
- The Weekend00s – TodayMichael Gray
- Can't Stop the Feeling00s – TodayJustin Timberlake
- Juice00s – TodayLizzo
- You Got The Love00s – TodayFlorence and the Machine
- Treasure00s – TodayBruno Mars
- Good Luck00s – TodayBasement Jaxx
- Señorita00s – TodayJustin Timberlake
- Forget You00s – TodayCeeLo Green
- That's What I Like00s – TodayBruno Mars
- This Love00s – TodayMaroon 5
- About Damn Time00s – TodayLizzo
- One Kiss00s – TodayCalvin Harris & Dua Lipa
- Levitating00s – TodayDua Lipa
- Murder on the Dance Floor00s – TodaySophie Ellis-Bextor
- Espresso00s – TodaySabrina Carpenter
That song isn't on our list yet, but we're always learning new songs, and we can play any track through our PA. Ask us about it
Got a first dance in mind? Tell us when you enquire
Across Greater Manchester, live function bands tend to start at roughly:
Our nine-piece starts from £2,000 plus travel. You book us directly, so there’s no agent’s commission (often around 20%) on top.
The final figure depends on your date, the venue and how much live music you want.
- The full nine-piece band, on site from 6pm for set-up and soundcheck
- Two hours of live music, as two 60-minute sets or another split
- Our own playlist before, between and after the live sets
- PA system and stage lighting
- £10 million public liability insurance and PAT-tested equipment
Want a DJ to finish the night? Our manned DJ booth is in our event packages.
Of course. Invoices come from Entertainment Monkey Ltd and can be made out to a business, sports club or committee. A 15% deposit and an online booking form secure the date. The final invoice is sent around two weeks out and is due seven days before the event.
Booking a staff party or awards night? Our corporate event band page covers work events.
Soul, Funk, R&B, Motown and Pop, mixing decades-old floor-fillers with current hits, and the horns are live on every song. Have a look at our song list.
Nine: two singers, a rhythm section of drums, bass, guitar and keys, and a horn section of trumpet, trombone and sax.
Yes. We’ll learn it at no charge if it suits our set; otherwise there’s a fee to arrange and rehearse it. Or we can play the recorded version through our PA when the moment comes.
A flat, covered area of roughly 6m × 3m and two 13 amp sockets on separate circuits. City-centre bars and function rooms can be tight, so let us know the space and we’ll tell you what works.
A 3kW PA is standard, and a 5kW PA is available at extra cost for larger halls.
We just need somewhere close to unload our kit and park for the night. Many Manchester city-centre venues have a loading bay or a service entrance, so ask your venue and pass the details on. We’ll arrive around 6pm to load in.
It’s your call, but we’d recommend no earlier than 8:30–9pm, so guests have arrived, eaten and are ready to dance.
Allow at least one hour for set-up and soundcheck. If we’re in the same room as your meal, we’ll set up once the room is free.
All of it, including Manchester city centre, Salford, Didsbury, Chorlton, Stockport, Altrincham, Sale, Bury, Bolton, Rochdale, Oldham and Wigan. Travel is part of your quote.
We also play functions in Cheshire, Liverpool, North Wales, Shropshire and Staffordshire.
Usually not. A limit of about 100 decibels, with the sensor at least 7 metres from the stage, lets the full band play normally. Below that, we can often switch to in-ear monitors and an electronic drum kit.
Check with us before booking, and see our venue sound limiter guide.
Listen
Watch
Showreel MANCHESTER FUNCTION BAND ADDONS
Make your Manchester party more than the main set. Book roaming horns to greet guests, an acoustic singer and guitarist for the early part of the evening, or a manned DJ booth to see the night out, all arranged in one booking with the band.
4-PIECE ROAMING BRASS BAND
Four brass players on the move, playing right among your guests in the bar, the foyer or out on a roof terrace as people arrive.
ACOUSTIC SINGER AND GUITARIST
Live acoustic songs while guests have a drink and something to eat, easy to chat over and worth listening to.
MANNED DJ BOOTH
When the band’s last set ends, our DJ keeps people dancing, and can add live sax and vocals over the top.
Arrivals to last song
Your Manchester party, start to finish
From a 50th in a Didsbury function room to a charity ball in the city centre, we can cover the music for the whole night or just the part you need. Here’s how a full evening with us usually goes.
Roaming Brass
Four roaming horns greet guests at the door and get the night off to a lively start.
More infoAcoustic Singer and Guitarist
Relaxed live songs while people grab a drink and catch up.
More infoBackground Music
Acoustic songs or a playlist picked for you, kept low during food and any speeches.
See packagesThe 9-Piece Band
Two hours of the full nine-piece playing Soul, Funk, R&B, Motown and Pop, horns and all.
Hear the bandManned DJ Booth
Add it to your booking and a DJ takes over after our final set and plays until the end.
See packagesReviews
Function band reviews
A New Year’s Eve event, a 25th anniversary and a 60th birthday: what the people who booked us said once the party was over.
I booked Brass Monkees for our New Years Eve event and I was Absolutely made up with their performance. From beginning to end they were professional and easy to deal with.
Their performance was phenomenal and we had so many people calling, emailing and telling us how fantastic they were and how they had made New Year’s Eve one to remember! I could not recommend them enough.
Absolute pleasure to work with- thank you Brass Monkees and keep on doing what you do!
Brass Monkee's recently performed at our 25th anniversary party. They were absolutely sensational! I cannot recommend them enough. In the run up to the event they were super helpful, organised and made the whole process incredibly easy.
The quality of the music was amazing, I've never seen so many people on their feet so quickly and people were up dancing all night. Every one of our guests commented on how good they were and many said it's the best band they've seen at an event.
Thanks for making a special event even more special.
Seriously, if you are thinking of booking these guys for your event - stop thinking about it and just do it!
I had Brass Monkees for my 60th Birthday in Knutsford at the courthouse. They were absolutely amazing. They got everyone up on the dance floor with absolutely no effort, because they are so good. They play all kinds of music.
I was inundated with messages after my party saying it was one of the best parties they have been to. That was nothing to do with me. All down to the Brass Monkees.
Areas we cover
Function band locations we cover
We cover the whole of Greater Manchester, from the city centre and Salford out to Stockport, Altrincham, Bury and Bolton, and play parties across the rest of the North West, North Wales and the Midlands too. Pick your area below.
A FUNCTION BAND FOR MANCHESTER PARTIES
City centre to the suburbs
Manchester parties come in all shapes: a 40th in a city-centre hotel suite, a New Year’s Eve night, an engagement party in a converted mill, a rugby or cricket club dinner in Sale or Bury, or a charity ball for a few hundred guests. Whatever the occasion, people want a band that fills the dancefloor, and nine musicians with live horns do exactly that.
We play right across Greater Manchester, from Salford Quays and Didsbury to Stockport, Altrincham, Rochdale and Wigan, and travel is always part of the quote.
BOOKING A FUNCTION BAND IN MANCHESTER
Date, quote, deposit
Tell us your date and venue and we’ll check availability and send a quote. A signed booking form and a 15% deposit secure the night. Your final invoice comes about two weeks before, and the balance is due seven days before the party.
In the run-up we’ll confirm timings, parking and load-in with you and the venue, and send over our insurance and PAT certificates. Clubs, societies and businesses can be invoiced directly, and work events have their own corporate event band page.
THE BAND AND KIT FOR MANCHESTER VENUES
Ballrooms to bar rooms
Two lead singers, drums, bass, guitar, keys, trumpet, trombone and sax: nine of us in all. Our PA and lighting come with us, with a 3kW system for most rooms and a 5kW system for large halls. We ask for an area of about 6m by 3m, and if your city-centre function room is smaller, just tell us and we’ll work it out.
Greet guests with our roaming brass band, book an acoustic singer and guitarist for earlier in the evening, or add the manned DJ booth for the end of the night. See our packages, and if your venue has a limiter, our sound limiter guide explains what we need.
A SET THAT FOLLOWS THE DANCEFLOOR
Reading the room
We don’t play a fixed list. Soul, Funk, R&B, Motown and Pop give us plenty to work with, and we change the order on the night depending on who’s dancing, so a room of old friends and a room of work colleagues each get the right set.
"Their performance was phenomenal and we had so many people calling, emailing and telling us how fantastic they were." Nicola Denise Gow
Want a particular song for someone special? Let us know, and browse our full song list.