5.0 on Google 9-Piece Live Band
Function Band in Staffordshire
Need a band for a party in Staffordshire? Brass Monkees are a 9-piece live band with trumpet, trombone and sax, playing birthdays, anniversaries, balls and club dinners in Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford, Lichfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Leek, Burton upon Trent and Tamworth. From country hotels and golf clubs to halls and marquees, we bring a big live sound and keep people dancing until the end.
019 Piece Band
Two lead vocalists, drums, bass, guitar and keys, plus trumpet, trombone and sax: a full nine-piece that suits a hotel ballroom in Stoke, a golf club or a marquee.
022 Hours of Live Music
Two hours on stage in two 60-minute or three 45-minute sets, timed around your buffet, speeches and the rest of the night.
03No Agency Fees
There’s no agent involved and no commission to pay. Your price covers the band and travel to any venue in Staffordshire.
04Wide Range of Music
Soul, Funk, R&B, Motown and Pop, with decades of floor-fillers and current hits, so the whole room has something to dance to.
Book roaming horns for guests arriving, an acoustic singer and guitarist over drinks, or a manned DJ booth after the band.
“I was inundated with messages after my party saying it was one of the best parties they have been to.”
Debbie Yardley, 60th birthday, KnutsfordA 9-piece party band
STAFFORDSHIRE FUNCTION BAND
Nine musicians and a live horn section, ready to give your Staffordshire party a proper soundtrack.
We play birthdays, anniversaries, summer parties, charity balls, Christmas parties and club dinners all over the county: in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stafford and Stone, Lichfield and Tamworth, Burton upon Trent, Uttoxeter and Cannock, and up into the Moorlands around Leek. The song list takes in Soul, Funk, R&B, Motown and Pop, mixing the songs your parents love with the ones your friends know by heart.
We plan the night with you, then adjust the set as we go so the dancefloor stays busy. We’re winners at the Manchester and North West England Prestige Awards, rated 5.0 on Google, and every song is played live, never to a backing track.
You book with the band directly and get one clear price including travel. Add roaming brass in Staffordshire to welcome guests, an acoustic singer and guitarist for the drinks, or our manned DJ booth to round off the night, all in our event packages. Arranging a company do? See our corporate event band page.
Fully Insured
Hotels, sports clubs and event halls across Staffordshire normally ask for proof of insurance. Ours is £10 million public liability, our equipment is PAT tested, and we send copies of both to the venue well before the night.
Check your dateNo DJ Needed
There’s always music playing: our playlist covers the time before the band, the break between sets and after we finish. Add our manned DJ booth for a later finish.
See the DJ booth optionPA and Lighting Included
Our own PA and stage lights come with us and are set to suit the room, from a function suite in Stoke to a country hotel near Lichfield or a marquee in the Moorlands. There’s nothing else to hire.
View our tech riderSong list
Our set for your Staffordshire party
Live horns on Soul, Funk, R&B, Motown and Pop, with songs from every decade since the 1950s. Search for a song you love, or work through the list decade by decade.
- 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
For a party in Staffordshire, live function bands typically start from:
Our nine-piece band is from £2,000 plus travel. Because you’re dealing with us and not an agency, there’s no commission of around 20% on top.
The exact cost depends on the date, the venue and how much live music you’d like.
- The nine-piece band, arriving from 6pm to set up and soundcheck
- Two hours of live music, in whichever format works best
- Our playlist through the PA around the live sets
- Our PA and stage lighting
- £10 million public liability insurance and PAT-tested equipment
For a DJ after the band, see the manned DJ booth in our event packages.
Yes. We trade as Entertainment Monkey Ltd and can invoice a business, sports club, social club or charity committee. A 15% deposit and the online booking form confirm your date. The final invoice is emailed about two weeks before, and the balance is due seven days before the party.
Booking for your workplace? Our corporate event band page covers it.
Soul, Funk, R&B, Motown and Pop: classic floor-fillers from the 1950s onwards alongside the latest hits, with live horns throughout. Take a look at our song list.
Nine. Two singers, drums, bass, guitar and keys, and a horn section of trumpet, trombone and sax.
We’d love to. Songs that suit our set are learned free; others carry a fee for arranging and rehearsing. We can also play the recording through the PA at the right moment.
A flat, covered area about 6m × 3m and two 13 amp sockets on separate circuits. Social clubs and function rooms vary in size, so send us the details if space is tight and we’ll advise.
We use a 3kW PA as standard, or a 5kW PA for larger halls at extra cost.
Generally around 6pm. If we’re playing in another room from your meal, we set up right away; in the same room, we set up once the tables are cleared.
Whatever suits your plan, though we’d say 8:30–9pm at the earliest, so people have arrived and eaten and the dancing builds naturally.
A minimum of an hour for set-up and soundcheck, plus a few minutes to change.
The whole county, including Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stafford, Stone, Lichfield, Tamworth, Burton upon Trent, Uttoxeter, Cannock, Rugeley, Leek and the Staffordshire Moorlands. Travel is in your quote.
We also play functions in Cheshire, Liverpool, Manchester, North Wales and Shropshire.
In most cases. With the limit at about 100 decibels and the sensor 7 metres or more from the band, we play as normal. If it’s lower, we can often use in-ear monitors and an electronic drum kit.
Get in touch before booking, and read our sound limiter guide.
Listen
Watch
Showreel STAFFORDSHIRE FUNCTION BAND ADDONS
There’s more to a Staffordshire party than the main sets. Book roaming horns to meet guests, an acoustic singer and guitarist during drinks, or a manned DJ booth for after the band, all alongside your band booking.
4-PIECE ROAMING BRASS BAND
Four horn players moving through your guests at the door, in the bar or out in the garden as the party begins.
ACOUSTIC SINGER AND GUITARIST
A singer and guitar for the opening hour: relaxed songs while people mingle and eat.
MANNED DJ BOOTH
When we finish, our DJ keeps the music going, with the option of live sax and vocals over the top.
Arrivals to last song
Your Staffordshire party, the whole night
From a 50th in Stafford to a charity ball near Lichfield or a club dinner in Burton, we can cover the music for the entire evening or just the part you need. A full night usually looks like this.
Roaming Brass
Roaming horns greet everyone as they come in and get the party started.
More infoAcoustic Singer and Guitarist
Laid-back acoustic songs for the first drinks of the evening.
More infoBackground Music
Acoustic music or a playlist chosen for you, kept low over dinner.
See packagesThe 9-Piece Band
Two hours of the nine-piece with horns: Soul, Funk, R&B, Motown and Pop.
Hear the bandManned DJ Booth
The DJ takes over after the last song and plays until the end.
See packagesReviews
Function band reviews
A 60th birthday, a silver wedding anniversary and a summer party: here’s what the people who booked us said about their night.
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.
We just wanted to say a huge thank you for making our silver wedding anniversary party so special last Saturday.
Everyone remarked on how good a party it was and I think that was a large part down to you. The atmosphere was really good and people were enjoying themselves. I couldn't have asked for anything more!!
Brass Monkees played at our Summer Party on Saturday after coming highly recommended to us and they certainly didn't disappoint! The band were full of energy and the dance floor was buzzing all evening.
We've had so many great comments from everyone, they really helped to make the party a big success. A great combination of songs and a really great touch coming out into the crowd, standing on chairs to play their instruments, fabulous!
Areas we cover
Function band locations we cover
We play parties all over Staffordshire, from Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme to Stafford, Lichfield, Tamworth and Burton, and across the North West, North Wales and the rest of the Midlands too. Choose your area below.
A FUNCTION BAND FOR STAFFORDSHIRE PARTIES
Potteries to the Moorlands
Staffordshire parties are as varied as the county: a 60th in a Stoke hotel, an anniversary in a Lichfield function room, a summer party in a Moorlands marquee, a charity ball near Stafford or a club dinner in Burton. Whatever you’re celebrating, nine musicians with live horns bring the energy a big night needs.
We cover the whole county, from Leek and Biddulph in the north to Tamworth and Burton upon Trent in the east, with travel included in every quote.
BOOKING A STAFFORDSHIRE FUNCTION BAND
From quote to confirmed
Give us your date and venue and we’ll tell you if we’re free and what it’ll cost. Sign the booking form online and pay a 15% deposit to secure the date. The final invoice comes about two weeks before, due seven days before the party.
In the run-up, we agree timings and access with you and the venue and send them our insurance and PAT certificates. Clubs, companies and charities can be invoiced directly, and our corporate event band page covers work events.
BAND AND KIT FOR STAFFORDSHIRE VENUES
Clubs, hotels and halls
There are nine of us: two lead singers, drums, bass, guitar, keys, trumpet, trombone and sax. We bring our own PA and stage lighting, with a 3kW system for most rooms and a 5kW system for large halls and marquees. We need roughly 6m by 3m, and if your social club or function room is smaller, tell us and we’ll work out how to fit.
Add our roaming brass band for arrivals, an acoustic singer and guitarist for the drinks, or the manned DJ booth to finish. See our packages, and our sound limiter guide if your venue has one.
SONGS FOR EVERYONE AT THE PARTY
A set for the whole room
Our set runs through Soul, Funk, R&B, Motown and Pop, from Motown classics to recent hits, so every age group has songs to dance to. We change the order on the night to keep the dancefloor full.
"The band were full of energy and the dance floor was buzzing all evening." Sonia Senior
Want a particular song for the guest of honour? Let us know, and have a look at our full song list.