24 NOVEMBER 2020 (Updated 6 SEPTEMBER 2022)
Blog post by Adam Southall
Estimated read time: 4 minutes
At FixTheMusic, we’ve noticed several trends for wedding bands that have developed over the last few years.
Gone are the days when an off-key vocalist would croon over dodgy backing tracks, blasting out Stevie Wonder and Abba (to do these two incredible artists no disrespect).
Over the years at FixTheMusic, we have provided musical entertainment for several thousand weddings throughout the UK and Europe, especially in France, Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal.
Several key trends have emerged in wedding entertainment, especially where clients are looking to provide something a bit more unique than standard pop covers.
Wedding bands have become much more sophisticated and professional, offering a range of genres to a very high standard.
The best wedding bands will have invested time and money in high-quality promotional material as well as live videos which showcase exactly how the band will look and sound on your wedding day.
Wedding bands on FixTheMusic have public liability insurance and PAT tested equipment.
So without further ado, here are the 4 hottest trends for live wedding music in 2023, based on bookings on FixTheMusic and the huge diversity of professional cover bands on FixTheMusic.
2023 promises to be a big year for these popular trends so let’s take a look at them in more detail.
1. DJ, Sax & Drums
From the trend-setting clubs of Ibiza came this concept in recent years. Primarily based on classic and modern house, the music combines a live DJ with amplified saxophone and sometimes live percussion, e.g. a bongo player.
It’s not just the house genre and its variants that benefit from this instrumental treatment. Pop and rock covers can be given a modern twist with this combination.
It’s a particularly dynamic and spectacular set-up, allowing for the sax and bongo player to roam amongst your guests as they accompany the DJ’s beats.
You can read our blog post about this wedding music trend → DJ, sax and drums – the hottest trend in live music right now.
FixTheMusic has several of these bands who regularly perform at weddings and events throughout Europe.
Examples include Mixology Sax & DJ, Glow Stix, Trapstars and Fusion Girls.
Have a look at some videos of these groups performing live…
View more videos and read verified reviews of Fusion Girls ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of PYT ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of DJ+Sax+Drums ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of Sunset Beats ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of Trapstars ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of Glow Stix ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of The Club Collective ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of DJ Lenny ➡️
2. Roaming Bands
A roaming band provides something truly unique at weddings and events as the musicians move between guests and interact with the crowd.
Most roaming bands are acoustic so more suitable for intimate events like small weddings or parties but some roaming bands (e.g. NOMAD) are wirelessly amplified and able to provide high-energy pop and rock covers for dancing.
In NOMAD’s case, the lead singer uses a wireless mic of course. Backing vocals are provided by the other band members via headsets.
Instruments-wise, guitar and bass are plugged into wireless battery packs and the drums are provided by a very nifty wheeled cajon.
We have several outstanding roaming bands on FixTheMusic who perform at weddings in the UK and worldwide.
Examples include NOMAD Lite, Wandering Three, The London Roaming Band and The Free Roamers.
Have a look at some videos of these groups performing live…
View more videos and read verified reviews of NOMAD ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of Wandering Three ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of The Free Roamers ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of Roaming Beats ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of The City Roamers ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of NOMAD Lite ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of The Manhattan Roamers ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of The Ferrymen ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of Men Of The Road ➡️
3. Mumford & Sons style weddings bands
Mumford & Sons style wedding bands are still as popular as ever and certainly provide something a bit different for the musical entertainment.
They create a rustic and folky vibe which is highly suitable for wedding venues like barns and country houses, as well as outdoor weddings or tipi weddings.
Usually such bands will perform their first set acoustically, adding the folky vibe with a banjo, or maybe even a violin.
So the first set will feature popular rock and chart music delivered in this Mumford style.
For their second set, many of these bands offer a fully electric set to get guests onto the dance floor.
The band will usually dress a la Mumford & Sons attire to complete the spectacle.
We have several of this type of wedding band who perform at weddings in the UK and worldwide.
Examples include The Hot Gates, The Scene and The Caves.
Have a look at some videos of these groups performing live…
View more videos and read verified reviews of The Mustangs ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of Wandering Three ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of The Hot Gates ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of Harvest Kings ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of The Caves ➡️
4. Wedding bands with male vocals
We have certainly noticed that most wedding clients prefer a male singer. While it’s not certain why this is the case, it’s a trend that has kept its popularity right into 2023.
It could be that clients are looking to recreate the sound of all-male bands, or the type of music that lends itself more to male vocals rather than female, arguably classic indie pop/rock from the 90s and 2000s.
Either way, there’s no great need to analyse why this is the case, and there are probably several factors at play here.
FixTheMusic has several outstanding and popular female-fronted wedding bands, but they are certainly outnumbered by male-led groups.
Examples of our popular male-led wedding bands include Scintillate, Hot Swing, Up The Ante, The Manhattans and The Score.
Have a look at some videos of these groups performing live…
View more videos and read verified reviews of Scintillate ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of Mashup Kings ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of Hot Swing ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of The Moonlighters ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of The Vitals ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of The Manhattans ➡️
View more videos and read verified reviews of The Score ➡️
— Adam is a co-founder of FixTheMusic and works on everything from copywriting and marketing to design and user experience. He studied Music at Cambridge University. Adam is a keen pianist, and also learned cello and trumpet from an early age.
