About Ceilidh Twist – professional ceilidh and covers band based in London
Ceilidh Twist are a young & vibrant ceilidh and covers band based in London.
We have the experience to know what makes a great ceilidh!
We have several TV credits to our name, having recently appeared on BBC1 'This Week', E4 'Made in Chelsea', ITV 'TOWIE' and Channel 4 'Gok Wann's Fashion Fix'.
Ceilidh Twist regularly play at destination weddings in Europe and beyond, recently performing in France (4 times), Malta (3 times), Dubai, Portugal, Italy and Jersey.
View our list of the UK's best ceilidh bands ➡️
And we have upcoming weddings in the next year in France (twice more), Rome (again), Majorca, Spain and Tuscany!
We're regularly booked to perform for weddings and events at Castello Orsini in Italy, Sofiero Gard in Sweden, Le Domaine d'Essendiéras in France, Restaurant Merkelbach in Amsterdam and Lincoln's Inn in London, UK.
As possibly the busiest ceilidh band around, Ceilidh Twist are in demand for weddings across Europe as well as the UK! We put a fresh twist on traditional tunes and dances by combining them with a modern, contemporary rhythm that no one can resist dancing to, which is why word of mouth accounts for the majority of our work and we get so many repeat bookings.
View our list of the UK's best ceilidh bands ➡️
We’re highly experienced in traveling for bookings abroad and know how to work with a mixed nationality crowd and to deal with the logistics of a destination wedding!
Our standard band is a 5-piece line-up of Caller, Fiddle, Guitar, Bass Guitar and Drum Kit. But we often play as a smaller ensemble, as a 3 or 4-piece band, particularly for destination weddings and all options work really well!
All of our musicians are full-time, professional players and the members of Ceilidh Twist come from a wide variety of musical backgrounds from Funk to Jazz and Big-Band, Classical to Gospel and Traditional Scottish/Irish music.
We understand that whatever your event, you need a professional, experienced band of the highest quality that take pride in what they do.
So if you're looking to hire the finest ceilidh and covers band London has to offer for your wedding or event, get in touch with Ceilidh Twist.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram 📸
Please check out our website for more information.
Here are just some of the locations where we have been booked by clients on FixTheMusic for weddings and events...
Covers Band
We can now offer a set of pop covers songs in addition to the ceilidh!
We'll start the night off with all of your favourite ceilidh dances, then finish with a set of funked up, Celtic style covers, with a fantastic female vocalist!
Get in touch now to find out more!
Songs
We've hand-selected the best songs to keep your guests on the dance floor all night!
Our covers set-list includes mostly upbeat, modern hits like Uptown Funk, Shake it Off and Crazy In Love with some wedding band classics thrown into the mix including Superstition, Proud Mary and 500 miles!
We have a choice of first dance songs and last songs of the night for you to choose from, or we can learn a special number of your choice!
After ceilidh disco
We can also DJ for you after the ceilidh! Our specially trained DJs will mix the tracks one to another, ensuring there are no gaps between tunes or changes in volume levels.
They'll take requests from guests on the night as well as getting guidance from you in advance.
Our DJ can also bring and play for your first dance song at the start of the night before we kick off the ceilidh and they will make all the necessary announcements during the disco portion of the night!
Do get in touch for more information – we have lots of photos we can send over to give you an idea of what they look like...
"Hi Ali, I just wanted to say thank you for all your help with the ceilidh band for our wedding on Saturday. It was absolutely wonderful and have received so many compliments from my guests. The music was great and the calling was fantastic - you really managed to cater for the absolute beginners and seasoned ceilidh dancers perfectly. I hope all went well from your side and I hope I come across Ceilidh Twist at another event soon! Best wishes."
"We booked Ceilidh Twist to play at our wedding and they were absolutely fantastic. The music was wonderful and the calling was very clear - particularly for our guests who had never done a ceilidh before. All the 'admin' and correspondence leading up to the wedding was smooth, and we received responses very quickly. Highly recommended."
"Dear Ali, We just wanted to drop a note to thank the whole band for doing such a fab job at our wedding at Notley Abbey. Everyone has been saying the ceilidh was amazing and great fun. We had such a wonderful wedding day and now both wish we could re-live it all over again and again. Have a fab Xmas break and please pass on our thanks to the rest of the band. We would recommend them to anyone!"
"Hi Ali, We would like to thank you for the amazing ceilidh at our wedding and we really appreciate the efforts the band made to come to France. It was a fantastic evening and all the guests had great fun, even though most of them didn't know anything about ceilidh before! Thank you very much again and have a nice evening. Kind regards, Isabella and Tristan."
"Ceilidh Twist played at our wedding and were absolutely brilliant! Our guests had a wide range of abilities and ages but the ceilidh was really inclusive. The band and caller really helped to get everyone up on the dance floor. Lots of people commented on how much they enjoyed it! We would recommend them to anyone."
"Lovely people and a great ceilidh band. Really patient with all of the English people who had no clue and fun had by all!"
"Hi Ali, We just wanted to say a massive thank you for everything. The band were amazing and everyone had a great time. Our friends genuinely haven't stopped talking about how much they loved your set and I think you managed to convert quite a few people to Ceilidh music. We would be happy to recommend you guys or give feedback. Thanks again!"
"Absolutely fantastic ceilidh band. We had the pleasure of having Ceilidh Twist play at our wedding. They were amazing! So incredibly talented and good at what they do. From the first initial enquiry I found them lovely, helpful & accommodating. I couldn’t recommend them enough they were wonderful. Thank you so much for making our day extra special."
"Hi Ali, I just wanted to drop you an email to say thank you so much to you and the band for performing at our wedding reception on 9th September. We loved having Ceilidh Twist as part of our wedding celebrations and we've had so many positive comments from our guests saying how much they enjoyed it. You really brought our wedding reception to life! I must also say that your professionalism is brilliant. Thanks again for a great performance!"
"Absolutely fantastic - we had an outside ceilidh in pretty challenging weather conditions and Ceilidh Twist were absolutely superb. The music was brilliant, the instructions perfectly pitched and they got everyone up and dancing - we and our guests loved it."
"Hi Ali, We just wanted to drop you a quick line to say thank you SO much for making our wedding reception so brilliant! You guys were fantastic and everyone loved the ceilidh. It was great to see so many people dancing together who had never met before and to see so many of our friends who avoid a dance floor enjoying themselves. I hope you enjoyed the rest of your time in Gozo. Wishing you well with all your endeavours. Best wishes, Mia and Nick."
"Hi Ali, I hope you are well. I just wanted to send you a note to thank your brilliant musicians on Saturday. They were truly fantastic. I hope we work together again and that we can show you Ashridge House! Thank you once more, Alex."
"Dear all at Ceilidh Twist, Just a quick note to say a huge thank you for the wonderful musical entertainment at Sean & Victoria's wedding on Saturday. Unfortunately I didn't get the opportunity to dance myself, but it was wonderful to watch their family and friends having such fun. Hopefully we will have the opportunity to work together again in the future, but in the meantime wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous 2023. Kind regards, Mary."
"Ali, I apologise that it has taken me so long to write this, but I just wanted to say thank you for everything you all did at our wedding. I realise timings slipped and everything did not go completely to plan, however you all did such an amazing job. Everyone that came has commented on how much they enjoyed the ceilidh- it was really amazing. We are so pleased that we had you play at our wedding, and I will always remember how packed the dance floor was during your sets. Again, thank you and I hope our paths cross again in the future!"
"The band was superb. Unfortunately the wedding meal overran and we could only enjoy them for a short time. They were professional and established the party in fine Scottish style, getting everyone to their feet and achieving our aim of paying tribute to the happy couple’s Glasgow beginnings - under a moonlit Mallorcan sky. Well done and thank you."
"Hi Ali, Thank you and the rest of the band so much for Saturday. We had an epic day. Everyone was saying how brilliant you guys were with both the ceilidh and the covers so just wanted to say a massive thanks for everything. Hope you got to enjoy Copenhagen a bit as well! Alex."
"Ali, Please thank the band very much for making the evening so fantastic! It was all wonderful and brilliant from your help with all of the planning and logistics, down to the final event. We had such a brilliant time!"
"Hi Ali, Apologies for how long it has taken me to write this email, straight after the wedding we went to Italy for the week so haven’t had a chance to get to my emails. I just wanted to say a huge heartfelt thank you to you and the rest of the band for being so extraordinary on Saturday night, you were all amazing and you definitely made the wedding. I have had so many comments on how amazing you were and how people wished they’d had you for their wedding and for the ones getting married want to use you for their big day. (I’ve passed on your details to a few friends). I hope you had a good time and thank you so much again, you were by far my favourite part of the day. Thank you again."
"Hi Ali, This is just a quick email to thank you, Francesca and the rest of the band for the wonderful Ceilidh last Saturday night. I and my guests had a wonderful time although I think we may have been challenging to instruct - the term 'like herding cats' springs to mind. I hope it was an enjoyable gig for the band. I would also like to thank you personally - since I first phoned you, you have been very helpful, professional, efficient and easy to deal with. I'll be sending you a proper thank you note via snail mail in the next few days. Best Wishes."
"I honestly cannot recommend Ceilidh Twist highly enough. From start to finish they were impeccable. The organising beforehand was so clear and easy. On the night, the band were both lovely and just brilliant. My party (50th) was for about 130 people, all ages and few Scots! The dances were explained so well and in such a friendly way, that everyone felt empowered and inspired to dance all night. It was so wonderful to see the different combinations of friends and family dancing together and really achieving it! The result was a huge success, everyone loved it and had the best fun and since the night I been inundated with messages from the guests saying how much they loved the band and how fantastic the music was."
"Hi Ali, We had an amazing wedding and amazing ceilidh! Please find attached some photos, feel free to use them for whatever. Our guests LOVED it! Thanks."
"Thank you so much for coming all the way to perform at our wedding in Italy! Lots of our guests came to say how great your band was and everyone truly loved it. Your instruction was really gentle, welcoming, and easy to follow. Music was beautiful, filled with energy and cheerful rhythm. We also want to especially thank the guitarist, who kept playing beautiful tunes in the background for so long. It was their first time to even know of ceilidh for many of our international guests from Japan, Australia, and USA, and everyone had a wonderful time. From our initial e-mail exchange to the very day, Ali and the band were extremely helpful to give great suggestions, and accommodating to all of our changes and requests. Your kind support and efficient organisation were excellent and we really enjoyed working with you. Your performance really added so much joy and fun to our evening. We highly recommend them to anyone wishing for a vibrant and lovely band to make a truly happy event!"
"Ceilidh Twist played at our wedding in August and were amazing. In the whole lead up to the day they were very professional and communication and responses to our questions were dealt with promptly and in a very friendly manner. As for the actual barn dance, they were fantastic! They are incredibly talented musicians and the caller was great at teaching us the dances quickly. Everyone that we have spoken to after the wedding has said what a fun time they had and how much they enjoyed it. We couldn't recommend them highly enough."
"Dear Ali, Finally the dust has settled and everyone has gone home, so I am writing to send our sincere thanks to you and your band for your amazing entertainment at our Awards Dinner at The Oakley Court Hotel last Tuesday. I have had so many brilliant comments saying how wonderful you were and how much they enjoyed themselves. I gather the dance floor was pretty full most of the time? I hope we didn’t have too many left feet! It was great for our Russian and Scandinavian colleagues to experience some traditional folk culture and I am only sad that I wasn’t there to take part also. However, I feel I made a fantastic choice! In the meantime, I wish you and your fellow members a lovely Christmas and a successful New Year!"
"Hi Ali, Just a note to say thank you to you and the band. We had a wonderful evening on the 17th December and the band were great. Please pass on our thanks to them and wish you all a very Happy Christmas and New Year. Regards."
Dashing White Sergeant
Gay Gordons
Eightsome Reels
Flying Scotsman
Canadian Barndance
Strip the Willow
Cumberland Square Eight
Shake It Off - Taylor Swift
Moves like Jagger - Maroon 5
Wake Me Up - Avicii
Can’t Stop This Feelin - Justin Timberlake
Celebration - Cool & the Gang
Uptown Funk - Bruno Mars
Rather Be - Clean Bandit
Valerie - Amy Winehouse
Blame It On The Boogie - The Jacksons
I Wann Dance With Somebody - Whitney Houston
9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
Crazy In Love - Beyonce
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
Shut Up and Dance With Me - Walk the Moon
Happy - Pharell Williams
500 Miles - Proclaimers (or Galway Girl for an Irish evening)
"Hi Ali, I just wanted to say thank you for all your help with the ceilidh band for our wedding on Saturday. It was absolutely wonderful and have received so many compliments from my guests. The music was great and the calling was fantastic - you really managed to cater for the absolute beginners and seasoned ceilidh dancers perfectly. I hope all went well from your side and I hope I come across Ceilidh Twist at another event soon! Best wishes."
"We booked Ceilidh Twist to play at our wedding and they were absolutely fantastic. The music was wonderful and the calling was very clear - particularly for our guests who had never done a ceilidh before. All the 'admin' and correspondence leading up to the wedding was smooth, and we received responses very quickly. Highly recommended."
"Dear Ali, We just wanted to drop a note to thank the whole band for doing such a fab job at our wedding at Notley Abbey. Everyone has been saying the ceilidh was amazing and great fun. We had such a wonderful wedding day and now both wish we could re-live it all over again and again. Have a fab Xmas break and please pass on our thanks to the rest of the band. We would recommend them to anyone!"
"Hi Ali, We would like to thank you for the amazing ceilidh at our wedding and we really appreciate the efforts the band made to come to France. It was a fantastic evening and all the guests had great fun, even though most of them didn't know anything about ceilidh before! Thank you very much again and have a nice evening. Kind regards, Isabella and Tristan."
"Ceilidh Twist played at our wedding and were absolutely brilliant! Our guests had a wide range of abilities and ages but the ceilidh was really inclusive. The band and caller really helped to get everyone up on the dance floor. Lots of people commented on how much they enjoyed it! We would recommend them to anyone."
"Lovely people and a great ceilidh band. Really patient with all of the English people who had no clue and fun had by all!"
"Hi Ali, We just wanted to say a massive thank you for everything. The band were amazing and everyone had a great time. Our friends genuinely haven't stopped talking about how much they loved your set and I think you managed to convert quite a few people to Ceilidh music. We would be happy to recommend you guys or give feedback. Thanks again!"
"Absolutely fantastic ceilidh band. We had the pleasure of having Ceilidh Twist play at our wedding. They were amazing! So incredibly talented and good at what they do. From the first initial enquiry I found them lovely, helpful & accommodating. I couldn’t recommend them enough they were wonderful. Thank you so much for making our day extra special."
"Hi Ali, I just wanted to drop you an email to say thank you so much to you and the band for performing at our wedding reception on 9th September. We loved having Ceilidh Twist as part of our wedding celebrations and we've had so many positive comments from our guests saying how much they enjoyed it. You really brought our wedding reception to life! I must also say that your professionalism is brilliant. Thanks again for a great performance!"
"Absolutely fantastic - we had an outside ceilidh in pretty challenging weather conditions and Ceilidh Twist were absolutely superb. The music was brilliant, the instructions perfectly pitched and they got everyone up and dancing - we and our guests loved it."
"Hi Ali, We just wanted to drop you a quick line to say thank you SO much for making our wedding reception so brilliant! You guys were fantastic and everyone loved the ceilidh. It was great to see so many people dancing together who had never met before and to see so many of our friends who avoid a dance floor enjoying themselves. I hope you enjoyed the rest of your time in Gozo. Wishing you well with all your endeavours. Best wishes, Mia and Nick."
"Hi Ali, I hope you are well. I just wanted to send you a note to thank your brilliant musicians on Saturday. They were truly fantastic. I hope we work together again and that we can show you Ashridge House! Thank you once more, Alex."
"Dear all at Ceilidh Twist, Just a quick note to say a huge thank you for the wonderful musical entertainment at Sean & Victoria's wedding on Saturday. Unfortunately I didn't get the opportunity to dance myself, but it was wonderful to watch their family and friends having such fun. Hopefully we will have the opportunity to work together again in the future, but in the meantime wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous 2023. Kind regards, Mary."
"Ali, I apologise that it has taken me so long to write this, but I just wanted to say thank you for everything you all did at our wedding. I realise timings slipped and everything did not go completely to plan, however you all did such an amazing job. Everyone that came has commented on how much they enjoyed the ceilidh- it was really amazing. We are so pleased that we had you play at our wedding, and I will always remember how packed the dance floor was during your sets. Again, thank you and I hope our paths cross again in the future!"
"The band was superb. Unfortunately the wedding meal overran and we could only enjoy them for a short time. They were professional and established the party in fine Scottish style, getting everyone to their feet and achieving our aim of paying tribute to the happy couple’s Glasgow beginnings - under a moonlit Mallorcan sky. Well done and thank you."
"Hi Ali, Thank you and the rest of the band so much for Saturday. We had an epic day. Everyone was saying how brilliant you guys were with both the ceilidh and the covers so just wanted to say a massive thanks for everything. Hope you got to enjoy Copenhagen a bit as well! Alex."
"Ali, Please thank the band very much for making the evening so fantastic! It was all wonderful and brilliant from your help with all of the planning and logistics, down to the final event. We had such a brilliant time!"
"Hi Ali, Apologies for how long it has taken me to write this email, straight after the wedding we went to Italy for the week so haven’t had a chance to get to my emails. I just wanted to say a huge heartfelt thank you to you and the rest of the band for being so extraordinary on Saturday night, you were all amazing and you definitely made the wedding. I have had so many comments on how amazing you were and how people wished they’d had you for their wedding and for the ones getting married want to use you for their big day. (I’ve passed on your details to a few friends). I hope you had a good time and thank you so much again, you were by far my favourite part of the day. Thank you again."
"Hi Ali, This is just a quick email to thank you, Francesca and the rest of the band for the wonderful Ceilidh last Saturday night. I and my guests had a wonderful time although I think we may have been challenging to instruct - the term 'like herding cats' springs to mind. I hope it was an enjoyable gig for the band. I would also like to thank you personally - since I first phoned you, you have been very helpful, professional, efficient and easy to deal with. I'll be sending you a proper thank you note via snail mail in the next few days. Best Wishes."
"I honestly cannot recommend Ceilidh Twist highly enough. From start to finish they were impeccable. The organising beforehand was so clear and easy. On the night, the band were both lovely and just brilliant. My party (50th) was for about 130 people, all ages and few Scots! The dances were explained so well and in such a friendly way, that everyone felt empowered and inspired to dance all night. It was so wonderful to see the different combinations of friends and family dancing together and really achieving it! The result was a huge success, everyone loved it and had the best fun and since the night I been inundated with messages from the guests saying how much they loved the band and how fantastic the music was."
"Hi Ali, We had an amazing wedding and amazing ceilidh! Please find attached some photos, feel free to use them for whatever. Our guests LOVED it! Thanks."
"Thank you so much for coming all the way to perform at our wedding in Italy! Lots of our guests came to say how great your band was and everyone truly loved it. Your instruction was really gentle, welcoming, and easy to follow. Music was beautiful, filled with energy and cheerful rhythm. We also want to especially thank the guitarist, who kept playing beautiful tunes in the background for so long. It was their first time to even know of ceilidh for many of our international guests from Japan, Australia, and USA, and everyone had a wonderful time. From our initial e-mail exchange to the very day, Ali and the band were extremely helpful to give great suggestions, and accommodating to all of our changes and requests. Your kind support and efficient organisation were excellent and we really enjoyed working with you. Your performance really added so much joy and fun to our evening. We highly recommend them to anyone wishing for a vibrant and lovely band to make a truly happy event!"
"Ceilidh Twist played at our wedding in August and were amazing. In the whole lead up to the day they were very professional and communication and responses to our questions were dealt with promptly and in a very friendly manner. As for the actual barn dance, they were fantastic! They are incredibly talented musicians and the caller was great at teaching us the dances quickly. Everyone that we have spoken to after the wedding has said what a fun time they had and how much they enjoyed it. We couldn't recommend them highly enough."
"Dear Ali, Finally the dust has settled and everyone has gone home, so I am writing to send our sincere thanks to you and your band for your amazing entertainment at our Awards Dinner at The Oakley Court Hotel last Tuesday. I have had so many brilliant comments saying how wonderful you were and how much they enjoyed themselves. I gather the dance floor was pretty full most of the time? I hope we didn’t have too many left feet! It was great for our Russian and Scandinavian colleagues to experience some traditional folk culture and I am only sad that I wasn’t there to take part also. However, I feel I made a fantastic choice! In the meantime, I wish you and your fellow members a lovely Christmas and a successful New Year!"
"Hi Ali, Just a note to say thank you to you and the band. We had a wonderful evening on the 17th December and the band were great. Please pass on our thanks to them and wish you all a very Happy Christmas and New Year. Regards."