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01 July 2015

After lots of hard work (mostly by our web desgner Brian Nourse, admittedly) we're proud to announce the launch of a new website and blog. 

Both are fully responsive, so they should work on your mobiles and tablets - hurray!

Amazingly this is our 5th website - hopefully it will last a few years before it needs overhauling again!  We hope you like it - any problems then just let us know (and we'll tell Brian).

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18 March 2015

Visitors to our YouTube channel in recent months will have seen we've been busy adding lots of new videos this year.

In addition to various live performances of songs from our repertoire, we've also uploaded covers of recent releases from Kodaline (left), Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds and Mumford & Sons.

There's plenty more in the pipeline - subscribe to the channel and you can rest assured you'll be kept up-to-date with any new videos we add!

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09 February 2015

Great news - the Wedding Industry Awards have crowned us the best wedding band in the South West for the second successive year!

A massive thank you to all the couples who voted for us and made it possible.

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18 September 2014

Well it’s been a great summer, with lots of brilliant gigs and also lots of new songs learnt and performed. 

Here’s a quick rundown of the eclectic mix of tunes we’ve recently added to the repertoire – all being well we’ll have videos of them all sooner rather than later!

All Of Me - John Legend

This has been a very popular song for the summer of 2014.  Our sparse arrangement of Chris finger picking and Steve on vocals seems to work rather well, whether it’s being played as a first dance or a ceremony tune.

Disco 2000 – Pulp

One of those songs we probably should have added to the repertoire a long time ago!  This one fits in well alongside our other Britpop numbers, and completes the Oasis/Blur/Pulp holy (or is that unholy?) trinity.

I Bet That You'd Look Good... – Arctic Monkeys

This is another cover we’ve been meaning to add to the set list for ages.  Thankfully a couple recently requested we play it at their wedding, which gave us the impetus to finally learn it!  It's only 2 minutes, but what a 2 minutes.

Dream Catch Me – Newton Faulkner

We played recently played this for the first time as a first dance song and it sounded really good (if we don’t mind saying so ourselves). Another welcome addition to our ever-expanding list of first dance suggestions.

Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice

This rap classic was requested by a wedding couple for the disco, but - given that Stu already knew most of the words - we decided to have a crack at it.  Chris dug out Uncle Al’s 1980s keytar to complete the retro effect!

Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran

Another recently released love song that has proved popular with wedding couples over the summer.  We can play this as a 3-piece for the first dance, or as an acoustic duo during the ceremony, drinks or wedding breakfast.

Little Things – One Direction

This is actually another Ed Sheeran song, it just so happens that he gave it to One Direction (and then sat back and let the royalties pile in).  We played this for a first dance with Chris and Steve on guitars and Stu adding shaker and harmonies.

You Are My Destiny – Lionel Richie

We also played this recently as a specially-learned first dance.  Stu absolutely loves the song, leaving Steve no option but to let him take the lead vocals – much to the delight of both Stu and also the bride and groom!

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26 August 2014

Some news for those fellow guitarists out there who like to learn our arrangements of songs...  

We have recently moved our chords and tablature so it is now hosted on the hugely popular Ultimate Guitar website!

You can still find the songs you are looking for using our chords and tab page, the big difference now being that you will be taken to the relevant page on Ultimate Guitar (as opposed to opening one of our pdfs).

This has allowed us to become part of the ever-increasing Ultimate Guitar community and pick up traffic not just from our YouTube videos but also Ultimate Guitar users.

Our aim now is to add to Ultimate Guitar the chords for each and every one of our YouTube covers, so keep your eyes peeled for new additions over the coming months.  And if there’s a song you’d like to learn how to play but we haven’t put up the chords yet, then just let us know and we’ll prioritise its inclusion!

Happy strumming/finger picking/etc...

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11 March 2014

Yes, we’ve finally released a follow-up to our popular “Acoustic Covers” album.

And yes, we’ve only gone and called it “Acoustic Covers Vol. 2”. Groundbreaking stuff, we're sure you'll agree.

The album features 14 new tracks, 12 of which have been mainstays of our acoustic duo set lists for many years. The 2 exceptions are “Young and Beautiful” (Lana Del Rey) and “Grow Old With Me” (Tom Odell), both of which were recorded last year just after they were released.

Much was made of Beyonce releasing her latest album with a video accompanying each track, without anyone realising that she was inspired by the Moon Loungers! We’ve been doing this for years, and Acoustic Covers Vol. 2 is no exception; we’ve already put the first video - Dream a Little Dream - online already, with the others all in the can and ready to be added over the course of the year.

Special thanks to Lee Niel, the man responsible for the cover photo (and, quite frankly, the best wedding photographer you will find in these parts).

Thanks also to Coombe Lodge and the Matara Centre for letting us film on location at their splendid venues!

To download the album from iTunes click here. You can also listen to it on Spotify.  Enjoy.

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12 February 2014

Yes, we've hit another milestone with our one millionth YouTube subscriber coming on board last month! 

Our YouTube channel was set up way back in 2009 and was ticking over quite modestly until last year, when we made a couple of changes to our approach - namely (a) vastly improving the quality of our videos (basically selling our Flip cameras and buying some grown up Digital SLRs), and (b) starting to record brand new songs, hot off the press.

The combination of these two factors took the channel to another level, and we now hit 2,000 views a day - with subscribers and comments coming in from around the world. Our cover of Atlas by Coldplay (which featured in the Hunger Games film Catching Fire) alone has clocked up almost 70,000 views - blimey!

After adding a new video every week during 2013 (which turned out to be quite intense) we've taken a break so far this year.  But fear not, there is more to come from our YouTube channel in 2014 - so if you haven't already subscribed, you know what to do.

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26 November 2013

We do (modestly) like to think of ourselves as the finest wedding outfit in the region, but now it's all official...

Yes, we were recently confirmed as regional winners of the Wedding Industry Award for live music entertainment in the South West, hurray! 

Thanks so much to the many lovely couples who were kind enough to vote for us and make this all happen. 

The next stop is the national final, which is held in London on 15th January.  Will we be crowned best wedding band in the UK?  Watch this space...

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24 October 2013

In a change of pace from our usual wedding-related exploits, on Tuesday night we found ourselves in the Champions Club hospitality suite at the Emirates Stadium - home of Arsenal FC to those who didn't know...

Whilst our job was, first and foremost, to provide live music whilst the 300-odd guests tucked into the lavish buffet and enjoyed a Heineken (the only beer on offer, courtesy of Champions League sponsors Heineken...), we had also offered to perform the MC duties for the evening.  This turned out to be a bit more involved than a few simple announcements, with various competitions to oversee and even an interview with ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann!

Needless to say it was an amazing experience for us - shame Arsenal lost, but you can't have it all... For a full report on what was an eventful night, be sure to check out our blog, which can be found at www.bristolweddingband.co.uk.

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24 July 2013

We are delighted to announce that we have been nominated for the 2014 Wedding Industry Awards!

For all weddings we have played at (or are due to play at) between 1st November 2012 and 31st October 2013, the brides and grooms in question are eligible to vote for us.

It would be really smashing if we could win an award, so if you are able to vote then please don't hesitate to get involved - it should only take a few moments.

For more info, and to cast your vote, please click here.

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16 April 2013

The last few summer's in the UK haven't been too great, so hopefully we aren't jinxing this one with the release of our Acoustic Summer album...

Having played numerous al fresco summer drinks receptions over the years as an acoustic duo, our repertoire has always demanded the inclusion of summer-themed tunes; the album contains a number of these live staples, such as "Here Comes the Sun", "Daydream" and "Summertime". 

In addition we've also come up with a few new covers, picking some longtime favourites such as the Beach Boys' "Warmth of the Sun" and Sinatra's "Summer Wind" to complete the track listing.

The album is available to download on iTunes, and you can also stream it on Spotify if that floats your boat. Whatever your preferred approach, we hope you enjoy it - just make sure you tie a hanky round your head, crack open a cold beer, unfold your deckchair and get nice and relaxed first. Happy summer everyone!

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16 April 2013

Yes, we've now added no less than 100 videos to our YouTube channel - a major milestone for the Moon Loungers!

We set up our channel back in 2009 (hence the slightly regrettable channel name "Moonies2009") purely as a place to add demos of our wedding band repertoire, but it has since taken on a life of its own - with views, comments and subscribers coming in from every corner of the globe.

Obviously it's not all been plain sailing; as any "YouTuber" will tell you, whenever an ego-boosting "best cover ever" comment comes in, there's generally a slightly more negative one lying around the corner to keep your feet on the ground! 

Here are a few of our favourite comments:

"Guy on left stop shaking your head"

"What a nice gay couple"

"I love this... I like pies"

"この曲を買いました。今後もいい曲を聴かせくれることを期待して­います。"

"Yous look like Noel Gallagher and Peter Crouch"

And saving the best for last, this succinct view of our acoustic cover of "Candy" by Robbie Williams:

"No"

Thanks to everyone who has subscribed so far (and if you haven't yet done so, here's a link).

Our aim is to continue adding one video every week until we, um, well, we die I guess... So keep watching!

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18 March 2013

We are delighted to be part of the Kingscote Barn Open Day taking place this Sunday (24th March).

Steve and Chris will be there with their acoustic guitars to play a few songs throughout the course of the day, and Uncle Al will be on hand to chat to any brides and grooms who are interested in our services (or just want a chat!).

What better way to spend your Sunday than up in the Cotswolds enjoying Kingscote Barn's stunning setting?  The event runs from 11.30 until 16:00  - hopefully we'll see you there!

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08 January 2013

Following up on the success of the Moon Loungers' acoustic version of the Guns 'n' Roses "Sweet Child o' Mine" on YouTube and iTunes, the boys have now released an entire album of acoustic rock covers.

The album features covers of tracks from every decade since the 1960s, with the likes of Led Zeppelin's '71 classic "Black Dog" sitting alongside the Killers' 2012 single "Miss Atomic Bomb" to ensure rock fans of all ages and tastes are catered for!

For an explanation of the cover image (a bowl of M&Ms with all the brown ones taken out, if you were wondering!), please check out our blog. More importantly, if you fancy downloading the album then it is available on iTunes.

Oh, and there are videos of some of the tracks already on YouTube. There's really no excuse not to get involved. Enjoy!

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07 March 2013

With the summer season of weddings fast approaching, the Moon Loungers have recently added a couple of new songs to their evening band repertoire.

Last weekend we debuted a cover of Robbie Williams' number 1 hit "Candy" to a highly receptive crowd, and we have also put together a version of Bruno Mars' recent single "Locked Out of Heaven" that we hope will raise the roof of many a wedding venue over the next few months!

The inevitable YouTube videos are sure to follow - if you haven't subscribed to our YouTube channel then what are you waiting for?!  To do so simply click here and away you go.

Also keep any eye on our song lists as we are always looking to freshen up the repertoire with new releases.

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27 November 2012

On Friday 23rd November the Moon Loungers 3-piece provided some live background music whilst over 250 guests enjoyed a slap-up 3 course meal at the Bristol Hotel (formerly Jurys). The occasion was a charity ball in memory of Michael Sheppard, with proceeds going to the British Heart Foundation.

The boys all went to the same school as Mike, who sadly passed away earlier this year, and were happy to waive their fee to play at this special occasion. 

The event was nothing short of spectacular, with loads of amazing raffle and auction items, no less than two comedians, a DJ, even an F-1 simulator!

Well done to Rachel and Emma for organising such a cracking night and raising almost £8K!

For more information about the appeal please check out the website here: www.sheppysheppard.co.uk