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Hello, married couples to be. Once a month we have a little delve into the exciting world of one of our stellar live bands and today we have an award-winning wedding band for you – Party Republic! With a string of wedding awards, this Bournemouth-based live wedding band should always be on your shortlist of bands so let’s find out all about them, shall we?
Party Republic have been on the wedding circuit for some time and in that time they’ve not only performed for thousands of wedding guests but they’ve also won awards including winning best live wedding band in Hampshire in 2019! Party Republic are made up of some fantastic musicians and channel all that talent into a live show that gets wedding parties as involved as they want to be. You are part of a fun, non-stop, singalong live show with this band which is guaranteed to keep you all on that dance floor until your feet can’t take it anymore!
Katy the lead singer from Party Republic was more than happy to chat all about life in her band and as a musician so let’s settle in and discover more about this top wedding band. How did they come to be and what is life really like as a professional musician?
We’re all full-time professional musicians who live, breathe, eat and sleep music! We have all made careers in music from playing, teaching and doing session work and absolutely love what we do! Party Republic is now 11 years old and we’ve been winning awards in the wedding industry for the past 4 years – each year just gets better and better.
Well, it’s safe to say that no day is ever the same – which I love! A day in Party Republics HQ sees the less glamorous (but equally essential) side of running a busy party band; answering emails and enquiries, speaking to our existing clients over the phone, liaising with venues and other suppliers to make sure that all events go smoothly, as well as keeping up with our social media too! We’re always working on new recordings or songs to keep our content and song repertoire fresh for our clients to choose from!
Learning to play an instrument and to sing really comes to life when on stage! I absolutely thrive when having a crowd to perform to. Through years of experience, I’ve learnt how to quickly build a rapport with a crowd so that they feel comfortable enough to dance their socks off, sing their hearts out and maybe take part in a dance-off or two! Building an event into a really special memory that everyone becomes part of, I want people to go home saying “that’s the best wedding I’ve ever been to!” It’s the ultimate challenge and the most rewarding part of our job. To see people let their hair down and just embrace the night – perfect.
Honestly, I just LOVE singing. From belting it out to Mariah Carey back in the day up to today, I’m singing all the time. I’ve been singing professionally since I was 16; my parents have always both been super supportive and for that, I’ll always be grateful. I moved to London at 17 to study singing and have never looked back. I feel as though this was just always what I was meant to be doing. There’s never been anything else that has come remotely close to the passion and love I have for music and this industry. It’s an expressive creative outlet and the fact that I’ve made my passion into my career for my adult life is incredible.
The best is performing; singing my heart out, giving my absolute all to it, being in the moment and creating an atmosphere for everyone to enjoy! There’s nothing like it! I don’t think there’s “a worst” bit to be honest! The funniest is when people say to me ‘are you still doing that singing thing?’ Yes. 20 years on, I’m still doing it. It’s my job.
As cheesy as it sounds, I’ve got lots of favourites but all for different reasons! Singing on The Orient Express as it hurtled through the countryside was pretty intimate and memorable. Belting songs out at a huge party at Disneyland Paris was also pretty surreal too! Playing at a wedding in stunning castle ruins in Florence was pretty cool too. The first real pro gig I ever did was a glitzy star-studded event and we didn’t go on stage until 2 am – it gave me a real taste of what life as a professional musician would be and I’ve never looked back!
I laugh my way through anything that goes wrong on stage. I’m always catching my high heel in the only small hole on a stage but luckily haven’t floored myself yet – there’s still time!
It’s always at weddings. We’re known for crowd dance-offs – I’m not sure how it happens, it’s an organic magic that builds and people become super competitive and go all out. I mean, I’ve literally seen it all! Split trousers, ripped shirts, soles falling off shoes, people doing the splits (who haven’t warmed up!) and of course, doing the caterpillar across the dance floor. It’s when they get up and you know they’ll wake up tomorrow wondering why they ache so much that’s funny!
A first dance – whatever the song. A first dance usually has real meaning to the couple and they’ll remember that moment forever. I always want to hear the reason behind a first dance and then love singing it and watching the couple dance and sing it to each other on their wedding day. From the classic song choice by Ed Sheeran or Adele to more obscure choices by Tenacious D(!), it’s always a truly special moment and starts the party off just perfectly!
We love to get our clients to help us choose the songs to play at their party. We play a huge range of tunes and it’s fab to do some mashups of tunes when clients and their friends are into a certain genre. We’ve been known to play a 20-minute freestyle Garage set, 80’s classics, country, current pop songs and loads more. Everyone always has a guilty pleasure song, right? Once we know what they are, we work tirelessly at getting people on the dance floor and keeping them there all night!
To keep doing what we’re doing! Playing more weddings, parties, and creating more amazing memories and living the dream!
Having taught singing to children and adults with learning difficulties over the last 10 years, as well as to people all over the world during lockdown over Zoom, I’d happily teach forever. I love seeing the progress people make, the breakthroughs, the huge increase in confidence it brings and the smiles on people’s faces when they realise they can do something.
Chocolate. Predictable, right?
Anywhere warm, sunny and with stuff to do! I want to walk all day, see the non-tourist sights and go to places that the locals go to and live their lifestyle. New York when it was snowing in -18 degrees was pretty amazing and so was driving across the desert into Vegas with the thermometer reaching 116 degrees! Life is about living, it flies by so I love to travel, take time out and just be.
I’d get up early to make the most of a day off, have a long lazy breakfast with good friends and then head for a walk down the beach. Growing up in Bournemouth, the beach has always been a big part of my life and I’m down there any chance I get. Maybe I’ll even throw in some fish and chip shop chips whilst sitting looking at the sea for the ultimate dreamy cliche. Or an ice cream if it’s in the summer. Maybe a beer. Then I’ll let the rest of the day take me with it. Maybe see some friends for dinner, maybe a few drinks in the garden, maybe a big bar of chocolate and a Netflix binge. When I’m not working, I’m super chilled and a real homebody.
I missed out on a chance to play at Glastonbury a few years ago as it clashed with a booking. The rest of the band have all played there lots of times on various stages with different well-known artists. I’d definitely prefer to see the less muddy stage side to the camping side though!
Don’t get caught up with the small stuff – no one will remember if there were flowers at the end of every aisle, but I guarantee everyone will remember the music and the food! Think back to the weddings you’ve been to – what do you still remember? Plan for something that you’ll look back on in 5, 10 or 20 years and still love everything about it. Invite people who have a direct impact on your life and will make your day one to remember.
I’m definitely not a cat person, so I’d have to say I’m more of a dog person. It turns out though that even ‘hypoallergenic dogs’ will set off an allergy if you have one. We learnt this the hard way after buying a beautiful puppy a couple of years ago. She’s happily now living with my in-laws though, so we do still get to see her!
What a fun chat with Katy that was! I’m sure you’d agree that she loves to perform at weddings! If you want to know more about her band, read on…
Party Republic like to line up as a 4 piece of lead female vocals, guitar, bass, drum and backing vocals all around for a fun and full sound! It’s tried and tested and is all you need for a great night’s entertainment. They also offer a very popular acoustic duo option which goes down a treat during wedding ceremonies, drink receptions and even during the wedding breakfast. Have a look at the picture above for a sneaky peek!
Being the established and experienced live wedding band they are, Party Republic offer top-of-the-range PA and lighting equipment and can even offer a full DJ’ing service late into the night. They want to create the ultimate, genuinely memorable live event for you and your guests and if you take a look at their reviews, they seem to be doing just that! You can read all of our customer reviews here too. There’s always plenty of booking options available with our wedding acts so come chat to us to find out more about Party Republic and all our other wedding bands. All our live bands always supply PLI and PAT certificates and have vast experience with sound limiters in all sorts of indoor and outdoor venues so you can relax and enjoy your wedding whatever band you choose!
Prices start from £1600 for the full-blown, 4-piece party package which is all you could ever need! Right now, we’re offering 15% off all bookings so come and speak to us and let’s make your wedding one to remember!
Party Republic perform all sorts of songs for wedding parties but stand-out tunes include Superstition, Shut Up And Dance With Me, Can’t Feel My Face and Shake It Off! A really popular and excellent first dance is Valerie by Amy Winehouse. Have a look at their unique page on our site for loads of great audio and song options!
How about a small selection of some of Party Republic’s glowing reviews?
“Party Republic are absolutely incredible and we can’t recommend this wedding band enough…you definitely won’t be disappointed by this awesome band! We had them play at our wedding last year at Sandbanks and they definitely kept the party going strong. They had so many guests up dancing (even those people we didn’t expect to get up and cut shapes) and sounded amazing. They interacted with the guests which was such a lovely touch – initiating dance offs, encouraging the whole dance floor to show their flossing moves and even control the inevitable World Cup football chanting. We couldn’t have asked for more from the band. Aside from being a brilliant singer, Katy was always so quick to respond to any emails and really helpful, tailoring everything to what we wanted, including music we wanted playing through their PA system between sets. I first saw Party Republic play at 1812 in Bournemouth and would love to see them perform again. Thank you so much – we loved having you play at our wedding and our guests still mention how good you were!”
Lyndsey and Ian Smith – Wedding, Bournemouth, 2019
“I spent AGES researching a band for our wedding and definitely made the right choice. From the initial booking, everyone was so helpful and responsive. We booked the acoustic duo for the drinks reception and 5 piece band for the evening reception. They were absolutely amazing! Everyone was up dancing right for the beginning until the end. So much energy and great at connecting with the guests. They even welcomed a few of our musician guests to perform with the band. So many people said that they were the best band that they had ever seen at a wedding – and they absolutely were. Such a talented group of lovely people. Don’t bother spending ages doing the research – just book Party Republic!”
Katy Holmes, Wedding, Dorset, 2018
“Party Republic were the most incredible band – everyone loved them, so many people said they were the best band they’ve ever heard at a wedding and they really got the party started (and kept it going!). They played a great mix of music and were so professional and friendly. Thank you for nailing it!”
Sarah and Sam Croft – Wedding, Essex, 2014
“We hired Party Republic for our wedding and they were amazing! Everyone commented on how great they were, they read the dancefloor and kept it full all night, they were all great and so easy to talk to, they made a real effort. Thank you so much for making our evening extra special!”
Lucy Edmans – Wedding, Whitstable, 2019
A big thanks to Katy for taking the time to chat with us. If you’d like to know more about this incredibly popular live wedding band, click here!
As well as our 15% off offer, detailed booking contracts and 24-hour support you always get everything listed below and more with any wedding, function or party band (including Party Republic!) you hire with us. Grab those live band freebies.
Theres so much more on offer with our full roster of live bands and popular guides below. Check them out and make your wedding or event perfect.
Are you still struggling to find the perfect wedding entertainment? Come and speak to us, we’re available 7 days a week 10 am to 10 pm and we will design the perfect live entertainment to blow you away at a price you’ll love. Speak to our friendly, expert professional musicians via phone, email, the usual socials, text or live chat.
I really hope you enjoyed today’s showcase and make sure to check back in a months time when we get chatting to soul, jazz, ratpack and Motown sensations, Night and Day. If you enjoyed this showcase or know someone who would love Party Republic, please consider sharing.
Thanks!
Oana and the Seventh Second team!
