Here are some frequently asked questions. There are also many questions which you may wish to ask directly, in which case please feel free to contact us.
Q: How often does the band play?
A: The band was historically a rehearsal band. We then begun to open the last rehearsal of the month to the general public to play for an audience and raise money for charity. This has now been formalised and the band plays a popular and regular month end open concert at:
- The Royal British Legion Hall, Station Approach, Marlow. SL7 1NT.
- The concerts start at at 8:15pm
- They occur on the last Thursday of the following months:January, February, March, April, May, June, and then after the summer break; September, October, November and December (Xmas special).
- Door entry is £10.00
Q How does the band help with fundraising from its month end concerts?
A: The band receives £300 of the door fee to cover the cost of deputy musicians, music library, rehearsal costs, hall hire and general running costs for the band. The band members do not receive a fee and do this for charity at their own expense.
A raffle is run for charity which is always well supported. The hall has a capacity of 100, and the net profit from the door receipts, after deduction of £300 is given to the month’s chosen charity. It is therefore possible for charities who support the event to raise between £400 and £800. The band has, to date (September 2020) help raise over £450,000 through its concerts run in support of charitable causes.
If you have a charity that would like to raise funds and support the BBO then please contact our bookings manager, Hilary Spiers – hilaryspiers8@gmail.com Mobile: 07960 405289
Q: How do you support charitable organisations with their own events and fundraising?
A: The band supply the entertainment.
- The charity supplies the venue, markets the event and sells the tickets.
- The charity pays the band an agreed donation to cover expenses and keeps the rest of the money raised.
- The standard terms for hiring the band during 2013-2014 are:
- The band fee for charities and non commercial gigs is set between £800 – £1500 (Discounted between 58% and 77% of a standard commercial fee of £3,500) for 2 one hour sets to cover the cost and expenses of the band and crew and PA.
- Suitable refreshments of drinks and sandwiches or a meal.
Q: How do I book the band?
A: Please call or email us to discuss your event and we can provide some guidance and support as well as consider special requirements. The band is managed by Adam Linnell and bookings are contracted by Hilary Spiers.Hilary Spiers – (hilaryspiers8@gmail.com Mobile: 07960 405289)
Q: Do you perform for non charity functions?
A: Yes. Please contact us to discuss your event, we would be delighted to play for you, again contact us so we can discuss your requirements and amend any of our standard terms to accommodate your requirements.
Q: What sort of music do you play?
A: The band plays classic big band music,together with some more modern arrangements. There are samples of the band playing live on our YouTube Channel as well as on our Video page.
Q: How many are there in the band?
A: The band comprises of 17 musicians, 2 vocalists and 1 member of the stage crew.
The band can provide a trio for your event. Please contact us to discuss when this may be appropriate for parts of your event.
Q:I want to promote our BBO event, can you supply images and photographs
A: Simply download and use from our Facebook Photostream. Please do not adjust, or crop images, but feel free to resize within the same proportions.
https://www.facebook.com/BBOBigBand/photos_stream
To download, find the image/logo you wish to use. Then simply select the image, right click over the image and select Save As, and download to your computer.