Case History

We thought it would be interesting for you as a client to find out a little bit about what goes into making an Innervision gig work so well and provide you with an insight into the amount of time and effort we put into making sure your evening is a complete success. The dates and times are typical examples to help you appreciate the relative timing. Of course every function has specific requirements and we are always happy to try to accommodate your exact needs.

Initial enquiry (often over 1 year before the function date!)

The first point of contact with us can come from a variety of different places, through advertisements we place, recommendation from someone you know or just seeing us live yourself at another function. The most comprehensive source of information on the band and probably the best place to look in the first instance is this website. www.innervisioninfo.co.uk We have tried to develop this into a site that gives you, the client, all the relevant information you need to help you make the decision to at least email us through the contact page on the website or better still pluck up the courage to call Trevor.

Trevor is always at the end of the phone and will be more than happy to answer any questions you have and will probably prompt a few you haven’t even thought about as well as offering you the chance to attend one of our regular practices in Salisbury to meet and hear the band.

Attending a practice (a couple of weeks later)

Although seeing the band playing live at a gig is probably the ideal way for us to convince you of our suitability, unfortunately we rarely play at gigs open to the public as most of our work now comprises of functions, wedding, and parties which are all private. Over recent years we have solved this problem by inviting clients to attend one of our regular practice sessions where you can meet the band and hear us play through a few tracks. This is a very relaxed evening, held in comfortable surroundings and gives you the opportunity to hear the quality of the band's performance and a chance to ask any questions you may have. Of course you are under no obligation to book the band at this stage and in fact we always recommend you go away to have a think and a chat before making a final decision to book us.

Booking the band (within a week of attending a practice)

Once you have decided that you would like to book the band and we have confirmed that we are available, we will take your details and produce a booking contract which will be sent out to you in the post. All we require at this stage is that you sign the contract and send one copy back to us with a deposit cheque. This will automatically secure your date in the band's gig diary. The remainder of our fee is paid on the night of your function. The next time you will hear from us after this will be a couple of weeks prior to your function just to check final details and timings with you.

The Big Day!

Traveling to the venue (4:00pm)

Innervision use over £40,000 of top quality sound and lighting equipment which ensures we can create a superb live sound and a brilliant light show at every function we play at. The first part of our journey involves loading three vehicles to the brim with everything from our P.A. systems to Teresa’s makeup and everything in between that the band needs to complete a gig. Once loaded the distance we have to travel has a direct effect on the time that we will plan to leave home to reach a venue on time and be set up for the start of your function. It is not unusual for us to leave at 4.00pm in the afternoon , travel for two hours to a venue to arrive at 6.00pm with the task of unloading and setting up the sound and lighting system for 7.00pm ...and that’s all before we have even played a note of music!

Set-up (5:30pm)

Once at the venue we usually report to the events manager or whoever is in charge of the venue and make ourselves known to them, before asking to check out the function room and stage area. Having assessed the layout and acoustics of the room we then set about finding the easiest and quickest route to unload our equipment into the room This can look a bit overwhelming as we bring what looks like a mass of speakers and flight cases into the room. However we are well versed at fitting the bands set up into some pretty small spaces and once all the flight cases have been stowed out of sight, the end result is a very professional looking stage set up complete with a light reflective backdrop which helps creates a more effective light show. The band have a set routine with each member being responsible for setting up a particular part of the band's equipment along with setting up their own personal instrument. This allows us to get set up fairly quickly... very useful on the rare occasions we ever arrive late due to a traffic delays.

Soundcheck (6:15pm)

Once set up we then have the task of turning on all of the sound and lighting equipment and making sure everything is working before carrying out a full sound check. This is a very important part of our set up as this allows us to create the right mix of instruments and vocals coming out of the sound system for the particular venue/room we are playing in. We are always happy to hear any thoughts from the client at this point, but as you can imagine the band have years of experience at creating just the right sound in many different rooms and locations.

The soundcheck involves adjusting and balancing the volume and tonal settings of the instruments and drums and making sure that the vocals can be clearly heard above these. On average we run through two to three songs until we are happy with the bands out front and stage monitoring sound.

Lightshow check (6:30pm)

Finally we make sure the lightshow is set up and running properly. This is another key element to get right and helps to create the right party atmosphere at your venue. We use an industry standard DMX controlled lighting system that not only lights up the band on stage but also makes sure the dance floor is lit with moving disco effect lighting for your guests to dance under. We usually like the venue to dim the lights just before we start playing, not because we are shy… but to help create a nice moody atmosphere where the stage lighting will be far more effective. We have also found that most people are more inclined to loose their inhibitions and move onto the dance floor in a room without any bright lighting. We make all efforts to complete the whole of our set-up before your guests arrive making sure all flight cases are packed away. We will also have appropriate background music playing over the sound system as your guests start to arrive.

Confirm timings (6:45pm)

We usually try to catch up with the events manager, best man, or whoever is in charge at this point to confirm what time we are expected to start playing. It is not unusual for timings to change on the night due to meals or after dinner speeches running late. We also check to see if a microphone is required for a speech and that the client is happy with the background music level before we leave the function room.

Room and refreshments (7:00pm)

With all the traveling, lugging of gear, equipment set-up and soundcheck complete, the band are now able to relax for a while before we start playing. We will require a room at this stage where we can change into our stage clothes and securely leave any valuables whilst we are performing. At this point in the evening we will all be famished and our main objective is to try and get something to eat and drink to restore energy levels before the two hours of performance ahead. Although you are not obliged to feed us we will have been working hard through a normal meal time to get the set up complete on time. Leaving the venue in search of refreshments is not always easy and according to your timing schedule may not be an option. So any refreshment that you can provide at this stage of the evening will always be very welcome.

The first set of live music! (8:45pm - 9:45pm)

Now for the bit of the evening we have all been working towards! Having changed into stage clothes and having had some refreshments we take to the stage for our first set. With the lights dimmed and the background music fading Teresa introduces the band as we hit into the intro of the first song and we are off! Playing an energetic set of dance hits that will have you and your guests up on the dance floor in no time. With the band and Teresa up on stage putting maximum effort into playing, time slips by pretty quickly. Teresa is well versed at cajoling people onto the dance floor and will certainly have them up dancing and even get them to participate in one or two songs which all helps to build a good rapport between the band and the audience. Before you know it the first set is ending hopefully with a round of applause as we normally finish on a quiet slow number so the guests can have a relaxing dance with a partner before we take a break.

Band interval & Disco (9:45pm - 10:30pm)

Most weddings have an evening buffet for the evening guests to enjoy. We would suggest the bands interval is the ideal time to get the hotel to serve this, allowing you to make the maximum use of the bands two live sets of music for everyone to dance to.

Before we leave the stage for a break we switch the sound system over to the band's integrated iPod system. As part of our package we are happy to supply background and disco music over the P.A. system whenever the band takes a break as well as leaving disco lighting running to keep the party atmosphere flowing. So not only will you have booked a live band but you practically have a free disco included as well.

Our iPod set up contains quite a library of play lists covering most eras of pop music which you are welcome to use. However If you would prefer we are also happy for you to supply us with your own iPod or equivalent MP3 player on the night to plug into the sound system. This allows you to create a playlist of your own favourite hits to dance to in the breaks and to put on afterwards when the band have finished.

The second set of live music (10:30pm - 11:40pm)

The band's second set marks a subtle change in the mood of the evening. Usually by this time most of the guest have eaten something, talked enough and hopefully drunk quite a bit, and relaxed into more of a party mood and are feeling the urge to dance. Consequently our second set is full of classic dancy disco numbers by the likes of ABBA, Tina Turner, Rose Royce and Chic, through to recent dance hits helping to fill our last set with well known disco songs like Dancing Queen, Disco Inferno, and Le Freak right through to more recent dance hit’s, like Sex Bomb and Mercy. Once your guests get going there is no stopping the band! Our performance thrives on feedback from the audience and a packed dance floor is exactly what we like to create and keep going right to the last song. Inevitably by the end of the evening the audience are always ready for more and if they are up for it we don’t like to disappoint. We will usually perform one or two more songs as an encore, by which time the band and particularly Teresa who may well have been singing continuously for well over an hour will need to finish the live part of the evening's music… hopefully the ensuing applause making it all worth while.

Final interlude (11:45pm - 12:30am)

As the band finish their final set with an encore we will have already lined the iPod player up to continue the evening with more of your favourite disco hits played over to the P.A. This gives the band a chance to get a drink and relax before the evening ends.

Breakdown and pack away (12:30am - 1:30am)

Probably the worst part of the evening for the band is the packing away when the gig has finished and after everyone has left! Inevitably this is late into the night or very early the next morning depending how you want to look at it! The room will be empty we will be exhausted, and we will have a whole stage set up to tear down. This all needs storing correctly in flight cases ready for the next gig, before packing it all away into the vehicles ready for the journey home!

Journey home (1:30am - 2:30/3:00am)

We always say we can never remember this bit of a gig, apart from that it always seems quicker driving home than the journey to the venue and can be anything from half an hour to a full two hour plus drive!

Our ideal is to be as professional, reliable and entertaining as is possible with the available time we all have to put into running and playing in the band. We hope we get the chance to show you what we can do for your particular evening.

If you are seeking further advice or would like to discuss what INNERVISION has to offer your particular event please contact Trevor using the details on the Contact page

Telephone Trevor on:
01722 427138 (Mon to Fri 9:30am to 5:30pm)