The Jiggers is the ceilidh band Glasgow people trust for a great party. If you are planning a wedding or any other kind of event, this post explains why we think you should hire the Jiggers ceilidh band and DJ together.
1. It caters to your guests’ tastes.
Scottish ceilidh music is very accessible, sets a great tone, and is perfect to dance to. The DJ, on the other hand, has access to a much broader variety of music, and can play songs that people know and love.
2. A live band makes a good impression.
The DJ set is about playing good music, but getting a good live ceilidh band to perform gives people something to look at even if they’re not dancing.
3. Value for money.
If you’re on a budget, The Jiggers is set up so that if you want to have the ceilidh for the first hour or two, then you don’t need to hire the full five-piece band, instead, you can get the 4 (or 3) piece band AND a DJ for a lower overall price.
4. More value for money.
You’d really like a covers band that does a bit of ceilidh? Bear in mind that most good covers bands will charge almost double what The Jiggers charge for a night, and covers bands generally can’t do ceilidh music as well as a proper ceilidh band, because they don’t have the folk instrumentation. If you’re looking for a band that performs a ceilidh set AND a covers set, then we can certainly do that for you (in our 5-piece line-up). We still recommend adding the DJ at the end though, and see the next point for why…
5. People can make requests.
Our DJ has a library of tens of thousands of tracks, and (if the client doesn’t object) will be happy to put on a favourite tune, making the day all the more memorable to your guests. Even the best covers bands have a repertoire that rarely extends beyond about 50-60 songs.
6. Simple, high quality PA and lights.
The Jiggers uses a top quality, reliable and compact PA system. You don’t have to get two PA systems, one for the band, one for the DJ (that can mean extra set-up time, and is a nightmare if there’s not much stage space). Our approach means that’s not an issue, and changeover is smooth, too, when the band are finished their set.
7. Reliable, consistent service
There are plenty of OK, so that’s a worst case scenario, but at least when you get the Jiggers, it will be one of the band members doing the DJing, and the DJ will know the standards we expect. And all our guys are very approachable, too!
8. You can tailor the music.
Prefer to keep things old school, or just play more modern tunes? You can have as much control as you like – either let the DJ make the call based on the audience response, or you can suggest songs or styles and the DJ will happily accommodate your suggestions. When you hire our DJ, you’re guaranteed to get someone who is passionate about music, but easy-going when it comes to style. The DJ won’t have a chip on his shoulder, or make you feel embarrassed for requesting something. If you’re willing to dance to it, we’re willing to give it a spin!
9. ‘Ceilidh to start, disco to finish’ works well.
In our experience, people are more likely to dance ceilidh at the start of the night, and will be ready for the disco in the second part of the evening reception. Ceilidh is a great ice-breaker. We think this is to do with the fact that the caller really helps people to relax and give the ceilidh dancing a go, and then they’re ready to freestyle it later on. (If you have different plan, we’re happy to discuss it, too)
10. We can be flexible about the changeover.
The ceilidh/DJ format works really well, because if you’ve got a break in the middle, you can make the decision about when to move on to the next part of the night. Most clients usually decide between a) stop the ceilidh at the break, or b) have a little more ceilidh after the break, then move into disco for the last hour or two. The change in the music means the entertainment stays fresh. There’s a natural flow to these things, and we’re experienced at getting it just right.
If you’d like to talk to us some more about it, give Jake a call and he’ll be happy to chat.
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Are you looking to hire a ceilidh band for your wedding, corporate events or special occasion, please contact us here or call us on 0800 978 8206.
You can also join The Jiggers Ceilidh Band on Facebook.