FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do you make sure the dance floor is kept full?
If left to our own devices we would start with the 60s Motown stuff and then move along and increase the energy with some disco, then into modern repertoire. All of the songs that the band plays have been tried and tested over countless previous performances. Which moment in the set a particular song is played is crucial, therefore there is significant emphasis placed on planning the set so that it builds, one song to the next. The band’s ability to “read the room” (i.e. gauge the vibe and reaction to a song and choose an appropriate song to follow) plays a huge role in ensuring a full dance floor. The band’s ability to change things on the fly, and adapt to the situation at hand is a key feature that is different from semi-pro or amateur bands.
How do I know what songs you’re going to play?
Soul music is broadly what The Milestones do. That covers a number of different sub-genres: Classic Soul, RnB, Motown, 70’s Disco & Funk, 80’s & 90’s Soul music… through to contemporary classic RnB tunes. We also take some songs that may otherwise not fall into these categories and rework them in our own style. Our different take on Valerie caused quite some interest on YouTube – take a look here. Click here for our full repertoire list.
Do you just play what you want to play or can we have input and request songs?
We always welcome input from clients. Take some time to look over our repertoire list and feel free to pick out songs you want us to play (or not play!). Jot them down on an email and send them through to us a few weeks before your event date. The band will work your requests into the set list and cover as many of them as possible.
We’ve built our repertoire based on many years of collective performing experience. Certain songs just work in certain situations and others just don’t. There’s a balance that needs to be struck between your requests and what the band know will work and achieve what we all want – an amazing party with a full dance floor! So once all your requests are in we will give you a call and talk through the set so that you’re comfortable with the repertoire direction and set list for your event.
Will you play our first dance even if it’s not on their repertoire list?
In short, yes. The band are only too happy to learn your first dance request. It’s worth noting that certain types and styles of songs work best for certain bands. If your first dance request is a song that has to have a 10 piece string section then it’s not going to work well when The Milestones play it, because there are no strings in the band. If you have some ideas about certain songs but are unsure if they’d work well played live by the band, just email them over and we’ll get back to you on that.
How can you assure me that the band will measure up to my expectations and be like they are in the video?
If you loved watching the video and listening to the audio (and by the way these were both recorded live) then you’ve got a pretty good idea of what you can expect from The Milestones at your own party. But hey, don’t take our word for it… Hear what some of our clients have to say about The Milestones. Our best advice? Listen to your gut. If it looks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck…then you can be pretty sure it is.
Are you a professional band?
The Milestones are a fully professional function band, which means that they are a well-run outfit. The individual band members are all professional musicians in their own right with impressive CVs in the soul music arena. So when not playing with The Milestones, we support well known acts on tour (from Prince to Nile Rogers), do session work in recording studios and perform together as a band in the music clubs of London’s West End. It’s what we’ve always done in our careers, and we’ve each had hundreds of hours of performing experience. Liam, Scott & Max are The Milestones’ band leaders and they take the role extremely seriously. Their strength is in ensuring that everything runs to a T, and that there is nothing for the client to worry about. Calm, reliable and utterly professional, they are always a pleasure to deal with.
How will I know you’ll turn up?
The Milestones are contracted to maintain all of their equipment – so from PA, to lighting, to the vehicles the band use to get to your event, you can be sure that everything is in top working order. So rest assured you won’t be getting any last minute phone calls from the side of the M11.
How do I know you won’t cancel at the last moment and leave me without a band?
You might be surprised to hear that The Milestones have never had to make a last minute cancellation. That’s right, never. Last minute cancellations are the preserve of semi-professional or amateur bands that pull out when they can’t find a decent replacement if one of the regular musicians is ill or suddenly can’t perform. The Milestones, by contrast, are a professional function band, and in the extremely unlikely event of having to find a last-minute replacement, can draw on our extensive network of professional musicians. So not only are you guaranteed that the band will arrive punctually, look slick and deliver what we say we will… you can feel confident that performance levels will never be compromised.
Will the musicians in the video be the ones at my event?
The Milestones operate almost like a collective, a collective of some of the finest soul musicians in London. Most of the band members you see in the video have been happily performing with The Milestones for a long time. However Liam, Max and Scott, the bands’ leaders have a policy of continual improvement. To that end, they will always be looking to work with new vocalists and musicians. As a great professional function band, The Milestones also ensure that they have deputies for every regular band member. So in the unlikely event that one of the regular members cannot play (e.g. due to illness), there will always be a replacement ready and waiting in the wings.
Will you learn songs not on your repertoire list?
Yes. The band will always try and accommodate one or two requests for songs we don’t currently list in our repertoire. Anything more than that involves a considerable amount of extra work for which there would be a supplement. Let us know what ideas you have in mind.
I don’t want to book a band without seeing them live first.
Check out our Live section for listings. We’d be delighted to add your name to the guest list for any of the shows. If you can’t make a show then spend some time watching the videos and take a look at some of the testimonials. You’ll soon get a good idea as to what The Milestones can do for your event.
Can we use your PA for speeches?
Yes no problem. The Milestones come totally self contained with our own PA, which we will set up for you to use for your speeches. So you won’t have to worry about anything, except making them laugh (we can’t help you with that unfortunately!).
How long does it take you to set up?
The band will work around you to fit in with your schedule, but in an ideal scenario, we would need two hours to set everything up, one clear hour at an absolute minimum.
Do you supply music between sets?
Yes, we can either supply this or you are free to create your own playlist on an iPod and the band will manage the playing of it through our PA system. If you’re having a DJ, we would be only too happy to speak with them before the event and see if there are options to share equipment.
If the band play so many events don’t they get bored playing the same songs?
A great professional function band has to earn their ‘great’. Remaining static in terms of their repertoire and show is therefore not an option. Like any product or service in a competitive market place, great professional function bands need to continually find new ways to differentiate themselves and improve their offering. The band members are deep inside London’s soul and funk scene, also working in their own originals bands. We’re bursting with ideas and creativity. We bring this creativity to The Milestones. This manifests itself in exciting ways such as our take on the Kings of Leon classic ‘Sex on Fire’. Often a new band member is brought in to ‘freshen things up’ and bring some new energy to the band. The high level of musicianship in the band means songs aren’t always played the same way show in show out. With the confidence and experience the band have, we’ll often play a song in a new ‘way’ which gives a new lease of life to the songs.