Sideline Swing is a large group with a sound to match, so it is important to take these into consideration when having us play.
Our sound carries, so the whole neighbourhood will be listening along, especially for outdoor events. This can be a real bonus when trying to draw people into a public event.
Indoors, where sound gets trapped, we can’t easily play “quiet background music”, so conversation will be affected. If you want some relaxed jazz playing quietly while you eat dinner, we may be too loud for you. You can either arrange the tables so they are further from the band, or save us for when everyone is ready to get up and dance.
We generally need a minimum of 9 square metres (we prefer a minimum of 3m x 3m, but the bigger the better) for the musicians while they are performing, plus some nearby offstage storage space for cases and personal items. If your stage or performance area is smaller or has a different layout, let us know and we’ll see how it can be made to work. We have performed in some very small spaces, but these may require special handling.
We have everything we need to perform, including a PA system and amplifiers for the rhythm section, vocals and soloist microphones. We require access to power points for these. We can provide a generator, if required. This will be noisy and will need additional space, so need to be factored in to your staging plans. If you have a keyboard, drumkit, amplifiers, or a PA already provided (by the venue or another group), we are happy to use this if it is appropriate for our sound requirements.
If you have your own MC, would like to use our PA for speeches, or to play music at other times in the event, we can usually oblige. We are also happy to work with other performers you may have at your event, to make transitions as seamless as possible. If you won’t have a stage manager coordinating, just let us know if someone else will be playing before or after us and we can even liaise directly with them.
For outdoor events, we can provide out own gazebo for shade, and will usually store our cases behind or beside the performance area (unless another space is provided). We like to keep the performance area tidy, both for safety and visual appeal, so having somewhere to discretely stash our cases is always welcome.
We will usually have 3-4 vehicles needing parking/access to the stage area for gear being set up and packed down. The PA is very heavy, so elevator and/or ramp access is preferred if we will not be on the ground floor, and we need wide enough access for carrying the PA and cases in all venues.
Unless you specifically request shorter sets, Sideline Swing perform in blocks of roughly 45-50 minutes per hour of stage time. So for a 2 hour event, the band would usually play for 50 minutes, then take a break of approximately 15-20 minutes before performing for another 50 minutes. We will put some music through the PA during the break. This break is also a great time for speeches or announcements. Some form of light refreshments during the break (even just something to drink and packet of bickies to share) will help the band keep their energy up for the next set.
