The Debonairs Swing, rat pack and jazz standards with line-up options to suit all budgets

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Price Guide

Available to book from £225. For an accurate quote please make an enquiry.

About / Biography

The Debonairs perform swing and jazz standards with a number of line ups to suit any budget or event. The band includes some of the Midlands best performers: Rich Hughes on piano, Alison Bennett on guitar, Simon Smith on bass and Miles Levin on drums, and the vocals come from internationally renowned swing singer Ben Harpwood with optional sultry vocals in French and English from Alison Bennet.

We have performed at a huge array of events including 5 star hotels in Cyprus and Tahiti, Hampton Court Palace, public events such as vintage Bugatti and dressage festivals, corporate events such as product launches and exhibitions, and many private events such as weddings and parties.

Our repertoire can be tailored to meet any need, for example we can up the tempo by performing swing versions of classic pop songs such as Billie Jean if required, and we are happy to consider requests, such as a particular favourite song for a first dance ( recent requests include City Of Stars, Wonderful Tonight and Book Of Love).

We can perform in a variety of combinations, Ben is happy to sing solo to backing tracks (which is the minimum price); duos include either Ben and Rich on piano, or Ben and Alison on guitar with songs sung with harmonies; with other options to suit your budget up to the full six piece line- up including both vocalists and a saxophonist.

Reviews (3)

There are currently 3 user ratings for The Debonairs

AVERAGE RATING

10 / 101

Location

Based in Birmingham, West Midlands

Will travel up to 100 miles
green circle = areas covered (up to 100 miles)
pink circle = free travel (up to 10 miles)
Please note that the circles shown on the map are calculated "as the crow flies". By road distances may vary, so please get in touch for an accurate quote.

A Foggy Day in London Town

Ain't Misbehavin'

All of Me

All or Nothing at All

As Time Goes By

Autumn in New York

Besame Mucho

Bewitched

Beyond The Sea

Blue Moon

Blue Skies

Body and Soul

Buona Sera

Bye Bye Blackbird

Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Charleston

Cheek to Cheek

City of Stars (from La La Land)

Come Fly With Me

Dream a Little Dream of Me

Embraceable You

Every Time We Say Goodbye

Feeling Good

Fever

Five Foot Two, Eyes Of Blue

Fly Me To the Moon

Get Happy

Girl from Ipanema

Hallelujah, I Love Her So

I Could Write A Book

I Could Have Danced All Night

I Get A Kick Out of You

I Get Along Without You

In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning

I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself A Letter

It Don't Mean A Thing

It Had to be You

It's Alright With Me

I Get A Kick Out of You

I've Got You Under Your Skin

I've Got the World on a String

Just a Gigolo

Just One of Those Things

Lady is a Tramp

Just One of Those Things

Let There By Love

L-O-V-E

Love Letters

Love and Marriage

Let's Face the Music and Dance

Love for Sale

Mack The Knife

Mona Lisa

Moon River

My Baby Just Cares For Me

My Funny Valentine

My Way

Nature Boy

New York, New York

Nice Work if you Can Get It

Night and Day

Oh Marie

Our Love is Here To Stay

On The Street Where You Live

Pennies From Heaven

Puttin On The Ritz

Route 66

September Song

Smile

Some Enchanted Evening

Something Stupid

Star Dust

Strangers In The Night

Summertime

Summer Wind

Sunny Side of the Street

Sweet Lorraine

That's Life

That Old Black Magic

The Continental

The Way You Look Tonight

They Can't Take That Away from Me

Unforgettable

Witchcraft

What a Wonderful World

When I Fall in Love

You Make Me Feel So Young

Technical Info

What are your basic technical requirements?

We can perform in a variety of line-ups suited to different events and budgets. We're happy to perform outdoors but we will always need a power socket (we can run a 25m extension cable if needed) and some robust cover for our electrical equipment in case of rain.


Do you provide sound and lighting equipment?

Yes - we have an excellent PA that is scalable for events from 40-400 people. We also have full disco lighting and can run Spotify discos for after our performance if required.


What information do you require about a venue?

Any special directions/access requirements. The name of the venue contact if there is one and their contact number eg the wedding organiser. Any sound limiters in place. Any specific venue requirements eg PLI certificate


Can you provide a Spotify/DJ service before and between your sets?

Yes - we run this from Spotify. Lots of clients go for this option.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best gig you've ever done and the best venue you've ever played at?

The most high profile person we have ever performed in front of was The Queen, but we have performed at countless events where there have been many very well known people.


Which artists have you been most influenced by, who is your favourite artist and what is the greatest song of all time?

Frank Sinatra might be the main influence, but Dean Martin's laid back style is probably more in keeping the The Debonairs style. We also love Michael Buble and his humour! Because we also offer a female vocalist option we love to perform vintage duets such as Anything You Can Do and Baby It's Cold Outside.


What's your previous experience and how did you start gigging?

Every member of the The Debonairs is a full-time professional musician and has been gigging for well over twenty years. The Debonairs has been going for over ten years. The band is basically a super-group of the best of Birmingham's jazz musicians - we knew each other from the circuit and decided to put our skills into creating an excellent jazz/swing band.


What's your favourite type of event to play at?

We're really happy to perform at any event. Weddings give us a buzz because they're always such happy occasions, but we also love a big public event where there are big crowds eg sports or horse racing event.

Performance Info

What are your typical setup and performance times?

We usually require an hour to set up, however for large events where the drums need to be miked this will be longer.


Are you happy to perform outside?

Yes, but we will require robust cover for our instruments and electrical gear in case of rain (it never rains when we play though!). We also need a power socket somewhere within approx 25m.


Do the clients have a say in what you play or is it a set repertoire list only?

We're really happy to take requests. To be honest the song list on our profile is nowhere near the number of songs we can perform, it just gives a flavour...


How do previous clients most commonly describe your performances?

Clients seem to love that we try to adapt our act to their specific event, eg we recently played an Argentinian Tango, Ben tries to include bride and grooms names into the songs etc

Recent Clients

The Debonairs has performed for these clients:

National Motorcycle Museum

UK Bugatti Club

Birmingham Frankfurt Market

Moonlight & Mistletoe

Brownsword Group

Asda

Venues

The Debonairs has performed at these venues:

Countless hotels and country houses

Race tracks and courses eg Cheltenham

Contact

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