Live Karaoke for Carol and Antonio’s Joint 40th Birthday in Harrow
The Live Karaoke Band headed to The Castle in Harrow on Saturday 3 October for a live karaoke birthday party celebrating Carol and Antonio Weiss's joint 40th.
The Live Karaoke Band headed to The Castle in Harrow on Saturday 3 October for Carol and Antonio Weiss's joint 40th birthday party, with two hours of live karaoke, a room full of guest singers and a couple of very special performances planned in advance.
By the end of the night, guests had requested everything from ABBA and Dolly Parton to Wheatus, No Doubt and Amy Winehouse. But getting to the party had involved a little more planning than usual.
Live karaoke at The Castle in Harrow
The Castle had hosted live bands before, but the venue needed us to be mindful of sound levels and had a strict 10pm live music curfew.
Neither presented a problem. Our drummer used hot rods rather than conventional drumsticks, helping to reduce the acoustic volume of the kit while keeping the feel and energy of a fully live five-piece band.
With guests arriving from 6pm and food being served from 7pm, Carol and Antonio planned for the live music to begin at around 7.45pm. That gave us plenty of time to get everyone involved before the 10pm curfew.
Two special songs for Carol and Antonio
Our Samurai package includes up to two special song requests for the band to learn, and Carol and Antonio had each chosen one for their birthday.
Carol picked Always by Bon Jovi, which she wanted to sing herself later in the evening.
Antonio chose Hard to Explain by The Strokes, but his request came with an extra twist.
One of Antonio's best friends was also his former school-band mate, and they wanted the opportunity to play together again. Antonio would take the vocals while his friend Sal joined us behind the drum kit.
We don't normally allow guests to use the band's instruments, for fairly obvious reasons, but our drummer Stu was happy to make an exception after we'd checked everything with him beforehand. Sal joined the band on drums, using hot rods in keeping with the venue's sound requirements, while Antonio took the microphone.
A 40th birthday seemed like a pretty good occasion for getting the old band back together for one more song.
Then the live karaoke requests started arriving
The rest of the running order was largely handed over to the guests.
Our live karaoke request system lets guests scan QR codes displayed around the venue and browse the current song list on their phones. They choose what they'd like to sing, submit their name and song, and the requests appear instantly for our singer and host to manage.
It didn't take long for Carol and Antonio's guests to get involved.
Early requests included Dancing Queen by ABBA, followed by a duet of Don't Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John and Kiki Dee and Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus.
As the evening continued, we had Jolene by Dolly Parton, a group performance of Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison, Don't Speak by No Doubt, Valerie by Amy Winehouse and Take On Me by A-ha.
That's one of our favourite things about live karaoke. We know which songs we've rehearsed, but we don't know what we're going to be playing next until the guests tell us.
Why a live karaoke birthday party works
Birthday parties are particularly well suited to live karaoke because the entertainment naturally becomes part of the celebration.
Some guests want their moment fronting the band on their own. Others bring a friend up for a duet or persuade a whole group to join them. And, occasionally, someone gets the chance to perform with an old bandmate again many years later.
Everyone else gets to watch their friends and family become the entertainment for the evening, while our singer and host keeps the requests moving and our professional musicians provide the live backing.
Thank you to Carol and Antonio for inviting us to celebrate both of their 40th birthdays with them, and to everyone who got up and sang with us at The Castle.
If you're planning a milestone birthday of your own and like the idea of putting your guests centre stage, find out more about The Live Karaoke Band for private parties, explore our live karaoke song list or get in touch about your event.
