Are you looking for a killer band to make your big day unforgettable? Amber Lights are a new wedding and function band who are already amongst the best wedding bands Scotland has to offer. Read on and get acquainted!
1. Describe your band in 3 words
Fun, Funky Pop
2. What made you get into music?
For most of us, music was a part of our childhood, whether it was our siblings, parents, or both playing some kind of instrument around us. We all chose different paths, different instruments and got into different kinds of music (blues for some, folk for others, electronic music, and funk as well), but somehow all ended up in the tightly knit Scottish music network.
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3. What are your hobbies and do they inspire your music?
We all have very different hobbies. Some of us do sports (tennis, squash, golf, skiing), some of us do acting (musical theatre and amateur theatre), some are even into toy construction, game design, coding, and hiking, and camping.
All these hobbies are definitely reflected in the music, most importantly in the song choices and our arrangement of them. I know a lot of film and video game music definitely influences the brass parts whilst camping and hiking have definitely brought in folk influences into the rhythm section.
4. How many events have you played at?
As Amber Lights we have done 4 events so far, as touring musicians, we play usually once to twice a week, every week throughout the year, so there is quite a lot of performing experience there.
5. What’s the most difficult song to play and why?
Hard to say - I would say that there are a few songs that are harder in different ways. With songs like “Don’t Look Back In Anger” you really want to get the lyrics right as well as the melody, because it’s so familiar. Songs like “Funkytown” took a long time to put together, simply because it was difficult to get a really good understanding of the feel of it, and finally songs like “Feeling Good” are of course difficult due to the demanding vocal part.
6. The most memorable venue you’ve performed at and why?
Individually, some of us have even played at the Royal Albert Hall with brass bands, which was of course an incredible experience due to the venue and the crowd. Together we all share one great memory of a show at a remote venue “Bar Brg” last year which completely sold out, the place was packed, everyone was dancing and the atmosphere was fantastic.
7. Best song / piece of music ever and why?
Let’s Dance by David Bowie – the song just has everything, it's funky, it's catchy, it's got some great solos, there’s brass in it, and it's great to dance to. We love playing that song.
8. What’s your favourite part of a wedding?
Hmm tough to say, so many highlights. The endings are always fun to watch, to see everyone come together and share this beautiful moment as friends and family, in fact newly formed family, is very wholesome, and reminds you of why this tradition is still here and loved by so many.
9. What music-related advice would you give anyone looking for a band or a wedding / event?
I would say try and get a chance to see the band live – everyone has such a unique dynamic within the Music for Scotland roster and this really comes through in the live performances. You can also get an idea of the setlist a little better and how the band has chosen to put them together.
10. What are your rehearsals generally like?
We rehearse for two hours every single week, we usually start by learning a few new tunes to expand the setlist, after which we go over the content that we played the week before and discuss whether we want to change any aspects. We always like to close the rehearsal on a high, giving everybody a chance to do some improvisation and jam out a bit.
11. The funniest thing to happen to you at a gig / wedding
My guitar amp caught on fire once during a gig, with actual smoke coming out of it. It was nothing too intense but at the time it seemed unbelievable. We ended up working around it and still had a blast, but that was certainly an unexpected turn.
13. Any wedding hacks?
Don’t underestimate the power of group and line dancing. Macarena, ChaCha Slide, Slosh, ceilidh are all great crowd-pleasers.
14. Describe a typical Day In The Life Of your band (on an event day)
The band always travels in two groups; the Leith crew and the Gorgie crew. The Leith crew pack the gear together into the car, and then travels up, meeting up with the others along the way. In the car, we usually catch up, have fun, and finally do some small music warm-ups to get us into the zone.
When we arrive things have to be pretty quick on account of the band being quite big. We set up as quickly as we can and then finally perform the set.
15. Best way to motivate a shy crowd?
I’ve always felt that ceilidhs are a great way to get people on the dance floor. They are wonderfully inclusive and get everyone moving.
16. Do you have any signature dance moves?
Every member of the band does like to Shuffle I have to say, and over time, each of us has evolved their Shuffle into a somewhat similar but still unique way of Shuffling.
Fancy Amber Lights Shuffling at your wedding? Enquire now for their availability.