Party band

Colonel Spanky's Love Ensemble

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Colonel Spanky's Love Ensemble in action

About Colonel Spanky's Love Ensemble

Expect something brand spanking new: knees-up dancing, raucous rapping, sexy saxophoning, rock-star guitar solos... a right old shindig.
Party band
Cambridge
Verified profile

Colonel Spanky's Love Ensemble is a home-grown Cambridge party band. With no real musical direction apart from playing some sick, danceable tunes, we'll twist anything from New Orleans Riot Jazz to smooth Soul and classic Funk (and even 00's R&B) into the unique Colonel Spanky's sound. If you want any of this...: "knees-up dancing, crazy sing-alongs, raucous rapping, sexy saxophoning, rock-star guitar solos, a mahoossive sousaphone...and if you're good, crowd surfing" ...then please get in touch! Sexy.

Encore badges
5 gigs
Experienced: 5 bookings through Encore
Saved the day!
Booked for an Encore gig with less than 24 hours’ notice
8th Anniversary
This act has been working with Encore for over 8 years
Musicianship
Genres:
Jazz, Swing, Modern jazz, Jazz fusion, Postmodern jukebox jazz, Pop, Covers, Funk rock, Funk, Soul, Motown, R&B, Vintage, Disco, Rock 'n' Roll, Ska, Reggae
See all genres
Event types:
Private event, Wedding, Wedding proposal, Funeral / Memorial service, Hotel / Restaurant event, Bar / Club / Venue event, Corporate event, Charity event, Concert, Cruise, Burns night, Birthday party, Christmas party, New Year's Eve
See all event types

Colonel Spanky's Love Ensemble's Song list

-- Modern Pop --
Sax - Fleur East
Shut Up and Dance With Me - Walk the Moon
This Girl - Kungs
Ride - 21 Pilots
Bad Guy - Billie Eilish
Treasure - Bruno Mars
Love Never Felt So Good - Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake
Titanium - David Guetta ft Sia
Forget You - Cee Lo Green
Lean On - Major Lazer & DJ Snake
Think About Things - Dadi Freyr
Blinding Lights - The Weeknd
Rude - MAGIC!
Cake By The Ocean - DNCE
My Type - Saint Motel
10/10 - Paolo Nutini
Closer - Lemaitre
Take You Dancing - Jason Derulo
Don't Start Now - Dua Lipa
Paradise - George Ezra
Cuff It - Beyonce
Watermelon Sugar - Harry Styles
XS - Rina Sawayama
--Modern Rock--
Mr Brightside - The Killers
Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
--Latin Fusion--
Livin' La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin
Smooth - Santana
--2000s--
Put Your Records On - Corinne Bailey Rae
Love Machine - Girls Aloud
Stacey's Mom - Fountains of Wayne
Accidentally In Love - Counting Crows
5 Colours In Her Hair - McFly
Goodbye Mr A - The Hoosiers
LDN - Lily Allen
Move Your Feet - Junior Senior
Crazy In Love - Beyonce
Toxic - Britney Spears
F*** You - Lily Allen
Murder On The Dancefloor - Sophie Ellis-Bextor
--1990s--
Man! I Feel Like A Woman - Shania Twain
Can't Get You Out Of My Head - Kylie Minogue
The Vengabus/Boom Boom Boom Boom - Vengaboys
Don't Speak - No Doubt
All Star - Smash Mouth
Hey Arthur theme song - Ziggy Marley
Angels - Robbie Williams
Barbie Girl - Aqua
--1980s--
Don't You Want Me - The Human League
It Must Be Love - Madness
Walking On Sunshine - Katrina and the Waves
9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
Call Me Al - Paul Simon
Come On Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners
We Built This City - Starship
Living On A Prayer - Bon Jovi
Take On Me - A-Ha
Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) - Eurythmics
It's Raining Men - The Weather Girls
The Time of My Life - from Dirty Dancing
I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Whitney Houston
99 Luftballons - Nena
Holding Out For a Hero - Bonnie Tyler
Funky Town - Lipps Inc.
Kiss - Prince
--1970s--
Video Killed the Radio Star - The Buggles
Grease - Frankie Valli
December, 1963 - The Four Seasons
Blame It On The Boogie - Jackson 5
Mr Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra
Escape (Pina Colada song)- Rupert Holmes
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
Are You Ready for Love - Elton John
Pasttime Paradise - Stevie Wonder
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) - Abba
Tragedy - The Bee Gees
September - Earth, Wind & Fire
Ra Ra Rasputin - Boney M.
Come and Get Your Love - Redbone
Voulez-Vous - Abba
Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton
Ballroom Blitz - The Sweet
Changes - David Bowie
Killing Me Softly With His Song - in the style of Youngblood Brass Band
(This Will Be) An Everlasting Love - Natalie Cole
--1960s--
I Want You Back - Jackson 5
Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Frankie Valli
Ain't Got No (I Got Life) - Nina Simone
Twist and Shout - The Beatles
Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison/Reel Big Fish
Build Me Up Buttercup - The Foundations
Higher and Higher - Jackie Wilson
I'm A Believer - The Monkees (in the style of Smash Mouth)
--Soul--
I'm Coming Out - Diana Ross
Redbone - Childish Gambino
Son Of A Preacher Man - Dusty Springfield
Tears Dry On Their Own - Amy Winehouse
Back to Black - Amy Winehouse
--Hip-Hop--
Thrift Shop - Macklemore
--Ska--
Sell Out - Reel Big Fish
She Has a Girlfriend Now - Reel Big Fish
In The Mood For Ska - The Skatalites
--Swing--
Pencil Full Of Lead - Paolo Nutini
This Must Be The Place - Talking Heads/Post Modern Jukebox
--Alternative/Various--
Hello - The Cat Empire
Brooklyn - Youngblood Brass Band
Tu Vuo Fa L'Americano - Yolanda Be Cool/Renato Carosone
Friend Like Me - from "Aladdin"
Tous Les Memes - Stromae
You Are The Best Thing - Ray LaMontagne
All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey
"Shregamix" - a compilation of iconic tunes from the "Shrek" movies
Dumbest Girl Alive - 100 gecs
S&M/Creep - mashup of Radiohead and Rihanna
Tracy Beaker's Dilemma - mashup of Nelly and the Tracy Beaker soundtrack
Tiggle Diggle Tiggle Miggle - mashup of Talk Dirty To Me and Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle
Customer questions

What do your clients love most about your performances?

Our outlandish coordinated dance moves on stage! And the fact that 99% of our audience know 99% of our songs - they're designed to get everyone up and grooving!

Which venues have you performed at in the past?

Cambridge: the Corn Exchange, almost every single college's May Ball, The Portland Arms, The Blue Moon, Anstey Hall Hotel, Cambridge Pride, Strawberry Fair. UK: Camp Bestival - Dorset, Knebworth House - Stevenage, Strawberries & Creem Festival, Ace Hotel London, Henley Rowing Museum, De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms +100s more! Europe: Steel House Copenhagen.

Which artists have you been most influenced by?

Hot 8 Brass Band, Reel Big Fish, Beyoncé

What is the most high profile gig you've performed?

St. John's College May Ball is allegedly the 7th best party in the world...and we've played at it every single year for the past 7 years!

Will the singer be the same as who I see in the videos?

99% of the time, the line-up you see is what you get on the night. We do have pre-audititioned 'dep' musicians available in case a band member falls ill or is unavailable. As a professional band our reputation means everything so you can be confident that all of our players are of a very high level. [Edit: as of August 2023 we have a new singer, Zoe!]

Do you have different line-up options?

We operate best as a 10-piece, and as such we never deliberately "shrink" the band. However, there are occasions when we do not have full duplication of horn players due to absences, and in those circumstances we can perform with fewer people. We never perform with less than 7 players though!

What if my timings change after I've booked you?

We always try our best to be flexible to help ensure your event runs as smoothly as possible. If timings change slightly in the run up to the event just let us know.

Can you provide an iPod/DJ service before and between your sets?

Absolutely. This is a really popular request and we actually offer this service for free. If you'd like to continue using our PA for a playlist after the final set until the venue closes, we can provide this for an additional hourly fee. We'd always recommend getting a local DJ in to keep the party going though!

How much time do you need to set up?

We need at least 30 minutes to set up, but we usually try to leave at least an hour to allow for last minute changes. We usually aim to arrive about 1 to 1.5 hours before the performance time. As soon as our PA is set up we can provide a free playlist service to help set the atmosphere and get your guests ready for our live performance!

Can I pick the songs you play from the set list?

Our set lists are crafted from countless performances and learning what works best to ensure guests dance and have an amazing time. However, we're certainly happy to share our repertoire with you and see if there are any tunes that you would definitely like to have included.

Is all of the equipment (e.g. PA & lighting) included in your quote?

Yes, we include PA and lighting in the quote. If you have these already that you'd prefer us to use, let us know and we can adjust our quote accordingly.

Can you learn song requests before the event?

If a song isn't included in our song list there may still be a chance we already know it, so it's always worth asking. If there is a special song you'd like us to learn we are generally happy to do this for you. There is a fee of £300 for this service to take into account the extra rehearsal time and arrangement of the new sheet music.

Colonel Spanky's Love Ensemble's Prices

Note: prices may vary based on travel distance. For an exact quote, click “Check availability”.

Standard Prices
Performance durationPrice

Add-ons

Custom song arrangement
+£250
Colonel Spanky's Love Ensemble
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5 out of 5
4 verified reviews
Satisfaction
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5.0
Professionalism
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5.0
Communication
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5.0
Punctuality
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5.0

Colonel Spanky's Love Ensemble's Reviews

From Encore customers:

KP
Katie P
1 year ago
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5 out of 5

There aren't enough stars in the world for CSLE. They were professional from start to finish, and played the perfect mix of songs for our big queer wedding celebration. I want to get married again just so they can perform! You won't find a better band on this site.

Reply from Colonel Spanky's Love Ensemble
1 year ago

Thank you so much! We want to play your wedding all over again too 🥰

EM
Elizabeth M
1 year ago
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5 out of 5

Colonel Spanky's were prompt and accommodating throughout the planning process. On the night everything ran so smoothly and the song choices were just perfect. We had the best evening celebrating our wedding and dancing away to the brilliant music

R
Richard W
2 years ago
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5 out of 5

Very happy - only comment is they should have flagged that 3 of the 10 musicians weren’t coming. But they were very professional and we enjoyed it.

CG
Catherine G
4 years ago
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5 out of 5

Amazing way to help celebrate my birthday! Thank you Colonel Spanky’s!