Set in the beautiful Stoke countryside is a small village called Endon. Nestled in the hills is the most charming venue called The Ashes. The Ashes is a venue run by the company ENSARB Estates who also have Pendrall Hall and Mill Barns as part of their portfolio.
The Ashes is an Award winning country estate boasting stunning views over the Staffordshire countryside. The barn is gorgeous, rustic and charming but incredible elegant with its chic feel.
The live band music agancy Apollo Live have recently become suppliers for ENSARB and provide a range of birthday and wedding entertainment packages for couples seeking live music. Mill Barns is the latest venue to be managed by the company; Apollo Soul play here regularly with around 60 shows booked annually.
Apollo Soul were the chosen entertainment for this evening, providing a bespoke package of evening wedding entertainment throughout the night. The clients had seen the band previous to booking on numerous occasions. Firstly the bride attended an end of year awards ceremony for BCU PGCE students 2 years ago and has since attended numerous public events.
Tonight, Apollo Soul SIX are the band consisting of 6 members; Drums, Guitar, Saxophone, Piano and two vocalists. This dynamic lineup performs a quality mix from a high-end repertoire spanning 3 decades. Songs including, Aint Nobody, How will I know and Relight my fire. These guys certainly know how to do it as the dance floor was packed throughout the entire first set. The first set was then followed by an hour interval. At this point the venue serves evening food (a BBQ) and the DJ who is supplied as part of all Apollo Soul packages played a range of songs to keep the guests entertained.
The second set is a real eye opener, the band perform some absolute classic tracks such as All night long, Sweet child o mine, Lady Marmalade, Dance with somebody and many more. The guests love the experience, some commenting on how incredible the band sound. This seems to be due to the sheer volume of work these guys do, plus the equipment is of the highest professional standard. The RCF speakers certainly pack a punch, but more impressively deliver a smooth and well-rounded sound to the audience. Another impressive piece of kit was the use of an iPad to mix the sound. It would appear that the digital mixing desk was supported by an app, which could be controlled with ease out front. This ensured that the sound was excellent throughout the evening and quick changes can be made to keep within the venues sound limiter.
Following a fantastic second set the band had prepared a surprise for the bride and groom. Welcomed to the stage again was the saxophone player and drummer sporting a set of bongos. This duo performed a set of Ibiza classics with the DJ and the crowd loved it. There isn’t another wedding band offering this level of performance and value of money anywhere.
This wedding has been fantastic, and the evening was made by the performance of Apollo Soul, I cant wait to see these guys at the next one.