Solid Steel

Our steel band was born into this less than tropical climate back in 1986, and promptly achieved nationwide popularity. We travel all over the country, and indeed abroad, playing to audiences at events with (or without!) a tropical theme like Caribbean nights, private parties, wedding receptions, corporate events, product and project launches etc. in venues as diverse as hotels, festivals, schools, tv and radio studios, village halls, shopping centres, pubs and restaurants. In so doing, we make it our business for our steel band to transport your imagination to the most idyllic sun and rum-soaked Caribbean holiday you have ever or never had!

History

Steel bands (please don’t refer to them as ‘steel drum bands’- it’s an unwanted Americanism!) have been playing live as wedding bands in the UK since the Fifties when Trinidadians like Russell Henderson and Max Cherrie (Solid Steel bandleader Paul Cherrie’s father) played in steel trios featuring these novel new instruments that had only been ‘invented’ some 20 years earlier in Trinidad. There was no such thing as an all-acoustic 3-piece steel band even in Trinidad back then (with each band member exclusively playing a steel drum) and it hasn’t emerged anywhere else other than in Britain since either. So steel band trios as live wedding music bands or indeed as any kind of ’function band’ are a uniquely British phenomenon and, due to their Afro-Caribbean identity, have always been considered a ‘cool’ alternative to the likes of other live acoustic wedding bands such as string quartets and traditional jazz bands.

Why should you chose Solid Steel:

Excellent reputation
Solid Steel as a live wedding band and as a company have been operating for over 20 years now and enjoys an excellent reputation with all the best professional entertainment agencies, party organisers and wedding planners.

The best sound files
We’ve got the best sound files on small acoustic steel bands in cyberspace. There’s a very simple reason for this. We use the best musicians. Our music is represented by those musicians going into a recording studio and playing the songs ‘live’. So our tracks are honest representations of what we’ll produce in performance.

Flexibility
Solid Steel will always try and cater to your specific needs. We often get specific wedding song requests, particularly if we’re required to play for the wedding service itself. The steel band you book for your wedding will be properly prepared to play the music agreed upon.

Easy payment
We’re very flexible with regards to schedule and even payment terms. Weddings don’t always run on schedule. We know that and we’ll go with the flow during the course of our band’s engagement. Some people also prefer the ‘security’ of paying deposits whilst others are quite comfortable just signing the contracts we issue and paying on their wedding day.

Authentic look
Our ‘look’ is authentic. We’ll look the part for you and we’ll be costumed accordingly.

Realistic views
We won’t accept any bookings that aren’t likely to be successful. Sometimes clients have unrealistic expectations when it comes to live wedding music. For example, somebody may want to have our steel band trio play late on in the wedding reception for dancing. They would need a bigger amplified steel band for that, ideally a group that would include a drummer and vocals and could play some ‘modern’ popular music and include some Bob Marley and UB40 reggae classics for instance. We can play this kind of wedding music very authentically, but only with a larger wedding function band- please take a look at We Be Jammin’! who share several band members with Solid Steel and often work together with them on the same bill . We’re fortunate to be successful enough not to accept a ‘fast buck’ from a wedding client who we feel may be disappointed later on.