We started with a bang for as we saw in the New Year once again at Restaurant 107 in Cranleigh, Surrey. A wonderful place full of fantastic people and some now very familiar faces.A few months later we were invited to perform once again for their Valentine’s Day dinner which was a beautiful evening where we sang for all the lovely couples enjoying their evenings. 

                                        “You guys are fab!! Thank you so much!” Jim Markos 

In March we were asked to perform in London at St James Hotel for a corporate dinner. St James is a beautiful hotel and provided a perfect venue for us to sing at. The guests were lovely and danced the night away to all our favourite party songs! 

April brought around our first wedding of the year. Vintage style weddings are massively in fashion this year and Sophie and Matt’s wedding was no exception to this apart from the fact she also put a twist on it and incorporated an Alice in Wonderland theme too! Very unique! We were asked to performed for their wedding reception in Christchurch, Hampshire. As the very new Mr & Mrs Juniper took to the floor we kicked of the evening by singing their first dance “Thinking out Loud” .We adore this song so it was an honour to sing it for them. All their guests then flooded the dance floor as we sang lots of wedding party classics to celebrate the marriage of this wonderful couple. Thanks for having us!

A few words from Sophie...

“Thank you for performing at our wedding reception! I booked The Nightingales on the strength of their online demo. Being a Professional Singer myself I am very picky and as such it took me a long time to find an act I was happy with!

In the lead up to our wedding day the communication we shared was friendly and accommodating.

On the night they kicked off our evening entertainment by singing our 'first dance' song for us.  They then kept their set upbeat and quirky, which is what I had requested.  This ensured that our guests danced and had fun.  

Their sets really set the party mood for the rest of the evening, and it is down to them that everyone enjoyed themselves and had fun right from the beginning of the night, which is exactly what we wanted.  Our guests thought they were great. I would not hesitate to recommend them.

The new Mrs. Sophie Juniper

It was a busy weekend for us as following such a fun wedding we then zoomed up to Brentwood, Essex to perform at Steve’s 60th Birthday party. This was another wonderful event and full of family, friends and lots of love for Steve. They made us feel very welcome and were a pleasure to perform for. Steve had requested a mix of easy listening jazz, some vintage classics and some songs they could dance to! Thanks for a brilliant afternoon! 

“I cannot praise the Nightingales highly enough. From the point where they were booked they were co-operative and worked with me to agree a time schedule and a song list that fitted our requirements. They remained in contact up to the day and arrived on time. They look and acted professionally. Their music volume was contained at my request at a level where we could all speak normally at a family gathering and later when when asked they raised the performance and blew us away. They were as good in real life as their promotional pictures and sounded better than their demo video. An outstanding performance. It was a genuine pleasure working with you. I wish I had an event a week to offer you! You were fabulous!! They are still talking about you!! Thank you for making our event so special.” Steve Knott

June was all about 1940’s events!  At the beginning of the month we were invited back to Restaurant 107 in Surrey to sing for their first dinner dance event. The live music event was themed 1940’s vintage which was right up our street! We donned our red lipstick, victory rolls, high heels and sang up a storm for all their 1940’s attired dinner dance guests! Super fun!

A few weeks later we were booked to perform in Dartford, Essex for a 1940’s style Street Party to commemorate 70 years since WW2 ended. The Moat Homes staff also were taking part in a sponsored walk from Canterbury to raise money and awareness for local Veterans. We sang our 1940’s vintage songs as the walkers crossed the finish line to much applause from their friends and families and tucked into their fish and chips! It was a very special day that we were proud to perform at. We love our job as we get to be a part of some wonderful events.

Our final vintage event was to return to the Wings and Wheels event in Essex where we performed last year. The crowd is notoriously riotous which makes this gig lots of fun! We had a wonderful evening showcasing some of our new repertoire which went down really well... some clever vintage twists on current pop songs! 

                              Jane Stephenson, Festival Event, Essex

                                                                "Excellent!"

Stow Maries aerodrome was the venue for Richard's 60th birthday party and what a great time we had. This is the only WW1 aerodrome still standing in the country and we really were taken back in time. The guests who all dressed in 1940's style certainly looked the part as they filled the dance floor of this brilliant venue.  

"5/5 The Nightingales were excellent, on time, lovely voices and very professional. They made the party the success it was - fantastic ladies. Their song repertoire suited the event - a birthday party in WW1 aerodrome. One guest commented that they were "stonking" - we totally agree. Very highly recommended"  Jane & Richard Evans

On  a gorgeous sunny Friday afternoon in August we arrived at The Talbot in Dedham, near Colchester, Essex for the wedding of Charlie & Lewis. We set up outside on the stunning green lawn and as the guests arrived from the church, the breeze gently blew and the guests sipped champagne whilst we sang some easy listening tunes to set the tone as we awaited the bride & groom. Charlie and Lewis had the best arrival yet as they sailed up the river from the church, they moored up and as they made their way onto the lawn the guests cheered and they smiled as they heard us singing their request for LOVE, one of their favourites and ours! The time flew and our 2 x 45 minute sets were over before we knew it! We finished the drinks reception to rapturous applause as the guests entered the marquee for the wedding breakfast.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to Emma and Lucy for singing at the wedding! Everyone said how great you were and I really thought that it made the drinks reception on the lawn really special - which was exactly what I wanted. Thank you for making my day fabulous.” Charlie & Lewis

On 20th September Jim and Nora celebrated their 40^th wedding anniversary with their family and friends at the beautiful Burnham Beeches Hotel in Slough, and they booked us to entertain their guests after their celebration lunch had been served. Nora and Jim requested just a 40 minute set but it was made up of their favourite songs, infact many of them had a story behind them, like Hot Hot Hot to remember all the years they spent living in the Argentinian heat in Buenos Aires, they chose our Abba medley as these were firm favourites with their precious Grand-daughters who all enjoyed a good boogie on the dance floor. By the final song everyone was stood up dancing and enjoyed a very special moment as Jim & Nora danced beautifully together to When I fall In Love…..needless to say there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Just beautiful.

“Once again may we thank you and Lucy for such an entertaining performance yesterday. You made a major contribution to our big day. We were delighted and you received many complimentary comments from our guests.” Jim & Nora Wright

It was back to the 1940’s at The Army Reserve centre in Catford and we were booked for the entertainment for one of their annual events.  Everyone looked amazing as they arrived in their 1940’s attire and quickly got into the spirit of the event singing and dancing as we performed 2 x 45 minute sets of 1940’s vintage classics. We gave our final rendition of LOVE and handed over to the DJ,  it was homeward bound for us but the guests stayed on the dance floor throwing some serious shapes!

On Sunday 22^nd Novemeber it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas as we headed to Petworth for the start of our Christmas season. We absolutely love this event and indeed this was our 3^rd returning year.  The Petworth House Christmas fair was this year moved into the grounds, enabling bigger marquees for more amazing sellers and a fantastic marquee for the shoppers to rest their weary feet, enjoy some mulled wine and mice pies and listen to us! We sang 3 x 30 minute sets throughout the day entertaining all the visitors with festive treats. We premiered our version of the Christmas Alphabet  and Santa Claus got stuck up the chimney which went down brilliantly and Rudolf the red nose reindeer was a massive hit as everyone merrily sang along. We can’t wait to return this year!

Amongst all the festive preparations it was lovely to put on our polka dot dresses and perform for a 1940’s themed 90^th Birthday party. The Page family were so lovely as they welcomed us into their home in Ashford Kent. The house was buzzing and all the guests had gone to so much effort, there were soldiers, pilots, land girls and plenty of victory rolls and red lippy! We sang a mixture of classic 1940’s songs and threw in some of our modern songs with a vintage twist for all the younger guests.  This was a request from Sue’s daughters who had found us on google and thought it was great that we could offer something for everyone whilst keeping in with the theme of the party. Our vintage version of “All about the bass” especially was a great hit with all the party goers!  After a fantastic rendition of Happy Birthday from everyone, we hit the road armed with fabulous cupcakes….the perks of performing at parties! Yummy!

For the last 3 years we have spent our Christmas Eve at the beautiful Audleys Wood Hotel in Basingstoke. We were over the moon to be back again for a 4^th year and delighted to entertain all the guests who were checked in to celebrate  Christmas. As the fireplace roared and the guests enjoyed their afternoon tea we sang a lovely selection of festive tunes getting everyone in the mood for the big day.

“Thank you for performing for us on Christmas Eve – we had great feedback from our guests” – Simon Winter – Sales & Events Supervisor

To see out 2015 we were so happy to be back at the fantastic Restaurant 107 in beautiful Cranleigh, Surrey. As in previous years, Jim Markos and his wonderful team put on an incredible evening with an amazing 7 course menu and created an atmosphere perfect for New Years Eve. The dance floor was full all evening as a we sang a mixture of songs from the Andrew’s sisters In the mood to Sam Smiths I’m not the only one, there really was something for everyone.  We have since found out this was to be our last New Year’s Eve at Restaurant 107 as it has now been sold. We wish Jim all the best for whatever is around the corner and very much look forward to working with him again in the not too distant future.

                            Here’s to 2016 and a fantastc year ahead for The Nightingales!

And what a jolly Christmas season we had. We were very busy bees over the festive season so have decided to blog all our events together. Our gorgeous red coats and fur hats got their first wearing on 20th November when we returned to the stunning Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. We were delighted to be asked back by Living Crafts for their amazing 3 day fair of Christmas crafts and gifts. We entertained the visitors throughout the day with our wonderful christmas sets, really getting them in the christmas spirit and indeed many sang along. On Friday 21st, the lovely Kirstie Allsop was also at Blenheim Palace with production company Raise the Roof as they were filming her christmas special of "Kirstie's Handmade Christmas" We were really excited to be part of this and even more excited when we saw ourselves on the telly!

"Thanks for the great job you did for us - there was a fantastic atmosphere in the entrance marquee with your singing." Julie Jenner - Living Crafts.

After 3 lovely days in Oxfordshire we headed off to Surrey and the beautiful Petworth House for their annual Christmas fair. The heavens had truly opened and the outdoor area where we we had performed last year resembled a small pond and was more suited to a family of ducks than two Nightingales! However, the show must go on and we found ourselves a new spot at the entrance of one of the marquees and sang our little hearts out spreading the christmas cheer, and even the rain couldn't stop people smiling and singing along, especially when we sang 'The hippopotamus song'!

We love a black tie event and on the 10th December we put away our red coats for the evening as we entertained the employees of AXA PPP Healthcare at their Christmas party. The guests enjoyed a fantastic sit down meal at the stunning Jeremy's restaurant just outside Haywards Heath in West Sussex. We sang some chilled easy listening sets with a handful of festive tunes thrown in for good measure!

"Great evening entertainment - really enjoyed ourselves" - Caroline Hobden - AXA PPP Healthcare

We were delighted to be booked by Leeds Castle on the 11th, 16th, 19th, and 22nd December to be part of their Christmas Market season. We sang on our very own bandstand at the heart of the market surrounded by ferris wheels, magic carousels, beautiful reindeers and lots of little German style chalets selling all sorts of wonderful xmas gifts. We sang two sets during the day to entertain the crowds as they took a rest from the shopping and enjoyed the fabulous hog roasts and not forgetting the mulled wine. It was the perfect setting and really got everyone in the mood for the Christmas season. We're looking forward to next year all ready!

"I just wanted to drop you a quick email to say thank you very much for playing at our Christmas market. The event was a brilliant success with over 40,000 visitors over the Christmas period. The Nightingales added to the whole experience and provided a lovely atmosphere for our visitors.

We were really pleased with your performance and professionalism and hope that you would be interested in coming back to see us next year." Katie Simpson - Events Assistant, Leeds Castle.

On 13th December we took a road trip down to sunny Hastings in Sussex. We took to the stage entertaining all the Christmas shoppers as they hit the shops! We were part of the towns festive weekend, little ones and grown ups were enjoying the ice rink, there were husky dogs, Santa and his helpers and at one point there was even snow! And of course there was plenty of singing.

After last years awful weather and the lovely Audleys Wood Hotel losing all their power we never made it to our Christmas Eve gig so we were thrilled to return this year and perform for the guests who would be celebrating Christmas at this stunning hotel. The guests enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea as we sang a selection of fun festive songs, really getting everyone in the christmas spirit and excited for the big day! 

"Thank you very much for performing again for us on Christmas Eve – the feedback we received from our guests has been very positive." Simon Winter - Sales & Events Supervisor

We had a fantastic end to 2014 as we returned to the fabulous Restaurant 107 in Cranleigh, Surrey. As always, Jim was an amazing host, the guests arrived to a champagne reception and we sang some jazzy classics to set the mood. As the guests came to the end of their mouth watering 7 course meal we got back to the mics and really got the party started. They were a fantastic crowd and the dance floor was always full as we sang a real mixture of 1940's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's and current hits! They were really throwing some shapes and it was lovely to come together as Big Ben struck 12 and everyone joined us in a rousing version of Auld Langs Syne! Just brilliant! When it came for us to finish, they wanted more so we gave them an encore of "Can't take my eyes off of you" which sent them singing and dancing all the way home! All good things must come to an end but we will be back Restaurant 107.

It was a rainy, gloomy saturday evening as we drove to the quaint little village of Abington Piggots, near Royston in Cambridgeshire but inside was a different story as family and friends gathered for the fabulous Andy's 50th birthday. The room was full of laughter, love and plenty of smiles as we sang the night away. We sang a mixture of our vintage and jazzy pop songs to cover all tastes and the wondeful feedback we have just received shows a great night was had by all! 

"The Nightingales entertained at my 50th birthday party last saturday (8th November) in my local village hall, a smallish venue, they brought all their own equipment and set up quickly and efficiently and all they needed was a 3 pin plug. The ladies were immaculately turned out and were incredibly friendly. They were fantastic! They sang songs that were really appropriate for the audience, and my guests and I thoroughly enjoyed them. Throughout the evening, so many people asked me "where did you find them?" I strongly suspect they will be invited back to my village by others. I would recommend them without hesitation. Thanks again both for making my 50th a very memorable and entertaining evening." - Andy Edwards

On Sunday 21st September we took a road trip up to Cropredy in Oxfordshire. This beautiful village is home of the long running music festival Fairport Convention but Sunday was all about the Vintage Tea Party! Whilst we entertained the guests with songs from the 1940's  they enjoyed a splendid vintage afternoon tea of sandwiches, cakes, homemade jams & chutneys all washed down with perfectly brewed tea and some glasses of fizz! This wonderful event was organised to raise money for the incredible Macmillan nurses and it really was a fantastic afternoon. 

 "So what can we say about the fabulous The Nightingales?!   We thought a vintage tea party would be a great alternative to a coffee morning to raise funds for Macmillan. What we needed was some fantastic vintage musical entertainment to bring the whole afternoon together and we thought who would be more perfect than The Nightingales!!  They delivered everything we hoped for and more!   We had a packed venue with a great atmosphere and everyone left with a smile on their face.  If you are looking for a professional, sophisticated act to bring your party together, no matter what the theme, look no further than the versatile duo The Nightingales. You will not be disappointed!

Thank you The Nightingales you made our day and helped raise a very handsome sum for charity "

Sue Cherry and friends on behalf of Macmillan Vintage Tea Party, Cropredy, Oxfordshire