Blag play a variety of Celtic and World music, from Irish Ballads and Scottish Jigs to Flamenco and Gypsy Jazz. They perform in festivals throughout Europe. All the musicians are professionals that have trained at music college, made records and have performed on T.V. and radio, including 'Loose Ends' on Radio 4.
Michael Pinsky started playing the fiddle at six. He has played in folk groups in Scotland from the age of 11 who’s members have become players in leading Scottish bands such a ‘Capercaille’ and ‘Shoogleniffty’ and with leading jazz players such a Courtney Pine in the ‘Grand Union Orchestra’. His ability to play both folk and jazz creates a unique fiddle style.
David Morgan played acoustic guitar with ‘Golage’, in Brighton, which later formed ‘Stomp’ an extremely successful percussion, performance group that have toured the world, playing on Broadway in New York and the Royal Festival Hall in London. His vast range of techniques, from bluegrass fingerpicking to a driving syncopated Irish rhythm style gives a rich harmony to Blag repertoire.
Ade Harris was a member of the influential punk group ‘Peter and the Test Tube Babies’. His playing provides the power-house behind the Blag sound.
Blag are based in London regularly playing Balls, Weddings, Parties and Corporate Events.
James Whale exclaimed when he heard us that “Blag play the most eclectic mix of music I have ever heard” on Drive Time LCB 97.3
Ned Sherrin commented that "Blag have been delighting audiences with their feisty mix gypsy jazz and groovesome celtic folk" on Loose Ends Radio 4 when we played a surprise song for Melvyn Bragg.
Danny Godfrey, music organiser for the Queen's College (Cambridge) May Ball wrote; "Blag's music was irresistibly danceable. Their energetic and extremely skilled performance created a highly festive air. Their interpretations of folk music were as original as it was entertaining. I would not hesitate in recommending this hugely professional band."
We had the band at our son's wedding and they were great. They got everybody going and David's instructions were very good and very funny, too. Hardly anyone knew how to dance these dances, so chaos ensued in the most entertaining way. By the last song we finally got it and they kept playing for 15 minutes (!) because everyone was most enthusiastically participating. These guys are wonderful musicians and entertainers. Thank you so very much!
Hired Blag for a ceilidh in South London a couple of weeks ago. They were fantastic. Being in a ceilidh band myself, the band were exactly what we were looking for and more than lived up to expectations! They played a good mix of well known ceilidh dances and threw in a couple of songs as well to get the crowd going. Explained the dances well to a large group that had varying ceilidh experience and everyone had a great time. Would definitely hire again!
We'd definitely recommend the Blag band, our friends and family really enjoyed themselves. Many times over I was asked how I discovered them, and repeatedly told how great they were. Everything was 5*, good communication, prompt, professional, fun and so great at what they do. Our one regret is that the hours flew by and we could have happily indulged in another set.
We had so much fun! It was hilarious trying to learn the dances and the band were extremely patient with us. It was such a great way to bring all our guests together, meeting each other and speaking / dancing with people they may not of otherwise. I thoroughly recommend it.
I booked Blag to provide the entertainment at my Retirement Ceilidh last Saturday and they were absolutely tremendous.
With their fiddle player acting as caller, they guided a novice crowd of dancers through a series of well known Ceildh dances and ensured that everyone had fun, providing us with a night we will remember for a long long time.
Thank you.
Blag played our recent corporate event, and were fantastic. They understood the brief fully and delivered exactly to it. Communication from David was great. Overall really pleased, and would highly recommend.
Great evening! The band were spot on! Everyone had a brilliant time.. lots of dancing!
This my first ever Ceilidh and additionally our first time hosting a birthday party around an activity, and my what a great decision it was! The band was simply perfect - their playing style was exactly what the party needed, the caller was so enthusiastic, easy to follow and funny, and the music they played really filled up the hall and got everyone on their feet.
Ceilidh's are great. At first I was worried no one would get stuck in, but actually the opposite happened - every single person got on the dance floor and danced! A perfect activity for either a party of friends, a room of strangers, or a mix of both (which we had).
I would thoroughly recommend anyone to host their own Ceilidh, and I would definitely recommend BLAG for anyone looking for someone to book :-)
Thank you yet again
Booking Blag to perform at our anniversary event was a fantastic decision and I would recommend them to anybody. They were professional, friendly and related well to the partygoers. A hgh standard of music was accompanied by experienced 'calling' to make this a great evening.
We had an absolutely amazing evening on our wedding day last month. All of our guests enjoyed Blag’s music and dancing ceilidh dance (most of our guests are professional musicians who work with orchestras such as London Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, and BBC Symphony! Thank you once again for making our evening special. We wish you the very best.
Blag came along and did a wonderful job of entertaining at my rescheduled 50th Birthday party.
They were very accommodating, playing their first set outside and then moving inside in the break.
They are very skilled musicians and did an excellent job.
However, they are misrepresented as a Ceilidh band, as I had asked for a number of led dances and to have a caller encourage people to join in. They did a great set, but chose to play their eclectic set list which included celtic folk, rock, latin, world music, jazz and some some pop / rock covers and no led dances which was a shame as this is what I had asked for.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them, just be clear about your expectations from the outset.
Honestly - look no further, these are they guys you are looking for. I booked Blag to play in the local village hall for my birthday party. They were excellent musicians and lovely guys - polite, friendly and very professional. Their repertoire included many genres of music and they were able to adapt the music on the night to suit the room. The first set was an eclectic mix of music - all brilliantly played. The ceilidh in the second set was really fun, with Michael (very patiently) teaching us the moves. Everyone has been commenting on how fantastic they were ever since the party. I can't recommend them highly enough. Thank you for a really wonderful and memorable evening.
Unfortunately due to coronavirus we were not able to have our event. However, we would not hesitate to rebook Blag through PopTop in future because our dealings with both have been excellent.
Exceptionally professional and accommodating, we all enjoyed the music and the atmosphere it generated. Will definitely use again and highly recommend.
Blag played a Ceilidh for my 50th Birthday party on Saturday. We had a fantastic time and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The calling was very clear and the music brilliantly played. I specifically wanted an event where young and old, keen and not so keen dancers would all participate and that was achieved to the enjoyment of everyone. Thank you so much. The communication before the event was clear and helpful - David answering all sorts of detailed questions that I had. I can thoroughly recommend Blag to ensure a great event.
Highly recommend! Absolutely fantastic
Blag played at our party last weekend to celebrate our wedding, they were truly lovely people and great musicians.
All our guests really enjoyed themselves and said it was such a change from a tribute band or disco, do not hesitate to book these guys . 😀
The guys were brilliant! Great communication beforehand and very accommodating with requests.
Arrived on time and set up. Flexible as needed to fit in with speeches etc.
Made a great night! I definitely recommend Blag for a wonderful band.
Thanks guys!
Mike
David & the band were a great success. Thank you for organizing things. They gave the party huge atmosphere & everyone commented on them. They were charming, polite, & played almost non-stop after a particularly busy wend. I will certainly recommend them........... xx
"Blag were fantastic at our Burns night celebration last night, they were very flexible with our timings and played two brilliant sets. The communication beforehand was great which really put me at ease before they arrived.
Both sets were so great that they managed to get almost everyone on the dance floor all night!
I would have no hestitation in recommending Blag and look forward to booking them for our next event."
Great sound, friendly and adaptable. The band arrived on time and kept everyone very well entertained. We all had a great time
Very talented musicians & great for St Patrick's Night. Wasn't everyone's cup of tea & would have liked a few more tunes that we all knew and coukd dance to, but on the whole we had a positive feedback.
Blag were really exactly what we were looking for! I don't live in London so I was nervous about choosing a band I hadn't heard play, but they sounded great online, and I spoke to Michael over the phone and on email about the type of party we were having and the music we wanted. Most importantly they played brilliantly on the night, everyone was up out their seats for a good knees up and we were guided round the dances that we didn't know. All the guests were happy. Would definitely recommend!
The band is unique combination of Irish teas, Indie n Latin fusion. It suited our crowd at my husbands 40th birthday as we had mixed nationalities and help bring us together, they had to do several encours as no one wanted the band to leave. Would recommend them
"If you're looking for a band who will transform a tent full of people having quiet drinks into a raging fury of dance laughter merriment and general good times then BLAG are the act you're looking for. We booked them for a green and event to raise money to fight greenbelt destruction nearby and they instantly communicated with everybody In the room (which ranged from early 20s to late 50s and 60s) the minute they started playing. A great repertoire of traditional favourites and interesting covers especially the doors' ""people are strange"" They're compact yet sound huge- and the great calling instructions had everybody laughing and smiling no matter how awful they were at dancing the Gay Gordon!. Sometimes this kind of ceilidh can be slow and boring when everybody doesn't really know what to do but the band made it all happen very quickly and very enjoyably . Did I mention they're nice guys as well?"
Blag played at our wedding reception and were fantastic, it created such a good atmosphere and everyone really enjoyed it!
Brilliant Band.... music fantastic. Definitely have them again and three lovely gentlemen. Just wish we could have had them for longer.
"""Blag were absolutely brilliant and exactly what we were after. This was a big corporate party for a young audience and they were fun and a modern take on a ceilidh band. I highly recommend them for any event as they would be great regardless of audience."""
I booked Blag through Poptop back in November 2018 and everything was very straightforward.
Adrian, David and Michael were all very friendly and very professional. They arrived in plenty of time and set up with minimum impact on the rest of the party.
They played at my 60th birthday party and played a mixture of ceilidh music to dance to, and other music in between, while we recovered !!
Michael is a very good caller and, although we only had one experienced ceilidh dancer in our group, he was able to teach us quite a few dances.
I absolutely loved my party and several of my guests also commented on how good the band were, and how much they'd enjoyed the whole evening.
The last dance we did was definitely my favourite - lots of couples dancing in a big circle, gradually getting faster and faster !! Thanks again Blag !
We booked Blag for our wedding in March and they totally incredible. Since the big day all of our guests have commented to us how fantastic the band were. Communication beforehand was straightforward and responses were quick, we really couldn't recommend them enough. Thanks Michael and David!
We booked Blag for our Golden Wedding. They were excellent. They played soft music whilst we were eating then organised the barn dancing. All our guests were very impressed and, I understand, several asked for their contact details.
Blag played for our office Christmas party and were brilliant. Their music was great and the caller was very charismatic getting everyone involved in the dancing. They were really easy to book and very flexible and accommodating with our requirements. We had great feedback from everyone at the party and I'd really recommend this lovely, friendly band.
"If you're looking for a band who will transform a tent full of people having quiet drinks into a raging fury of dance laughter merriment and general good times then BLAG are the act you're looking for. We booked them for a green and event to raise money to fight greenbelt destruction nearby and they instantly communicated with everybody In the room (which ranged from early 20s to late 50s and 60s) the minute they started playing. A great repertoire of traditional favourites and interesting covers especially the doors' ""people are strange"" They're compact yet sound huge- and the great calling instructions had everybody laughing and smiling no matter how awful they were at dancing the Gay Gordon!. Sometimes this kind of ceilidh can be slow and boring when everybody doesn't really know what to do but the band made it all happen very quickly and very enjoyably . Did I mention they're nice guys as well?"
Blag played at our wedding reception and were fantastic, it created such a good atmosphere and everyone really enjoyed it!
"I booked Blag to play for my wedding and I was astonished by their ability to play almost any genre of music. They have a really lively act and are very down-to-earth, polite and professional to work with. It was clear that they really love playing music and their energy and enthusiasm infused the whole evening. The wedding reception was running late with the speeches and food, so Blag wandered around the tables playing violin and guitar acoustically before they played their evening set….It was magical.
If I ever get married again, Blag will be my band of choice!!"
I was dubious booking before I had heard them properly but was THRILLED with their performance. They made the evening, they were friendly, lively, play every type of music and a proper treat. I would highly recommend them and now have to find an excuse for another party to get them back a second time! Thank you Blag!
Blag play a variety of Celtic and World music, from Irish Ballads and Scottish Jigs to Flamenco and Gypsy Jazz. They perform regularly in Britain and in festivals throughout Europe. All the musicians in the group are professionals that have trained at music college, made records and have performed on both T.V. and radio.
Being featured in 'Loose Ends' on Radio 4 and playing for Microsoft for managers party in Bali on the beach.
Very diverse set, flexible and friendly.
Weddings, corporate functions and parties
Private Clients, BBC, Ealing Studios, Microsoft, Ritz amongst many others.
Bank Transfer or Cash
Two hours
Yes
Yes
A small space!
That depends, if we are given enough notice and the song is suitable for our line up.
One break for twenty to thirty minutes.
Blag have a repertoire of over fifty songs, including Irish jigs, reels and ballads, other Celtic tunes, Latin American songs, pop covers, flamenco, Eastern European dance tunes, bluegrass, stomp, blues, jazz and swing standards.
Irish and Scottish Classics:
Wild Rover
Danny Boy
Rocky Road to Dublin
Whisky in the Jar - Thin Lizzy
Dirty Old Town - The Pogues
Auld Lang Syne
Toss the Feathers - The Corrs
St Patricks
Reels and Jigs:
Dashing White Sergeant
Masons Apron
Drops of Brandy
Irish Merry Making
Athol Highlanders
Morrisons Jig
Deil among the Tailors
Drowsy Maggie/Tam Lin
Gay Gordons
Ten penny jig
Rocky Road to Dublin
Don't Pay the Poll Tax
Latin and Bluegrass:
Chan Chan - Buena Vista Social Club
Oye como va - Santana
Bolero - Gypsy King's
Hotel California - Gypsy Kings
Sweet Georgia Brown - Stéphane Grappelli
All Of Me - Stéphane Grappelli
Devil Went Down to Georgia - Charlie Daniels
Pop Hits:
Eagle Eye Cherry - Save Tonight
Red Hot Chilli Peppers - Under the Bridge
Ed Sheeran - Castle on the Hill
The Waterboys - Sunny Afternoon
Van Morrison - Moondance
Manu Chao - Por el Suelo
Robbie Williams - Millennium
Oasis - Wonderwall
The Doors - People are Strange
Thin Lizzy - Whisky in the Jar
The Waterboys - Fisherman's Blues
The Kinks - Sunny Afternoon
The Beatles - Norwegian Wood
The Pogues - Dirty Old Town
Van Morrison - Sweet Thing
and many more....