The act
Nobody needs to know the steps. At a Wee Dram ceilidh every dance is explained and walked through before the music starts, so complete beginners end up doing Strip the Willow and the Gay Gordons alongside the veterans. It's Scottish social dancing built for weddings, parties, festivals and corporate nights, full of partner swapping and group dances that break the ice fast, across every generation in the room. Guests join in as much or as little as they like. The Melbourne based band scales from a caller with a playlist through to a full live line-up, and they can bring their own PA if the venue doesn't have one. Expect big smiles, and feet that feel it the next morning.
See A Wee Dram Ceilidh Band play
Watch A Wee Dram Ceilidh Band perform and get a feel for their sound, style and fit for your wedding.
What it costs
Pricing
Quote on enquiry
For your exact date, venue and running time, we send an itemised quote.
Pricing is confirmed before anything is booked. GST and travel are shown clearly on the quote.
Songs A Wee Dram Ceilidh Band can play
Search their repertoire or browse the list below. Ask us about a first dance or another song that matters to you.
Gay Gordons / Virginia Reel / Dashing White Sergeant / St. Bernard's Waltz / Pat-a-cake Polka / Military Two Step / Canadian Barn Dance / Flying Scotsman / Circassian Circle / (Orcadian) Strip the Willow / Auld Lang Syne / more to come....
Good to know
What to expect
Somebody talks you through each dance, then walks it through, and only then does the music start. That's the whole trick, and it's why people who have never done a ceilidh in their lives end up mid floor swapping partners with strangers. Getting the steps right is not the point. Joining in is. Grandparents, kids and the mates who swore they wouldn't dance all end up in the same circle, which is a fast way to break a room open. And you can sit one out whenever you like. The pace and the choice of dances shift depending on who's in front of them, so a wedding runs differently to a work do.
On the day
You'll need a PA that takes four instruments plus a microphone. If the venue hasn't got one, the band can bring theirs instead, just flag it when you enquire. Give them a performance area of roughly 4m x 3m, more if you have it. And they'll want at least two power outlets sitting as close to the stage as you can manage.
Set List
The dances are the traditional ones, so if you've been to a ceilidh before you'll spot them. Strip the Willow in its Orcadian form, the Gay Gordons, the Military Two Step, Canadian Barn Dance, Circassian Circle, Flying Scotsman, Pat-a-cake Polka, St Bernard's Waltz, the Virginia Reel and the Dashing White Sergeant, with Auld Lang Syne to send everyone home. The list keeps growing. Got a favourite that isn't on it? Tell them and they'll slot it in.
Performance options
The Wee Dram works three ways. The Wee Dram is a caller working with a playlist, which suits rooms where space or set up time is tight. The Half Pour puts two live musicians in, caller included, for a smaller line-up that still sounds properly acoustic. The Full Dram is the live band with the caller, and it's the one that fills a floor.
Insurance and paperwork
Public liability insured.
