Originally from the NSW South Coast, now based near Adelaide, Ben McNeil plays solo acoustic and reads the gig before deciding how hard to push. Beer garden afternoon? Classic hits, upbeat. Wedding? Quieter, closer arrangements. A crowd that wants to shout requests gets a crowd that gets requests. The songs pull from Ryan Adams, You Am I, Cold Chisel, Crowded House, The Beatles, Bill Withers, INXS and John Farnham, among plenty of others. Power and a covered spot to play in are about the extent of what's needed.
See Ben McNeil play
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What it costs
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Songs Ben McNeil can play
Search their repertoire or browse the list below. Ask us about a first dance or another song that matters to you.
Ryan Adams Be My Winding WheelJason Isbell Cover Me UpYou Am I Heavy HeartJames Taylor Fire And RainElton John I Guess Thats Why They Call It The BluesThe Beatles Rocky RaccoonThe Beatles Dont Let Me DownDavid Gray Sail AwayCat Power Sea Of LoveThe Cure In Between DaysJohn Denver Take Me Home Country RoadsRyan Adams Come Pick Me UpBlondie Heart Of GlassRyan Adams New York New YorkINXS Dont ChangeBill Withers Aint No SunshineCrowded House Better Be Home SoonU2 OneCrowded House Four Seasons In One DayCold Chisel Flame TreesJohn Farnham Burn For YouThe Beatles BlackbirdOtis Redding Sittin On The Dock Of The BayNeil Young Heart Of Gold LiveCrowded House Fall At Your FeetThe Beatles Here Comes The SunChris Cornell SunshowerMichael Jackson Billie JeanBruce Springsteen Dancing In The DarkThe J. Geils Band CenterfoldThe Cure Friday Im In LoveThe Police Every Breath You TakeRick Springfield Jessies GirlBruce Springsteen Im On FireSpandau Ballet GoldINXS Never Tear Us ApartFoo Fighters My HeroVan Morrison Brown Eyed GirlFoo Fighters EverlongThe Smashing Pumpkins Cherub RockStone Temple Pilots PlushTool SoberRamones Beat On The BratThe Radiators Gimme HeadBush GlycerineTonic If You Could Only SeeTimbaland feat. OneRepublic ApologizeYazoo Only YouStone Temple Pilots Interstate Love SongQueens of the Stone Age No One KnowsCity and Colour Northern WindAugie March One Crowded HourLionel Richie Stuck On YouNeil Young The Needle And The Damage DoneThe Band The WeightThe White Stripes. We're Going To Be FriendsPink Floyd Wish You Were HereOasis WonderwallJohn Lennon Working Class HeroThe Cure Close To MeDavid Bowie Ziggy StardustElton John Tiny DancerGomez Rhythm And Blues AlibiAustralian Crawl RecklessCreedence Clearwater Revival Proud MaryMen at Work OverkillEric Clapton Old LoveSmokie Living Next Door To AliceJoe Jackson Is She Really Going Out With HimThe Beatles I Saw Her Standing ThereGreen Day Good Riddance Time Of Your LifeOasis Dont Look Back In AngerCrowded House Dont Dream Its OverChris Stapleton Either WayEric Clapton Nobody Knows You When You're Down And OutHarry Styles Sweet CreatureJason Isbell and The 400 Unit If We Were VampiresOneRepublic Stop And StareHozier Take Me To ChurchAdele Make You Feel My LoveElvis Presley In The GhettoJeff Buckley Eternal LifeFrank Sinatra New York New YorkChris Cornell Nothing Compares 2 UToto AfricaHarry Styles Sign Of The TimesWeezer Say It Aint SoPanic! At the Disco I Write Sins Not TragediesChris Stapleton Tennessee WhiskeyThompson Twins Hold Me NowThe Smashing Pumpkins ZeroTool Forty Six And 2The Strokes Last NiteWeezer Beverly HillsPowderfinger My HappinessFoo Fighters Next YearThe Screaming Jets BetterIron & Wine Time After TimeRufus Wainwright Across The UniverseFaith No More EasyEric Clapton CocaineThe Beatles RevolutionJimmy Eat World The MiddleCrowded House Distant SunBiffy Clyro MachinesElton John Dont Let The Sun Go Down On MeBuzzcocks Ever Fallen In LoveKISS Hard Luck WomanRadiohead No SurprisesElton John Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest WordJohn Lennon Watching The WheelsFleetwood Mac DreamsNirvana Where Did You Sleep Last Night Acoustica-ha Take On Me AcousticChris Stapleton Whiskey And YouMen at Work Who Can It Be NowPeter Gabriel SledgehammerAmerica Sister Golden HairPeter Allen Tenterfield SaddlerJim Croce Time In A BottleThe Screaming Jets Sad SongMy Chemical Romance I Dont Love YouHarry Styles FallingGarth Brooks To Make You Feel My LoveDaniel Johnston True Love Will Find You In The EndChris Stapleton Broken HalosBlack Sabbath War PigsAugie March Asleep In Perfection
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Good to know
What to expect
Depends entirely on the gig, and Ben would rather you told him what you want than guess. Upbeat energy from a solo acoustic player? He'll deliver that. Background music to set a mood while people eat and talk? Also fine. A restless crowd shouting requests and wanting to talk back at him between songs? No stress there either. He'll do what he can to give you the night you're after, within reason.
On the day
Power, a shaded or covered spot to play in, and enough space that he isn't knocking the guitar into furniture, equipment or guests. Not much beyond that. A drink or two wouldn't go astray while he's playing, and he has a stated fondness for post mix Coke.
Set List
This is a slice of it rather than the whole list, and requests are welcome. Plenty of Ryan Adams, Come Pick Me Up, New York New York, Be My Winding Wheel. A good run of Beatles: Blackbird, Here Comes the Sun, Rocky Raccoon, Don't Let Me Down. Crowded House turn up three times over with Better Be Home Soon, Four Seasons in One Day and Fall at Your Feet, and the Australian side keeps going with Flame Trees, Heavy Heart, Don't Change, Never Tear Us Apart and Burn for You. Then the softer covers, Fire and Rain, Ain't No Sunshine, Sea of Love, Sail Away, Country Roads, Heart of Gold. It gets heavier further down: Everlong, My Hero, Plush, Interstate Love Song, Sober, Cherub Rock, Glycerine, No One Knows. And there's an 80s pocket with Heart of Glass, Gold, Friday I'm in Love, In Between Days, Every Breath You Take, Jessie's Girl and Centerfold.
Performance options
Wedding work comes in a few shapes. Ben can play either side of the ceremony itself, or just the drinks and canapes afterwards, which usually runs about three hours. Combining the two is common, so the ceremony music and the post-ceremony hour or so come from the same person. And if you want him there for the length of the day, from the aisle through to the last of the reception, that longer booking is on offer too. Tell him which part of the day matters most and he'll say what fits.
