While we offer music for all types of events wedding entertainment is our passion! Mister Kanish began as a wedding band in 2006 and since then we've played at over 50 functions a year across the world. We are based in Hampshire in the South East but have performed all over the UK as well as at weddings in Dublin, The Isle of Man, Strasbourg, The Dordogne, Madrid, and Majorca. Our line-up includes the same people every week so you can rest assured that we'll bring an awesome vibe to your wedding. The 5-piece play a mix of violin, double bass, mandolin, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, bass, and drums all mixed with Ben's powerful vocals and four part harmonies.
Happy Brides and Grooms
As of last year we started to take end of the night selfies at all the weddings we played. Here are a few of our favourites.
We have hundreds of amazing testimonials from happy couples. Just have a flick through our latest reviews that have been posted by brides and grooms on Facebook and Google. There's more below along with lots of videos!
Choosing Mister Kanish as the band to play at our wedding has been the first thing we’ve done after getting engaged. We’ve found them during some random wandering session on YouTube years ago and fell in love with their cover of White Stripes - Seven Nation Army. We’re so glad we did choose them - they were FANTASTIC! There wasn’t a single guest who hasn’t commented on how awesome the music at the wedding was. We had people who’s never danced at any wedding before dancing the night away. I had no idea that Martyn (the groom) had such moves! ? We had an amazing time - the day after the wedding we’re sat in a bar, discussing the next upcoming occasion to ask them to play for us, that’s how AWESOME they are. If you’re looking for the best band to play at your wedding, don’t think twice - just book Mister Kanish. THANK YOU GUYS for helping us have the best time at our wedding! Maggie & Martyn married in Manchester 2019
Wedding Band, UK - Take On Me Cover
Mister Kanish - Party Band
The original. Mister Kanish is our rock/pop setup. Electric guitars and bass, drums, and vocals - simple but incredibly effective. Ideal for the more traditional wedding where guests enjoy the sounds of 90s dance, The Killers, Hip-hop, rock, modern chart tunes and sing along classics played close to, but not exactly, like the record. We play anything we think will get the party going and don't like to pin ourselves down. We make every song our own and every performance is different. When you hire a wedding band you don't want to hear it exactly like the record, that's what a DJ is for. Our sound has evolved over the last thirteen years and continues to at every wedding we play.
Classic Kanish - Festival / Folk / Mumford and Sons
Same band, same people - we are the original “Mumford and Sons style wedding band". Acoustic guitars, double bass, mandolin, violin, banjo and drums. Ideal for festival / vintage styled, or quirky weddings, or perhaps a to fit the theme of a wedding in a rustic barn venue. Imagine a bluegrass, gypsy jazz, folk inspired knees up playing covers of all your favourite songs - that’s Classic Kanish. We can pretty much play any song from our repertoire using this setup - our folky version of the garage medley is an assault on the senses.
Some songs work best with the Classic setup, others were written to rock. You can book your preferred style for over 2 hours of live wedding music. If you want to see the full versatility of Mister Kanish then book MK Best of Both. We play at least one set of all your favourite folked up classics, then switch over and crank up the party as the night continues with the rock/pop setup. This is our most frequently booked option, and generally works best for our audiences who love the combination of sounds.
To really blow your guests away why not go big with the MK 10-piece party band - Mister X <-see what I did there!!
Amazing band and great persons, very flexible and so good, thanks for all
Poypoy Makasete June 8, 2017
There are no words to describe how kind, thoughtful and incredibly talented this group of gentlemen are. From enquiring about booking them, to learning and playing our first dance outside, to rocking the dance floor with everything from Britney to The Killers, Mister Kanish were everything you could wish for from a wedding band, and more! We are eternity grateful! Thank you so very much, from the new Mr & Mrs Taylor-Holt!
Amy Taylor-Holt September 13, 2018
These guys are awesome - anyone thinking of booking them for your wedding - do it now!
Liz Langton June 15, 2017
We hired these guys as our wedding band and they were mind-blowingly good! Just awesome!! Would definitely recommend the addition of the trio of brass! Thanks guys, you were superb! <3
Emma Jade Tuckwell August 11, 2019
What a band!! They capped off our wedding day perfect, thanks again guys �
Kevin McGowan July 11, 2017
Where to start! The friendliest group of guys you could ever wish to meet and so incredibly professional during the run up to our wedding and, of course, on the day itself. They're very quick to respond to any questions beforehand (which is very reassuring for a nervous bride!) and are very accommodating when it comes to requests. They really are the best band out there and I would encourage anyone thinking of hiring Mister Kanish to just do it, you will not regret it!
Natalie McGowan July 11, 2017
Choosing Mister Kanish as the band to play at our wedding has been the first thing we’ve done after getting engaged. We’ve found them during some random wandering session on YouTube years ago and fell in love with their cover of White Stripes - Seven Nation Army. We’re so glad we did choose them - they were FANTASTIC! There wasn’t a single guest who hasn’t commented on how awesome the music at the wedding was. We had people who’s never danced at any wedding before dancing the night away. I had no idea that Martyn (the groom) had such moves! ? We had an amazing time - the day after the wedding we’re sat in a bar, discussing the next upcoming ocassion to ask them to play for us, that’s how AWESOME they are. If you’re looking for the best band to play at your wedding, don’t think twice - just book Mister Kanish. THANK YOU GUYS for helping us have the best time at our wedding! Maggie & Martyn
Maggie Formella February 13, 2020
Absolutely phenomenal!!! I’m so so so happy we had them - the repertoire was incredible, they really made the wedding. By far the best wedding band we have heard, would definitely recommend them. Their set included everything from Bruce Springsteen and The Killers to Faithless and Backstreet Boys - couldn’t get off the dance floor. Nothing but fabulous feedback from our guests.
Alison Howard August 26, 2019
Mister Kanish played at our wedding last week. They were booked last minute but were more than we could have hoped for! Amazing tunes sang in a different way from your usual cheesy wedding cover band. We wish we could go back to our wedding as guests and enjoy them all over again. We really cannot recommend them enough! Everyone has talked about them since.. hope we get to see you again one day! ?
Alice Elliott May 31, 2019
We first saw Mister Kanish play at a wedding a couple of years back and straight away said that when the time came for us to get married we have to have them too. We even checked they were available before booking our date! Chris made the process so easy and when it finally came to the wedding evening they were amazing.... the dance/garage/hip-hop melodies are incredible and they get the dance floor filled from the first minute til the last. You guys should be an essential pick for anyone planning a wedding or event, everyone loved you, and we can’t thank you enough ?
Ryan & Chelsey
Ryan Wales January 5, 2020
Wedding Ceremony Music
Hire us as your wedding entertainment to perform during your ceremony. We can provide 3 to 5 piece options and can play requested music for the bride's walk up the aisle, and for the happy couple to dance back down. We'll also play a few songs during the signing of the register and beforehand while your guests take their seats.
Drinks Reception & Wedding Breakfast
If you want entertainment for the whole day we can offer music for your drinks reception or wedding breakfast. This can be booked as a stand alone performance for your event, or added to your regular booking. The best time to use this is during the photo hour to entertain your friends and family while the photographer snaps them. or perhaps during the wedding breakfast before the main evening event. Ask about options and line-ups for background music when you get in touch. We really find adding this additional set can warm your guests up to us for the evening and so make breaking the ice for the first dance and first set a lot easier.
Horn section
Everyone loves brass. Our awesome horn section, made up of trumpet, trombone, and sax, can be added to any Mister Kanish or Classic Kanish wedding booking. This turns our setlist into a seriously classy outfit, Rio Carnival, and ska skankathon all rolled into one - if that's possible. Highly recommended!
We are recommended by and recommend a lot of amazing wedding venues all over the UK. Here are some of our favourites...
We speak with hundreds of brides and grooms a year and get asked the following questions regularly.
What do we get as standard when we hire the band for our wedding?
Our standard wedding day package includes the following...
Up to 3 x 50minutes of live music between 8pm and midnight (Folk style includes 2 x 60)
Arrival at 6pm to be ready for 8pm.
A choice of either just our folk style, our rock and pop style, or both.
Playlist for between sets so you don't need to hire a DJ.
Basic stage lighting, all PA, all equipment for up to 200 guests.
Your choice of first dance learnt and played
An extensive tried and tested wedding specific repertoire honed at over a decade of bookings.
We offer lots of extras including wedding ceremony music, drinks reception entertainment, extra musicians such as brass and female vocals, and late finish. We are more than happy to play weddings abroad and regularly play in France and Spain.
How much say do we have over the set lists for our big day?
While we have been playing as a function band since 2006 and really know what gets people up and dancing we don't know your friends and family better than you do. We usually recommend to clients to pick around five or six of their favourite songs from our repertoire as loves and two or three dislikes. This can give us a steer in the right direction when it comes to your music tastes. Chances are though, if you've seen our videos and enjoyed the music there, then you'll love what we do. It's not rare to see indie loving grooms up and screaming every lyric to Mysterious Girl . And we regularly see father's of the bride who haven't danced in years pogo-ing to Britney.
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