BOOKING INFORMATION Born out of the impromptu, late night, sing-a-longs in the Nags Head pub at the Twinwood Vintage Music and Dance Festival, since October 2014 Carradine s Cockney Sing-a-long has rapidly become a fixture on the UK s thriving cabaret and vintage scene. A music hall and old time music aficionado, Tom Carradine wanted to capture the flavour and atmosphere of a good old fashioned knees up in the grand Cockney tradition and recreate it for audiences young and old. THE SHOW Tom's high energy performance is based around a collection of sing-a-long medleys. He is experienced playing for private parties, weddings, care homes, corporate events and for walk-about entertainment. For an evening's entertainment he usually performs 2 x 45 minute sets, but his timings can be adapted to your requirements i.e. 3 x 30 mins, 1 x 60 mins etc. His act is fully self-contained and he tours with his real acoustic piano and small PA system. His piano is attached to a heavy duty dolly (with rubber wheels) so is relatively portable, assuming there is level access from car-park to performance area. With his mobile piano he is able to provide walk-about entertainment for both indoor and outdoor events. (L.H. PHOTO BELOW) Where access is an issue he can bring his (collapsable) piano shell which hides his Yamaha P90 keyboard. To all intents and purposes it looks like a real piano! (CENTRE PHOTO BELOW) Alternatively he is happy to play on an existing piano at the venue. (R.H. PHOTO BELOW)
Friday night was so much fun, the feedback has been incredible. You are a very popular man indeed! I definitely think we would like to do it again next year! K.F. Sussex Road School, Tonbridge THE SONGS In his act Tom will always play a number of classic sing-a-long medleys incorporating well known songs from the Music Hall, wartime and the West End stage, but he is happy to add other repertoire by request and tailor his set-list to suit a clients particular tastes. Tom usually opens with a set of classic London songs ( The Lambeth Walk, Down at the Old Bull and Bush, I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles, Daisy Bell, Let's All Go Down The Strand and Maybe It's Because I'm a Londoner ) and normally finishes his first set with a proper Cockney Knees-Up Medley including all the old favourites such as Roll Out The Barrel, The Hokey Cokey, Knees Up Mother Brown and My Old Man. He usually concludes his performance with a Cockney Musicals Medley (featuring songs from Oliver!, My Fair Lady and Mary Poppins ) and his Goodbye Medley (always finishing with the rousing Those Were The Days ). His standard medleys include: Opening (London) Medley Wartime Medley Cockney Musicals Medley Sing-a-long Medley 1 & 2 Cockney Knees-Up Medley Finale (Goodbye) Medley Optional medleys include: Animal Medley Beatles Medley ABBA Medley Chas and Dave Medley Music Hall Medley Football Anthems Medley Comedy Songs Medley Disney Medley Waltz Medley Sitcom Themes Medley Weather Medley Love Medley Patriotic Medley Happy Medley Al Jolson Medley A variety of Christmas medleys (traditional carols, pop songs, jazz, comedy songs) are available for Christmas sing-a-longs. Full set-lists are available on request. Just a great night last night. I did have someone say it s the best do they have ever been to. Memories are made of these events and last night will stay in my mind for ever. N.W Colne Engaine
THE LYRICS Audience participation is positively encouraged and 40 stylish vintagelook songbooks are provided within Tom s all-inclusive fee. Additional songbooks can be provided at a cost of 1 each. Tom recommends at least one songbook between two guests. Alternatively he can provide PDF versions of the songbooks for either printing in-house or arranging printing yourselves. For larger events (in venues with in-house projector and screen) he is happy to provide digital slides of the song lyrics for projection. For this an additional operator is required. Clients may wish to provide this, or Tom can arrange an operator for an additional charge. Please get in touch for a quote. We all thought it was a great success, all down to your expertise and obvious enthusiasm, entertaining and leading an audience, well done. Thank you so much for making our evening such a success. J.D. Hadlow WI WEDDING ENTERTAINMENT Since launching Carradine s Cockney Sing-a-long in 2014, Tom is increasingly in demand for entertainment at vintage weddings. He is happy to tailor his act to suit your day - be that background entertainment over a drinks reception, during part of the wedding breakfast, between the meal and evening function or as his standard evening show. Background music can be sing-a-long material, or even light background jazz to set the mood. One of his most popular options is 45-minutes background jazz piano and vocals during the drinks receptions / wedding breakfast (usually on his keyboard) then a 45-minute sing-a-long set in the bar after the speeches (on his real piano) to encourage guests to move out of the main room in order to facilitate the turn around for an evening reception. PERFORMANCE FEES Anything up to 90 minutes of sing-a-long (usually 2 x 45) providing piano, PA and 40 songbooks Standard Show / Private Party Charity / Community Event Please enquire Please enquire Tom is more than happy to quote for performing shorter sets (i.e. 1 hour) in residential care homes. Price depends on his availability and location. Please contact him directly for a quote. These prices include his travel costs to anywhere within the M25 / or the first 100 miles of the total mileage from Tom s home in Tonbridge, Kent to and from the venue. Additional mileage is currently charged at 46p per mile. Parking and congestion charges may apply in London and some other city centre locations.
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS A performance space at least 6ft by 6ft 1 x 13amp domestic power socket Parking for 1 x Transit-sized van BOOKING TERMS A 50% deposit is required to confirm the booking The balance is payable within 30 days after the event If the event is cancelled more than 28 days in advance then the deposit is forfeited and no further charges are due. Cancellation with less than 28 days to go before the event requires payment in full. ADDITIONAL PERFORMERS Tom normally performs on his act on his own. Having led crowds of 30 to 300, he is experienced galvanising even the most tentative and self-conscious audiences and whipping them up into a frenzy with his energetic and charming personality. However, for some events, Tom collaborates with his cabaret colleagues Champagne Charlie and Lili La Scala. For details of additional costs please drop Tom a line. CONTACT Tom Carradine, 71 Barden Road, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1UN info@carradinescockneysingalong.co.uk / +44 7980 303228 LINKS Website: Twitter: Facebook: Instagram: Soundcloud: #cockneysingalong www.carradinescockneysingalong.co.uk twitter.com/tomcarradine facebook.com/cockneysingalong instagram.com/tomcarradine instagran.com/cockneysingalong soundcloud.com/cockneysingalong PREVIOUS CLIENTS INCLUDE: Wilton s Music Hall (London), Hoxton Hall (London), Mr Fogg s Tavern (London), Cahoots (London), Scallywag Cafe (Tunbridge Wells), Emporium (Brighton), Museum of London, Museum of London - Docklands, Twinwood Festival (Bedford), The Classic Car Boot Sale (London), Vintage by the Sea (Morecambe), Festival of Vintage (York), The Great British Vintage Fair (Sisted), War and Peace Revival (Paddock Wood, Kent), The 50+ Show (Olympia and NEC Birmingham), YANKS Weekend (Dobcross, Manchester), Mill Rhythe Cockney Weekend (Hayling Island), Tonbridge Food and Drink Festival, Air in G (Rural Touring in Gloucestershire), Midsomer Norton Town Hall, TEDx Royal Tunbridge Wells and Giessen German-English Society (Germany).
BIOGRAPHY Tom s theatre credits include the UK tours of Hi-de-Hi and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (as Musical Director), Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Scrooge and Cabaret (as Assistant Musical Director), The Sound of Music (Children's Musical Director) and Associate Musical Director on The Sound of Music which toured to Jordan. He is a regular keyboard deputy on Les Miserables in the West End, was Assistant Musical Director on Aladdin: A Wish Come True at the Theatre at the O2, starring Paul O'Grady as Widow Twankey, and has musically directed the last three pantomimes at the Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells. As keyboard player: Cinderella (Hackney Empire) and the UK tours of Blood Brothers, Half a Sixpence, Waterloo, Mad About the Musicals and Gotta Sing Gotta Dance, as well as Cats and The Wizard of Oz for the Larnaca International Festival in Cyprus. Tom has worked extensively as a pianist and musical director on the London cabaret circuit and has tickled the ivories at many prestigious venues such as Cafe de Paris, Grill Room at the Cafe Royal, The Pheasantry, the Savoy Hotel, Battersea Barge, Cellar Door and New Players Lounge. He is also musical director for Champagne Charlie and the Bubbly Boys, a 1920/30s style dance band.