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Corporate Entertainment in Edinburgh

July 27, 2017 By Lisa Martin Leave a Comment

The Balmoral Hotel provided a beautiful setting for my show recently, where I provided some corporate entertainment in Edinburgh.  I was booked to perform a surprise James Bond tribute show at the Chaine Des Rotisseurs Gala Dinner.

The Balmoral has been a landmark in the heart of Edinburgh for over a century, beginning life as a grand railway hotel and now remaining a striking feature of Princes Street with its historic Balmoral Clock and kilted doormen.  It was a good choice for a James Bond tribute show, as everyone’s favourite ‘Bond’ – the one and only Sean Connery – officially re-opened the hotel in 1991.

J.K. Rowling is also a fan of this hotel, and obviously found it inspirational, as she stayed here to finish ‘Harry Potter and the deathly hallows’, making the Balmoral something of a pilgrimage for Harry Potter fans.

Did you know that the Balmoral Clock has traditionally always been set three minutes fast, so the people of Edinburgh don’t miss their trains?!  How thoughtful!  It is set at the right time just one day per year – and as you can probably guess, that is at Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve), so nobody gets confused as to when to set their fireworks off!

The Chaine Des Rotisseurs are an international gastronomic society who celebrate fine food and wine around the world.  By the looks of the sumptuous dinner they were served at The Balmoral, they were certainly well catered for in Edinburgh and shown some of our famous Scottish hospitality.

My James Bond / Casino Royale show is perfect for these sort of corporate functions, as it is a show that people can just sit back and listen to.  Featuring all the great theme songs from the movies, it includes classics from the 1960s right through to modern day favourites such as Skyfall by Adele, so it has something for everyone.

And here’s Dame Shirley Bassey with a couple of all-time greats that I always make sure I include in the show!

James Bond night at Alea Casino Glasgow

November 7, 2015 By Lisa Martin Leave a Comment

James Bond fever has well and truly hit Glasgow these past few weeks!  With the release of the new Bond movie Spectre, fans have been flocking to the cinema to see Daniel Craig in action.

The Alea Casino at Springfield Quay Glasgow ran a special Bond theme night in conjunction with the Odeon Cinema to coincide with the film’s release.

The Long Bar was the setting for a Vegas-style welcome for the lucky Bond fans who bagged themselves VIP tickets to this event.  Cocktails and canapés were the order of the evening, with the bartenders whipping up ‘Pussy Galores’ for the ladies and ‘Bour-Bonds’ for the gents.

Bond-Alea

I was on hand to provide the entertainment, performing my James Bond show, including all the popular Bond theme tunes.  I must say I was impressed by the audience’s trivia knowledge – they were experts in all things Bond – obviously die-hard fans!

We had a lot of fun, I really enjoy those kind of informal nights where I can get to know the audience and have a bit of banter.  When it comes to Bond, there are plenty of great songs to choose from.  I included a mixture of old and new Bond themes, such as the recent Skyfall by Adele, and of course the ever popular Shirley Bassey numbers such as Goldfinger and Diamonds are Forever.

James Bond Shows in Glasgow

November 21, 2014 By Lisa Martin Leave a Comment

I’ve been performing my James Bond shows in Glasgow over the past couple of weekends, in some marvellous venues.

 

The first was for a fundraiser ball at Oran Mor, a stunning building right in the heart of Glasgow’s West End.

 

Oran Mor is a converted church, and this is evident in its beautiful architecture and unique setting, including the celestial ceiling mural by Alasdair Gray, which is one of Scotland’s largest pieces of public art.

Unique ceiling at Oran Mor

Unique ceiling at Oran Mor

Top funk soul and disco band ‘Funk Nation’ were also on the bill, looking and sounding absolutely fantastic. Here they are in action (I got a bird’s eye view from the gallery!)

 

 

The evening was compered by Glaswegian comedian Alan Anderson, and we were also joined by the fabulous opera singer Lucy Kay, who you may remember from Britain’s Got Talent.

 

A big thank you goes out to resident Stage Technician Ross, and also to agents Freak Music .

 

My next James Bond show was at the very plush Grand Central Hotel, right in the middle of Glasgow.  This hotel can be accessed directly from Central Station, so I was able to travel to the gig by train, which made a nice change for me!

 

For this event I teamed up with Richard Knight, a wonderful tenor who specialises in Opera and West-End show songs, as well as James Bond themes.

 

Richard has to be one of the most hard-working acts I’ve ever worked with.  He managed to look cool, calm, and collected, and remained in true charming ‘007’ style throughout the evening, despite having spent all day travelling all the way from Bournemouth to Glasgow.  He kept the audience thoroughly entertained from start to finish with his fast-paced show, and didn’t rest until he had the whole crowd up on their feet singing and clapping.  What a star performer!

 

It was nice to hear some happy feedback from the clients too:

 

“Dear Lisa & Richard

Just wanted to say a great big thank you to you both for a fantastic night.  I have feedback from other guests and people have said what fun they had – they loved your singing and the fact they could dance and sing along too.  Thank you once again and I hope we see you again soon.

Best wishes

Gillian, Colin & the team”

 

Big thanks to agents Masquerade Productions.

 

Glenburn Hotel Cabaret Shows

March 16, 2014 By Lisa Martin 2 Comments

1950s tribute show

I will be visiting the lovely Scottish Isle of Bute quite a few times over the coming year to sing at the Glenburn Hotel in Rothesay to perform some of my shows, including 1950s Rock n Roll, Swing and James Bond show.

 

One of the best things about the Glenburn Hotel is the fantastic staff there – especially the wonderful entertainment team.  Host Gary MacKean is a great favourite among all the guests, providing lots of laughs plus a very popular Elvis tribute act.  John and Marianne form the talented duo ‘Limited Edition’, supplying a wide variety of music for all the guests to enjoy.  They all made me feel very welcome when I appeared there last week performing my 1950s show, so I am very much looking forward to my future visits to the Glenburn this year.

 

Fancy a weekend away on a beautiful island off the western coast of Scotland?  Then come along and join us at the Glenburn Hotel.

 

Phone the hotel on 01700 502500 to check what dates I’m appearing and which show I’ll be performing.  Looking forward to seeing you there!

 

PS, check out the stunning views from the hotel.

(Thanks to John Martin for the beautiful picture)

Glencoe Hotel View

The view from your room!

 

James Bond Show at The Angus Hotel Blairgowrie

October 9, 2013 By Lisa Martin Leave a Comment

James Bond casino showA sunny and scenic drive up North took me to the pretty town of Blairgowrie in Perthshire last weekend, to perform my James Bond Theme/Tribute Show ‘Casino Royale’ at the Angus Hotel.  I was met by Noel, the friendly and helpful assistant manager, who showed me around then proceeded to demonstrate his vast knowledge of James Bond movies and theme tunes!  The pressure was on – I knew I would have to get all my Bond facts right tonight, with such a huge fan in charge of the proceedings!

I performed my show after dinner to a very smart-looking audience – many of the men had come ‘dressed to kill’ in tuxedos and the ladies would have made any Bondgirl proud with their elegant dresses.

The audience at the Angus were a real hoot, and they certainly took the Bond theme to heart.  If I asked any of the guys their name I received an answer such as ‘James’ or even ‘Scaramanga’!

There were a couple of 60th birthday celebrations in – one male and one female – so of course I couldn’t resist the temptation to get both birthday boy and girl up to play the part of James and his Bondgirl.  They proved that 60 is definitely ‘just a number’, as they really got into the swing of things and started improvising to great comedy effect.  Many thanks to Hazel and Tam for entertaining us all!

Later on in the evening I performed a mixed set of songs from the 60s to the present day for everyone to dance to.  I was most impressed by the standard of dancing – from ballroom to disco, everyone filled the dancefloor and seemed to be having great fun.

A big thank you to all at the Angus Hotel for giving me such a friendly welcome on my first visit here – may there be many more to come!

James Bond Tribute and Best of British Music at Berwick

May 18, 2013 By Lisa Martin Leave a Comment

Last weekend I nearly made it back onto English soil; travelling down to The Borders to perform my James Bond tribute show ‘Casino Royale’ at Berwick Holiday Park.  They put on a special ‘Best of British’ themed night for the owners’ party – so of course ‘Bond’ fitted the bill perfectly!

The team at Berwick did a great job in decorating the room in true British fashion, with plenty of bunting and balloons to add to the atmosphere.  The crowd were obviously up for a party and many had come in fancy dress (including one very inventive ‘postbox’ from Newcastle!) so I added into the set some uptempo pop songs from British favourites such as Emili Sande, Jessie J and Amy Winehouse to keep them on the dancefloor.

I was appearing with top Elton John Tribute Act Joel Coombes.  What a great performer this guy is!  He not only looks and sounds the part, but he is also a fantastic musician.  A true professional and a pleasure to work with, he really got the crowd going with all the popular Elton John classics such as I’m Still Standing, Rocket Man, and of course the classic Candle in the Wind.

Joel Coombes Elton John Tribute

Joel Coombes as Elton John

 

Autotune – Handy Studio Tool or Singer’s Curse?

April 14, 2013 By Lisa Martin Leave a Comment

I was doing some session work the other day and was having a bit of a lively discussion (!) with the producer about pitch correction devices such as autotune.  He seemed to think that autotune was just another editing tool that could be used in the same way that reverb and other effects might be added to the vocals, and made the point that even legends like Frank Sinatra had their work edited.

I feel quite differently; it’s one thing to ‘cut and paste’ the best parts of a performance during a studio session – but to change the actual notes that a singer decides to sing interferes with the artistry of singing, in my opinion.  When a machine is used to alter these notes by measuring and gauging whether they are perfectly ‘in tune’, I think we can run a real danger of removing some very important nuances of the singer’s performance.

Pitch correction software such as melodyne shows each vocal note on the screen.  Every little ‘flaw’ is made visible, making it very easy for producers to ‘pull’ the errant note back into perfect pitch; effectively editing with their eyes instead of with their ears.

But why this need for everything to be so ‘perfect’? 

Some of my favourite songs are full of ‘imperfections’ in terms of pitch.  In fact I think those very imperfections are what makes them so unique.  Take Billie Holiday’s ‘The Very Thought of You’, or Marilyn Monroe’s ‘Diamonds are a girl’s best friend’ – two very different styles of singers – but it would be a travesty to change a single note of either of these performances, in my opinion.

When I compare Marilyn’s version of ‘Diamonds are a girl’s best friend’ with the more modern ‘Glee’ version, I am in no doubt as to which one I prefer.  I would much rather listen to a performance with pure heartfelt emotion, as opposed to a technically perfect, but soulless version.

Imagine iconic moments such as Audrey Hepburn’s rendition of ‘Moon River’ in the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, taken and hacked neatly into submission by a pitch correction machine… would it remain such a poignant and unforgettable piece of movie history?  I personally don’t think so.

Now, I don’t completely disagree with producers who claim that autotune is a vital time-saving piece of studio equipment; used judiciously I agree that it can be a useful addition to the producer’s toolkit, especially in time-limited situations.  However the problem arises when people get ‘lazy’- doing a couple of quick takes and leaving the rest to the ‘post-production magic’.

Pitch correction software first came out in the mid 1990s, and ever since it has become more and more ubiquitous in the world of popular music.  Like it or not, it seems it is here to stay.  Just like when we see models with flawless complexions in the pages of magazines, we will never again be sure that we are faced with the ‘real’ thing, or a technically altered version.

I just count my blessings that this kind of technology was not around in the days of Billie, Ella, Frank, Nat, Judy, and all the other legendary singers whose artistry we are fortunate enough to be able to listen to in unadulterated form.

1940s, 1950s and 1960s tribute shows at Nardini’s, Largs, Scotland

March 22, 2013 By Lisa Martin Leave a Comment

Lisa Martin 1950s showI recently appeared at a great venue on the West coast of Scotland called Nardini’s.  This famous Scottish landmark was first opened in the 1930s, and it still retains its ‘retro’ art-deco style – perfect for me of course!

I was booked to perform 3 tribute shows in one night – starting with my 1940s wartime show, then my 1950s show, and finishing off with my 1960s show, plus some lively modern songs to keep everyone dancing.

I really enjoyed my first visit to this fabulous restaurant.  The staff were very friendly and helpful, and the audience were ready to enjoy themselves.  A big coachload of ladies from Ardrossan ensured that I was kept as entertained as my audience – they were really up for a laugh and enjoyed dancing and singing along to all the old favourites.

 

James Bond Tribute Show at Gleneagles Hotel

February 9, 2013 By Lisa Martin Leave a Comment

Last week I appeared at a function in the world-renowned Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder; a beautiful town within the magnificent Perthshire countrside, deep in the heart of Scotland.  I was booked to perform my James Bond tribute show for a multi-national group of business people.

Also appearing were Sean Connery, Daniel Craig, Kate Middleton and Our Majesty the Queen.  Well, not quite – they were all lookalikes – but very convincing nonetheless!  It was a lovely night with a very friendly audience who were really enjoying themselves.  The organisers really took care of every detail, with a lavish dinner, lots of great entertainment (including the fantastic showband Stax of Motown), and even some Knighthoods by Our Madge!

Gleneagles Hotel

New Year Dinner Dance at Seamill Hydro Hotel

January 6, 2013 By Lisa Martin Leave a Comment

Lisa Martin wedding singerMy first booking of 2013 was on New Year’s Day for a dinner dance at the beautiful Seamill Hydro Hotel in West Kilbride.  This is the first time I’ve been to this hotel – or to West Kilbride for that matter – and I must say I was very impressed, both by the lovely setting, and the friendly helpful staff.

The Seamill Hydro is set in a stunning location – it was dark when I got there, so it wasn’t until I looked out of my window the next morning at magnificent views over the Firth of Clyde that I realised it is right on the seafront.

There were a lot of families staying at the hotel over New Year, and it was obvious the hotel catered for them very well, with a fun kids’ club, and even an old-fashioned Carousel outside in the gardens.  Not to mention all the great leisure complex facilities for the mums and dads!

I was performing alongside the fantastic DJ ‘Cheeky D’ of Cheeky Entertainment.  A true professional, he played all the right songs, and did a great job in getting the crowd up to party on the dancefloor.

All in all, it was a great start to the New Year.  It was quite a mixed crowd in terms of age-range, so I sang a mixture of modern pop songs and older classics, to try and include something for everyone.

Here’s one of the songs I performed on the night; the Nat King Cole standard ‘Let there be love’

 

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Lisa Martin Retro Singer

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About Lisa Martin

Lisa Martin retro singerLisa Martin is a professional singer based in Glasgow Scotland who specialises in classy vintage style shows.. Read More…

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