Live indie & rock for the Grade I-listed Berkeley family castle, held since the 12th century. From £1,900.
Berkeley Castle sits at Berkeley in Gloucestershire, between Bristol and Gloucester. The original motte-and- bailey castle dates to around 1067, with the circular shell keep built between 1153 and 1156. It’s Grade I listed and has been held by the Berkeley family since the 12th century. The castle was the scene of the death of King Edward II in 1327, and is currently owned by Charles Berkeley, who inherited it from his father in 2017.
We’re a Hampshire-based live wedding band that covers Gloucestershire and Somerset regularly, so Berkeley sits comfortably inside our home patch. No travel surcharges, no overnight accommodation, no anxious 4am drives back from the wrong end of the country.
The castle’s reception spaces are stone-walled and high-ceilinged, with a reverberant acoustic that needs respecting rather than fighting. Our stage setup is built to dress around the room rather than fight it. Black- finished kit, restrained on-stage lighting rather than a stadium rig, and a PA sized for the room rather than the road. We dress in stage-blacks unless you ask otherwise.
A Berkeley wedding tends to pull a guest list that’s travelled in from London and Bristol for the weekend, with a strong Cotswold and West-Country core. The setlist flexes accordingly: Arctic Monkeys, The Killers and Kings of Leon for the late floor, Oasis and Stereophonics for the mid-evening, modern-pop crossover (Harry Styles, Dua Lipa, Sam Fender) layered through for the chart-aware younger guests. Wedding non-negotiables (Mr Brightside, Don’t Stop Me Now, Sweet Caroline) take the back- half peaks. Between sets a DJ playlist (collaborated with you) keeps the floor moving. We learn one custom first dance per booking.
Curfews, sound rules and any in-house production arrangements at Berkeley are managed by the castle’s own wedding team, and they vary by booking. A working family castle with significant medieval heritage interiors is one of the more careful briefs we play. We don’t make assumptions. We confirm the specific cut-off, limiter setup and any house rules with the wedding coordinator the week before, and pace the closing set so it lands at the actual end of the night.
If you’re booking Berkeley Castle and want a band that turns up briefed, properly dressed and with the dance floor firmly in mind, send us your date. We’d love to be on your shortlist.
Backbeat is an independent wedding band and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or a preferred supplier of Berkeley Castle. Venue specifics should be confirmed with the venue’s wedding team directly.
From £1,900
Live sets · full PA & lighting · DJ between & after
Public liability insured · PAT-tested annually · Sound-limiter ready
Backbeat plays across Gloucestershire, Somerset and the wider Cotswolds. A snapshot of other well-known wedding venues within about an hour of Berkeley. If yours isn’t here, tell us anyway.
Owlpen Manor
Uley
Elmore Court
Elmore
Old Down Estate
Tockington
The Manor House
Castle Combe
Whatley Manor
Easton Grey
Babington House
Frome
Lucknam Park
Colerne
Priston Mill
Bath
Venue names are used for descriptive reference. Backbeat is an independent wedding band and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or a preferred supplier of any venue listed unless stated.
Send us the date. We’ll come back with availability and a tailored quote within 24 hours.
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Anything else, drop a line through the enquiry form.
Live music packages from £1,900. Pricing depends on event location, performance duration, and specific requirements. Send us your event details for a tailored quote.
We perform across Hampshire, Dorset, Surrey and beyond. Whether your event is across the country or abroad, we're ready to bring live performance to you.
We require a minimum of 90 minutes to load in and set up. Ideally before your guests enter the performance room, but we're skilled at setting up quietly and efficiently with minimal disruption.
Yes. We'll collaborate with you to create a personalised DJ playlist for before, between and after our live sets. Whether you have a specific genre, a list of favourite songs, or a Spotify playlist, we'll take care of the rest.
Yes. We offer a 60-minute acoustic live-lounge duo set, ideal for setting the ambiance during drinks reception or dinner.
Yes. We use high-quality, PAT-tested equipment for top-notch sound and lighting. The band is fully self-contained, and we're experienced with sound-limiter venues.
Absolutely. As part of our service we'll learn a special song at no extra cost, whether it's your first dance or a standout main-set moment. Let us know and we'll include it.