Live indie & rock for the Mansel family Georgian house on the Jurassic Coast at Kimmeridge. From £1,900.
Smedmore House sits at Kimmeridge on the Jurassic Coast in south Dorset. The 18th-century Georgian house is privately owned by the Mansel family and runs on an exclusive-use basis. Accommodation runs through eight double bedrooms in the main house, three doubles in the Garden Wing and a Penthouse Flat (used as the bridal suite), with capacity for around 24 overnight guests. The grounds include two acres of walled flower gardens and a Mediterranean garden.
We’re a Hampshire-based live wedding band that covers Dorset and the wider Hampshire coast regularly, so Kimmeridge sits comfortably inside our home patch. No travel surcharges, no overnight accommodation, no anxious 4am drives back from the wrong end of the country.
Smedmore’s reception spaces have the kind of Georgian-period finish that doesn’t need help. 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 Smedmore wedding tends to pull a guest list that’s travelled in for the weekend, with a strong London-and- South-coast 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 Smedmore are managed by the family’s own wedding team, and they vary by booking. A privately- owned coastal estate 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 Smedmore House 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 Smedmore House. 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 Dorset, the New Forest and the wider South coast. A snapshot of other well-known wedding venues within about an hour of Kimmeridge. If yours isn’t here, tell us anyway.
Lulworth Castle
East Lulworth
Athelhampton
Dorchester
Almer Manor
Wimborne
Mapperton
Beaminster
Sopley Mill
Christchurch
Highcliffe Castle
Highcliffe
Larmer Tree Gardens
Tollard Royal
Pylewell Park
Lymington
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.
No obligation · usually a reply within 24 hours
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.