News Archive Page 1

30th May - Snowgoose Cafe

Mini-LeFunk!, fronted by Jade play at the Snowgoose Cafe this Friday 30th May. This outdoor activity and music inspired venue, in the process of merging with the art gallery next door, has a warm relaxing atmosphere for all generations, with fascinating artifacts, games and musical instruments scattered all around. This is one of the trio's favourite venues. Looking forward to seeing friends and family there on the night! Click here for venue details

April 18th - Elizabethan

Mini-LeFunk will be opening a bank holiday weekend of live music at the Elizabethan in Heaton Moor on Friday night, performing two sets, the first with our previous lead singer Laura, and the second with our current singer Jade! Two fabulous line-ups and free entry!

16th Nov - Jade's Debut

What a fabulous first performance from our new lead singer Jade at the Dog and partridge Heaton Mersey tonight. Filling in at short notice for Laura it was like she'd already been with us for months.

Her first full public performance is going to be amazing at the Elizabethan in Heaton Chapel on the 30th November.

It was also lovely to meet Keith from Rumble Fat Band, and see many familiar faces including the Michael Jackson dancer, this time with hat (Dave's!)

We're so fortunate to have three gifted singers available to us in Jade, Looby and Laura, not least because cover for illness is especially important when a client books us for a wedding or party

31st Oct - Welcome Jade!

It's been a busy month of auditioning, but we can now announce that our new lead singer in 2014 will be Jade. We had twenty applications for the role and auditioned five great singers. Thanks to everyone who applied or auditioned. It was a pleasure to meet you all and make useful contacts and friends for the future.

Jade takes over from Laura full time next year, but you may see her make some guest spots with us before then.

Looby will continue as our deputy singer next year as well as performing at the 2014 bookings we already have secured. Exciting times lie ahead!

Wigan Beer Festival, 5th March

In what has turned out to be a showcase event for our various band formats, Wigan Beer Festival this Saturday is going to be a great day out!

1pm - Laura-Jayne Hunter performs Indie Lounge chilled Indie Classics with Dave occasionally joining on guitar to perform as the Le-Lounge Acoustic Duo

4pm - Laura Jayne Hunter joins Dave and Paul to perform as the Mini-LeFunk! trio

7pm - The full five piece band perform an hour long set. Line-up of Jade, Gadge, Paul, Dave and Anna.

16th Aug - Snowgoose Cafe

It was a pleasure to be back at Snowgoose Cafe in macclesfield on Friday Night. Always a lovely intimate atmosphere and a great night out.

21st July - South Manchester

Mini-LeFunk! went back to school on Sunday! Not the kind of 'playing in the playground' we could ever have expected we'd be doing decades on from our own school days, but just as much fun! Happy retirement Lynn, and thanks for the smashing non-school dinner-like grub Jo!

August Weddings

Two fantastic weddings in the first two days of August! We're getting to play at some beautiful venues, not least Townley Hall in Burnley where we got to share the stage with the excellent originals band Ring Ring Rouge and several million quids worth of antique musical instruments, paintings and furniture!

Jade is now taking maternity leave until November, with Laura Jayne Hunter (Looby) taking over on lead vocals. This weekend it's a trip down to the smoke where we play as a duo for the first time at a wedding reception held in the oldest pub on the Thames.

27th, 28th June Weddings

The weddings are coming thick and fast at the moment. Congratulations to Charley and Martin, and Sonya and Marcus, who tied the knot this weekend. Thanks also to both couples for boooking Dave to play classical guitar during the welcome drinks phase.

15th Mar - Todmorden

A great night out for all as Mini-LeFunk! played Todmorden High School for the 'fabulous' people who restore and tread the boards of the beautiful Todmorden Hippodrome Theatre. Looking forward to seeing you all again next year with the full band!

15th Feb - Frankie's Wine Bar

Thanks to everyone who joined in the fun with Mini-LeFunk! and Laura Jayne Hunter at this cosy but vibrant Disley venue. The management have asked us for a couple more dates later in the year, so check the gig diary or our facebook page over the next few days for details.

June - Looby Becomes Lead Singer!

We're delighted to announce that Laura-Jayne Hunter has taken over as our Lead Singer. Over the six years since we formed we've had three fantastic singers filling lead and deputy roles. Laura K joined us in 2010 leaving to become a deputy when her family grew in 2013 and Jade took over in 2014. Jade has managed to go one better and grow her family by two, with a baby girl arriving last month! Throughout this time Laura-Jayne Hunter (aka Looby) has appeared as a deputy and will therefore already be familiar to many of you. She is also the lead singer (and boss!) of our acoustic duo format which has been around for the last two years.

We initially met Looby at one of our first gigs, a Charity Ball at Shrigley Hall, where she was performing solo during the drinks reception. We were so impressed, not just by her singing, but also her interaction with the audience, that several months later, when we decided we needed a deputy to provide cover for illness or emergency we took a long shot and got in touch. She said yes - hoorah!

You'll be seeing more from Jade and Laura K from time to time in the future, but when you book us for events or come to see us at a public gig from now on it will be Looby who fronts us unless otherwise stated. Note the demos of Valerie, Forget You, and Rather Be on this page are all performed by Looby.

July 16th- Wahay Hayfield Festival!

On Saturday July 16th the acoustic duo LeLounge! featuring Dave and Laura-Jayne Hunter, will be performing mid afternoon for an hour as part of Hayfield's annual live music festival Wahay. Tickets are just £10 for the whole day. Other acts include the Loretta Scott Jazz Band, Masquerade, Cold Flame, and the excellent Hayfield based function band: Sun Band, for whom Laura-Jayne Hunter was once lead singer! There's a bar and barbecue and kids activities throughout the afternoon.

Early 2015 News

The new LeLounge! acoustic duo have been out and about, most recently appearing at the Interfuture Weddings and Events showcase in Cheadle and at the Roundhouse in Hayfield. We've also added a LeLounge! demo to the media player at the top of this page.

For the band, aside from the wedding and event bookings we've already received for this year and next, we've now taken three charity ball bookings for 2015 including a return to support Medequip4Kids , this time for an audience of over 300 at Wigan Athletic's DW Stadium on 12th December.

We've also established a couple of local venues where the full band will appear fairly regularly throughout the year - The Steamhouse Sale and The Horse and Farrier Gatley.This is a great way for you to see us live for no charge prior to making a decision to book us.

Three in a Row - Easter 2016

A very enjoyable Easter run of gigs and everyone was up for fun out there this weekend. It's the first time we've played consecutive gigs with all three of our singers. On Thursday it was the Acoustic Duo with Laura-Jayne Hunter at Oddfellows Mellor, Friday the Trio with Laura K at the John Gilbert, and finally The Trio with Jade at the Bird in Hand in St Helens.

Jade will now be disappearing for a while, after next weekend's wedding booking. She's now at 7 months pregnancy, so the excellent Laura-Jayne Hunter will be fronting the band over the summer

LeLounge! Acoustic Duo Demos

We've recorded five new demos of the Acoustic Duo featuring Laura-Jayne Hunter and Dave Carter. You can check them out in the music player on the LeLounge Webpage.

Oct 26th - Hinds Head - Stockport

Thanks to all who joined us Saturday October 26th for the party night at the Hinds Head in Heaton Chapel where Mini-LeFunk! played 2 hours of live music for Lauren's birthday crowd and the regulars. Thanks to Rachel for booking us. Looking forward to seeing you all again with the full band next time! Click here for venue details

Oct 5th - Cedar Tree - Rochdale

October 5th saw Mini-LeFunk! make their first appearance at the Cedar Tree Restaurant in Newhay near Rochdale. A fantastic night of tapas and dancing in a stylish environment. Dean sampled the food and can report it was excellent. Our thanks go to Rachel and all the staff for their hospitality. We'll be back on December 7th for festive fun.Click here for details

Charity Balls 2014

If you're organising a group celebration or office party in the Manchester area why not contribute to a worthy cause in the process.

On the 5th September Laura-Jayne Hunter (Indie Lounge) , LeFunk! and a DJ provide the entertainment at Altrincham Masonic Hall, 36 Clay Lane, Timperley WA15 7AB. Tickets are £6 and all money raised will go to Destination Florida which takes seriously ill children to Disneyland. Further details can be obtained from Laura Kelly by emailing laurajayne292003@yahoo.co.uk

On 20th September singer Gwen Oakden and then LeFunk! play at the Hilton Hotel Manchester Airport to raise money for the Christie Hospital. THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT!

On 6th December at Kilhey Court Hotel Wigan, the Medequip 4Kids Charity Snowball will be raising money for the Wigan Neo Natal Unit. On arrival, you’ll receive a royal reception on the red carpet with pre-dinner drinks, followed by a fabulous three-course meal, coffee and petit-fours. Guests will be entertained for the rest of the evening with live music from LeFunk!, casinos from Pier Fun Casinos, a raffle, auction, and more. For further details click here! or call Medequip on 0161 798 1600.

October News

We've been so busy over the last couple of months, there hasn't been time to keep you all updated! We've launched and gigged a new band format (see our News Page for details) and have performed both public and private gigs as the trio and full line-up. Most notably we played at Chester Race Course (where we had the honour of being introduced by Den Perry from Phoenix nights) and the tremendously successful Charity Ball at Manchester Airport Hilton which raised over £6000 for the Christie Hospital. Looby is still performing most of our gigs while Jade takes maternity leave. Coming up is a Halloween night at the Elizabethan, and a first appearance at the Steamhouse Sale, where we'll also be producing some new publicity photographs

September Charity Events

Friday 5th September. It's time for the Destination Florida Charity gig at Altrincham Masonic Hall. £6 on the door if you haven't already bought a ticket. Enjoy four acts providing live music all night:

Mini-LeFunk! featuring our original vocalist Laura Kelly, Laura-Jayne Hunter performing her Indie Lounge solo repertoire , the fabulous velvety vocal and guitar sounds of Moody Elf and saxophonist Darren Clinton.

There will also be a short presentation telling you all about the great work that Destination Florida does for severely ill Children. Doors open at 7:30pm.

July - Weddings, Retirements, Balls

July 2015 has turned out to be one of the band's busiest ever months. We played the year's first outdoor gig at Brabyns School on the 4th, going down a storm and securing a rebooking for next year. A fantastic achievement as this gig was also the debut for our new bassist Paul, with Dean now moving in to a deputy role.

Looking ahead to the rest of the month we have public appearances as Mini-LeFunk! and the full band, a retirement party, a golf club annual do and a wedding.

June 12th, 13th - 2 Nights, 3 Birthdays!

Two very enjoyable appearances this weekend with dancing galore! Congratulations to Chris on her 60th birthday at Sale Masonic Hall on the 12th and to twins Siobahn and Aisleen who celebrated their 21st Birthday dancing to Mini-LeFunk at The Yard in Alderley Edge on the 13th.

April - Laura's Steamhouse Debut

We're back at the Steamhouse in Sale this Friday 24th April and for a bit of variety we'll be fronted by our original lead singer Laura. In other news Dave passed his Classical Guitar Grade 8 ABRSM exam. A further reinforcement to the various classical and lounge music options we can offer for earlier phases of your wedding or special event.

Sep 2018 New Arrival!

Congratulations to our wonderful singer Laura-Jayne on becoming a Mum for the first time. All our love from all the band to you and Mike.

2018 New Photos!

Hayfield was the location again for our recent promotional photoshoot of the four piece band. Thanks again to Sara Kate Photography.

6th Sep - New Website

As you can see, we have a new website. This has been under development since our myspace site (see picture) was upgraded without warning. Part way through creating an alternative it was suggested that we revamp the main site instead. It's in its infancy but hopefully already worth the effort.

14th Feb - Valentines Day

Happy Valentines day to all you lovers out there! We'll be spreading our special brand of funky lurve at our first Cheshire Wedding of the year this evening. Congratulations to Matt and Emma!

22nd Feb - Bury Town Hall

We're delighted to announce that Mini-LeFunk will be helping to raise money for medequip4kids on 22nd Feb in the very grand Elizabethan Suite at Bury Town Hall.

This is a ticketed event with Meal, Dancers, DJ, Mini-LeFunk!, and raffle prizes presented by the Mayor. Mini-LeFunk! will be performing for one hour. Click here for ticket purchase details.

July 16th- Wahey Hayfield Festival!

On Saturday July 16th the acoustic duo LeLounge! featuring Dave and Laura-Jayne Hunter, will be performing mid afternoon for an hour as part of Hayfield's annual live music festival Wahay. Tickets are just £10 for the whole day. Other acts include the Loretta Scott Jazz Band, Masquerade, Cold Flame, and the excellent Hayfield based function band: Sun Band, for whom Laura-Jayne Hunter was once lead singer! There's a bar and barbecue and kids activities throughout the afternoon.

11th Jan - Little Mill Inn

On Saturday 11th Jan Mini-LeFunk! will be playing at the Little Mill Inn , Rowarth near Mellor, up in the hills between the Peak District and Stockport.

This is an idyllic country pub with a restored water wheel and a pullman carriage alongside it. It may be a more remote venue than most, but we'll still be taking synchronised lights and high quality PA to show off what we offer to potential wedding clients.

First set will be at between 9pm and 9:30pm.

14th Dec - New Demos Featuring Jade

We've added two excellent new demos to the sample music player. Both feature Jade on lead vocals. Movin' On Up (originally M-People) and Moves Like Jagger (originally Maroon5).

Alternatively Click on the 'play medley' button for shorter versions of these plus Valerie and Forget You sung by our deputy singer Looby.

6th & 7th Dec - Snowgoose Cafe & Cedar Tree Restaurant Party

With Jade now settled in and completing her third full gig with us we're already reaping the benefits, with return bookings and immediate enquiries coming in. In fact we need to order more business cards! Our performance at Snowgoose Cafe Macclesfield on Friday was described by the management and staff as 'Brilliant'. There was some fantastic dancing going on in front of us - not least from behind the bar! Then at a packed Cedar Tree Restaurant in Newhey near Rochdale we entertained the office Christmas party crowd with two hours of live music and a thumping DJ service.

With Dean visiting relatives abroad LeFunk! are now taking a break for Xmas, but we are playing as Mini-LeFunk! on New Year's Eve at the Bruce Arms Macclesfield. We'll be adding some new songs to the repertoire over Christmas, including songs by Katy Perry, Adele and Daft-Punk. Thanks to everyone, especially family and friends, for attending our gigs and contributing publicity and media over the year. Merry Xmas everyone!

29th/30th Nov - Laura & Jade

A landmark weekend for Lefunk! with Laura making her final appearance with us at the Flying Horse Hotel on Friday 29th November. Laura has left the band to spend more time with her little ones, but will still be a part of the team and will no doubt make guest appearances with us in the future.

Stepping straight in to Laura's shoes, the very next night Jade performed her first full gig at the Elizabethan in Heaton Chapel and wowed the crowd from the off. Not bad considering the original plan was for Jade to start gigging with us from next year! You can check out the new line-up at Snowgoose Cafe Macclesfield this Friday 6th December, and the following night Saturday 7th December at the Cedar Tree Restaurant in Newhey near Rochdale.

As Jade will have learnt and rehearsed our entire repertoire by christmas we can now offer Mini-LeFunk! to anyone who wants to hire us for New Year's Eve 2013.

Acoustic Lounge NYE Party

Many thanks and a happy new year to everyone we played for on New Year's Eve at the Acoustic Lounge in Poynton from Jade, Dave and Dean (Mini-LeFunk!).

Well done Poynton's Megan Franchez, not only for opening the show so brilliantly (what a voice!), but also organising the charity for which funds were raised on the night.

Wishing Andy every success with the venue for 2015 and hope to see you all again soon (maybe even next NYE as already requested!).

Check out all the live acts coming up at the Acoustic Lounge by visiting their facebook page here.

December Balls and Parties

Saturday the 6th saw the full band play to a sell out crowd at the beautiful Kilhey Court Hotel Wigan, raising money for Medequip4Kids. A brilliantly organised event - our congratulations and thanks go to Sarah, Kate, Toastmaster Malcolm and all the staff at the Kilhey Court Hotel. We've already been asked to perform at the next one!

Friday 5th MiniLeFunk! were at the Cedar Tree Restaurant Newhey for the first of many Xmas Parties at this classy Tapas Restaurant with regular live music events and plenty of opportunity to work off the calories with a post meal bop. Well worth a visit - in fact our very own Laura Jayne Hunter (Looby) entertains here on Christmas Eve which should be a fantastic night!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!

A Happy New Year from all of us at LeFunk! Over Christmas, we were busy playing Balls and Christmas Parties including an RAF base, a Premier League Football ground, and the iconic Piccadilly Mercure Hotel. It's been another great year for LeFunk!, during which we've expanded our pool of musicians to include Paul on bass, and Gadge as deputy drummer.

The new acoustic duo, LeLounge!, featuring Laura-Jayne Hunter and Dave Carter, has been a great success, already securing regular bookings at venues including Oddfellows and the John Millington.

So a merry Xmas and a Happy New Year to all of you, especially all the fun loving audiences we have played for this year. The full band played their last gig of the year on Xmas Eve at the Rising Sun in Hazel Grove, and MiniLeFunk! played the Grey Mare in Harwood on New Year's Eve.

September - Gadge's Debut

Congratulations to our deputy drummer Gadge on his impressive debut gig at the Horse and Farrier. Check out the hybrid kit he uses - a combination of Roland electronic pads and real cymbals that sounds fantastic.
After a busy month playing more local venues October will see us back in full function band mode playing weddings, annual balls and charity events, plus a first performance at the Pack Horse in Hayfield for LeLounge!.