You’ve booked a band for the company party. Or an artist who’s playing live after dinner. Great. Then comes the question plenty of organisers get stuck on: what does the band bring, and what do you have to sort out?
The answer almost always comes down to one word. Backline. That’s all the gear the musicians play on. Drum kit, amps, keys. And because the band needs to hear itself, you sort out the monitoring at the same time. Here’s what a band needs, and where hiring just the backline differs from having the whole lot taken care of.
What backline actually is
Backline is everything on stage that the musicians use directly. A drummer needs a drum kit, a guitarist an amp, a bassist a bass amp, a keyboard player keys or a piano.
Most bands would rather travel light. A drummer brings their own sticks and maybe a snare, but won’t haul a full kit halfway across the country. So the band asks you, or the venue, to sort out the backline. That’s where we come in.
The drum kit
The drum kit is the heart of the backline and the piece we get asked for most. We hire out complete kits: bass drum, snare, toms, hi-hat and cymbals, plus the stands and a drum throne. Our hire stock includes a Yamaha Tour Custom and a Tama Starclassic.
Ask the drummer beforehand what they’re used to. A jazz trio wants a more compact kit than a covers band that’s out to raise the roof. And check whether the drummer is bringing their own cymbals and snare, because a lot of drummers prefer to. Then you only fill in the rest.
Guitar and bass amps
A guitarist plays through a guitar amp, a bassist through a bass amp. Sounds obvious. They really are different bits of kit, though, and you can’t just swap one for the other.
We hire out both. Tell us which band is playing and what kind of music, and we’ll match the amps to it. An acoustic duo gets by fine with a small combo, a heavy rock band wants more power. Guitarist wants to play through their own rig but is missing that one piece? We’ll fill the gap.
Keys and stage pianos
Is there a keyboard player? Then you need keys or a stage piano, plus a stand and often separate amplification or a line to the mixing desk. The keyboard player usually brings the instrument itself. We have a sturdy keyboard stand and a keyboard amp (Roland KC550) in our hire stock.
Keyboard players are fussy about their instrument, and rightly so. Ask the band which model they want, or let us suggest one based on the style. We make sure the instrument is there and that the sound reaches the audience clean.
Monitoring, the part that often gets forgotten
This is where it goes wrong for organisers who underestimate backline. A band has to hear itself on stage, or the playing falls apart.
For that you need monitoring. That means wedges, the angled speakers pointing at the musicians, or in-ears, earpieces with a separate mix for each musician. Which one you choose depends on the band and the room. A drummer wants to hear the vocals, a singer wants the guitar just quiet enough. Without good monitoring the band drifts out of time, however good they are.
Mixing desk, microphones and the line check
The band’s set up, but the sound still has to reach the audience. For that you need a mixing desk with enough channels, and mics in the right places.
Do the maths. A drum kit alone easily takes 6 to 8 channels, then come the amps, the vocals, the keys. Before you know it you’re at 16 channels or more. A desk that’s too small is a common mistake, and one you can’t fix once the show’s running.
Then there’s the line check and the soundcheck. The line check comes first: is every mic and every instrument on the right channel, and is there signal coming in? The soundcheck is setting the balance, so the band sounds the way it should before the first guest walks in. Plan time for it. You’ll hear a rushed soundcheck all evening.
Backline only, or the full service?
Now the difference that matters. You can hire just the backline from us: drum kit, guitar and bass amps, and you or the band sort out the rest. That’s called dry hire, and it works fine if an experienced engineer travels with the band.
Or you have us take care of all of it. We bring the backline, the mixing desk, the monitoring and the mics, we set up, do the line check and the soundcheck, and one of our people runs the show at front of house. You keep your head on the party. The cables are our problem.
For a company party with a covers band, most organisers go for the full service. For a seasoned band that tours with its own sound engineer, backline only is often enough. Not sure? Tell us who’s playing and we’ll advise what fits. We deliver across the Randstad, from our base in Rotterdam.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly counts as backline?
Backline is all the gear the musicians play on: drum kit, guitar and bass amps, keys or a stage piano, and the stands that go with them. Monitoring, the mixing desk and mics count as PA, and you can hire them separately or together with the backline.
Doesn’t the band bring anything themselves?
It varies from band to band. Plenty of musicians bring their own instrument, like a guitar or a snare, but would rather have the heavy gear such as the drum kit and amps sorted on site. Ask the band for their tech rider beforehand, and you’ll know exactly what to hire.
How many channels do I need on the mixing desk?
That depends on the line-up. A drum kit alone takes 6 to 8 channels. Add the amps, vocals and keys, and a four-piece band quickly gets to 16 channels or more. Send us the line-up and we’ll pick the right desk.
What’s the difference between a line check and a soundcheck?
The line check confirms beforehand that every instrument and every mic comes in on the right channel. The soundcheck sets the balance so the band sounds good before the audience arrives. Both need to be scheduled well before the start.
Can I hire just the drum kit?
Yes, you can hire individual items, such as just a drum kit or just a bass amp. If you want the certainty that everything is matched and running, go for the full service, including set-up and soundcheck.
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