Corporate Entertainment | Conferences | Staff Parties | Themed Events | Country & Western Parties | Line Dancing | Barndances & Australian Bushdances | Hoedowns | Honkytonks | Wild West Nights | Boot Scootin’ Rodeos | Iconic Australian Music | American Roadhouse & Country
The short version: You are in the right place.
Swamp Dawkins has done hundreds of events and knows exactly how to make yours a success.
Swamp Dawkins specialises in themed events– Iconic Australian or American Country & Western style– for corporate conferences, staff parties, client entertainment, client crowd/spectator activation and team building.
Swamp Dawkins Band is the only band for anyone looking for either: an iconic night of Australian entertainment; or a Country and Western, Honkytonk, Hoedown, Cowboy & Cowgirl Rodeo Americana themed corporate event.
What do we do?
Swamp Dawkins is unique and unlike any other band.
The nights we do are not about watching a band– they are about your staff and your guests having a fantastic experience together.
We seamlessly combine called dances– line dances, barn dances, square dances and bush dances– with a wide repertoire of music themed to your event that will bring everyone together on the dance floor and caught in the moment.
The dances are taught on the night and are incredibly fun and yes, without fail- people hit the dance floor (we have years of experience in knowing how to make this happen!) The dances get your staff and guests engaged, mixing with each other and caught in the moment.
Amongst the called dances we have a fantastic repertoire of other music to suit your night which when combined with the called dances, brings the night alive like no other. We mix in music from iconic Australian artists like Paul Kelly & Cold Chisel to Jet & Powderfinger, to classic American Roadhouse & Western music of Johnny Cash & Dolly Parton to Mellancamp, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Tom Petty to party favourites from ABBA to Adele– we work with you to tailor the repertoire to the atmosphere you want to create.
So whether it’s a Hoedown themed opening night of your conference to break the ice and get everyone mixing; or an iconic night of Australian music and bush dancing for overseas guests; or a Wild West Christmas party for your staff– Swamp Dawkins knows how to make your night a huge success.
What makes our themed nights work?
Themed nights are near mandatory for conferences and staff parties– but they need to be original, fun, unique, engaging and executed professionally.
Unfortunately- anyone looking for original and unique themes for their conference nights or staff parties is faced with a very familiar roster if they look around town– Bollywood nights, Casino nights, 1920’s/30’s/40’s/50’s/60’s/70’s/80’s/90’s Throwback nights, Disco parties, Great Gatsby Nights, School Prom nights or Vegas themed events. They’ve all been done before and a lot of them don’t payoff as much as the effort you put in.
The themed nights we do include:
- Iconic Australian Bushdances, Barndances and Country Dances
- Country & Western/ Cowboy & Cowgirl Rodeo Nights
- Boot Scootin’ Honkytonks & Hoedowns
- Wild West Nights
And they work for a number of very simple reasons:
- They are easy to theme the room/space– such as hay bales, wine barrels & festoon lights;
- They are easy for people to costume– anything as simple as denim, checks and boots but people can get carried away with animal onesies; Dolly & Kenny outfits; cowboy & cowgirl costumes;
- There are many very simple great catering options– pigs on a spit and beyond;
- The called dancing generates a lot of fun, laughter and energy that takes people completely by surprise– and it works for a very diverse range of groups;
- The mix of other music played creates a great party atmosphere that suits the variations on the theme;
- There are some great “bells and whistles” to add to the event– mechanical bull, the giant jumping kangaroos, photo booths etc.;
- And the bushdance, barndance, country & western hoedown themes are timeless– they are not linked to the latest movie craze.
The nights combine great party music with called barn, bush, square and line dances and it draws people away from the bar or dinner tables and onto the dance floor mixing with everyone at the function.
Our formula is well proven and is perfect for corporate conferences where mixing matters, or for end-of-financial year and Christmas parties where it’s time for everyone to relax and let loose.
Why do corporates book us?
Swamp Dawkins is professional. We are unique, fun, original and engaging.
Corporates who book us want a night with a big difference. Aside from having a themed night– which is often Country and Western themed– they want a night which will get staff, clients or guests mixing with each other and hitting the dance floor. The corporates we play for want their staff engaged and entertained with professional production and quality musicianship.
I worked for an investment bank, in Australia and offshore, for over 20 years– I know what corporate events require– and I’ve been a musician, playing in bands since I was a teenager and doing called dances for many many years– I know what it takes with any and every crowd, to make the night hit the spot.
Swamp Dawkins is unique, we know how to make your night a success, and our track record speaks for itself. Swamp Dawkins is perfect for:
- End-of-Financial Year celebrations
- Corporate Christmas Parties
- Staff Conferences
- Corporate Promotions
- Team Building & Crowd Activation
What is the band lineup?
Swamp Dawkins typically plays as a four or five piece band with electric chicken pickin’ guitar, foot stomping bass, a full kickin’ drum kit, squealing fiddle or harmonica. For themed events, we have a dance caller to teach all the dances step-by-step while the rest of the band creates sweet harmonies that would do Dolly and Kenny proud!
So for most events we play as a four piece of: Guitar (electric & acoustic), Bass, Drums & Violin and for larger events we add pedal steel and/or harmonica and/or female vocalist and for smaller event we’ll play as a trio.
We use musicians with professional backgrounds who have played in some of Australia’s leading Australian bands.
Do you do more than just the live music and/or called dances?
Yes.
First and foremost– we will meet with you in person before your event with you, the venue contacts and/or production team to make sure that everything is tailored to your night. A successful night is a result of successful planning.
As for the night itself:
- Production We normally provide our own production (PA, basic stage lighting) for events of up to 300 people and beyond that we can arrange a third party to produce the event if required;
- MC We are happy to MC your event if required;
- House Music/ Backing Tracks We provide backing tracks throughout the night as and when required;
- Additional Theming We are able to arrange and/or recommend additional theming such as hay bales, wine barrels, photo booths, professional photographers, caterers & mechanical bulls;
- Venue Recommendation We’ve played in many fantastic venues and if you’re after recommendations we’re more than happy to help you out;
- Callout Times We are flexible on the night and (within reason) don’t play to any set time limits so that we are entirely flexible and no-one needs to watch the clock;
- Insurance We have $30,000,000 Public Liability Insurance and Professional Indemnity Insurance with Certificate of Currency available on request.
We just want live music- is that ok? Or do you always do the called dances?
Not all events want or need the called dances.
We do many events where clients just want iconic Australian music for example; or music to suit an American mid-West bar themed party. Whilst some events want just one or two called dances and others want nothing but the called dancing. Every event is unique and we tailor the mix of music and called dancing to suit what you need.
What do people have to say about Swamp Dawkins?
We take great care with every single event we do- we’ve played for groups as small as 20 people, to groups well over 1,000- and we treat every event with the same professionalism and care. Here are some reviews from just a few of the corporate events we’ve done and click here for all our testimonials. We take immense pride in delivering nights that are extremely memorable, immensely fun, highly engaging and professionally executed, so please take the time to read our testimonials- you will not find another band that has such a collection.
What are some examples of events you’ve done?
We’ve done hundreds of events– and amongst them there have been many conference nights, staff parties, client entertainment nights, team building evenings and crowd activation days. Here’s just a handful of them and please click here to download our Corporate Event Case Studies.
Conference Opening Night – Flight Centre East Coast Leaders Conference (Hunter Valley)
In 2018 we played for 500 Flight Centre staff at their “Glamping” conference in the Hunter Valley. They wanted to kick off their conference with a bang– something that brought everyone together, something that was fun and would break the ice, and something that suited the venue and theme of the conference. Here’s a quick video of part of the night and what they had to say afterwards.
Michael and the team at Swamp Dawkins were a dream to work with. The lead up was seamless and the night ran incredibly well. The barn dance calls were perfect and everyone at the event joined in and had a great time.
Thanks guys for making our opening night of the conference one to remember!
Bec – The Flight Centre – Hunter Valley – November 2018
Swamp Dawkins gave us the best night- these guys are phenomenal! I have never seen so many non dancers hit the floor to learn some moves!
Much more than just a band- these are real entertainers. 3 encores before management stepped in to tell them we had to stop!
Sarah – The Flight Centre – Hunter Valley – November 2018
The short version and the long version…..
Conference & Team Building Night – Americaid with Pinnacle Team Events (Glenworth Valley)
Recently Swamp Dawkins has teamed up with Pinnacle Team Events. Pinnacle are leader in team building activities and programs for the corporate sector and together we have launched “HonkyTonk”– a themed night with a few twists in the called dances that create a particularly unique team building element.
Here’s what the client has to say afterwards:
Swamp Dawkins were fantastic – they were great fun, very talented, and the music was perfectly suited to the occasion, plus the band were nice to have around and chat to before and after the sets.
We couldn’t recommend them highly enough for a group similar to our size (18-20) as they got everyone up and dancing, having a laugh, and we felt like we were at a family wedding not a work event!
Frances – Amplitude Australia via Pinnacle Team Events – Glenworth Valley – September 2019
Product Promotion – Coburn’s Distillery (Burrawang, Southern Highlands)
Coburn’s Distillery were celebration the barrelling of their first whiskey (and the milestone birthday of their founder) and wanted an event that would bring together their customers, supporters and community. Here’s a couple of reviews and a postcard of the night!
Thank you again for such an amazing night at our Barn Dance. Mark and I were so grateful to you for making it such a success. Here are a few words for your website.
Swamp Dawkins really made our barn dance come to life. The music was perfect, a mixture of led barn dance numbers and popular hits. We had most of the people dancing most of the time, which I found amazing. Michael’s sense of humour is spot on. He has the knack of making everyone feel relaxed and included and from the looks on people’s faces they loved every minute of it.
I would recommend Swamp Dawkins to anyone who wants to ensure their night is a huge success.
We look forward to using Swamp Dawkins again in the future.
Jenni – Coburns Distillery – Burrawang – August 2017
The best part of the night was seeing a room full of adults, beaming with smiles from ear to ear for hours on end. The was possibly the most fun you can have with your clothes on… Big thanks to Mark Coburn and Coburn’s Distillery for such an epic night.
I never thought I’d find myself at a friggin’ barn dance. Now I can’t wait for the next one!
Jason – Coburn’s Distillery – Burrawang – August 2017
Australian Themed Night for Overseas Guests – BENet 2019 Conference
In 2019 we were invited to play for a conference of Benedictine educators from all over the globe– Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, the Phillipines, Indonesia, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Tanzania, Ghana, the US and the UK and elsewhere. The conference organisers were wanting to give their guests a distinctly Australian night and here’s what they said:
We recently hired Swamp Dawkins for a Bush Dance event with 200 guests of various ages visiting Sydney for a conference. The band played Aussie classics then played/called a few sets of barn dancing.
From our first interaction with Michael and the band, they were easy to work with, professional and accomodating. But, the music and fun they added to our event was beyond our expectations. Many of the guest told us how much they enjoyed the band and the dancing and with most of the crowd up and dancing, we know everyone had a fun and memorable experience!
You guys were awesome and the guests of the conference loved it! We would highly recommend Swamp Dawkins.
Alexis, Events Manager – BENet Global Conference – October, 2019
Client Entertainment & Brand Promotion – The Goring Hotel, London
The Goring Hotel, a high-end boutique hotel in London, wanted to have a night for local travel consultants to thank them and promote bookings from Australia. They decided to have a May Day event with a hoedown theme at Doltone House and Jones Bay Wharf and here’s what they had to say after the event:
I would like to thank you again for such a wonderful evening – Michael, you were fantastic to deal with and very professional, your band were a complete success and all our guests were bowled over by your choice of music and ability to get them up to dance – a fun evening was had by all.
I will not hesitate to contact you again for our next corporate function!
Karla – The Goring Hotel (Corporate Client Night) – Doltone House, Sydney – May 2018
Australian Music – Sportsnet Holidays at NRL Grand Finals and Bathurst Races
Sportsnet Holidays provides premium travel packages for sporting events and for their NRL Grand Final and Bathurst 1000 Races packages wanted iconic Australian music that would suit the iconic Australian atmosphere of those landmark events– here’s a postcard from the Bathurst Races Night and from on board the Captain Cook Cruise on the way to the NRL Grand Final.
Crowd Activation – Asian Soccer Cup Final Australia vs South Korea (Stadium Australia)
Swamp Dawkins was contacted by the Twenty3 Group to be part of the pre-game crowd activation at Stadium Australia for the final game of the 2014 championship. Swamp Dawkins was chosen to provide iconic Australian music as spectators arrived to the main gates. Click here for more information: AFC Asian Cup Final (2014)
Contact Michael to discuss your next corporate event or you can also find out more on our Booking Information page.
