HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

How to hire an acoustic duo in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to acoustic duos in the UK. Here is what the venue needs, what to ask the duo and what the quote must say.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an acoustic duo in five steps

  1. Watch them liveUnedited footage of the acoustic duo at a real wedding or party, with the room noise left in, beats a studio recording.
  2. Ask the venue three thingsIts music licence, any sound limiter and the curfew. They shape what the duo can play and for how long.
  3. Fix sets and breaksHow many sets, how long each, when they fall in your day, and whether playlist music fills the gaps.
  4. Get the PAT record and insuranceMany venues want both from every performer. Ask the duo for copies before the day.
  5. Book in writingDate, hours, set list approach, requests, travel, meals and the price of an extra set, all in one confirmation.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

There is no statutory register for acoustic duos anywhere in the UK, and no exam to pass before taking bookings. Two musicians with a guitar and a microphone can be superb or shaky, and only live footage and recent hosts tell you which.

Speak to someone who booked the acoustic duo recently, and get the terms on paper first.

Music licence and event licensing where the acoustic duo plays

Live or recorded music played in public needs TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS, which replaced the separate PRS and PPL licences; playing without one infringes copyright and can lead to a claim for damages. At a hotel, pub or licensed function room the venue normally holds it, so the acoustic duo does not need their own. In England and Wales, music or dancing at a place with no premises licence is a licensable activity and needs a Temporary Event Notice: under 500 people, given to the council at least 10 clear working days before. In Northern Ireland, live entertainment indoors, and open-air music on private land, needs a district council entertainment licence whoever performs; staging indoor entertainment without one risks a fine of up to £20,000. In Scotland, ask the venue or council what the event needs before the acoustic duo is booked.

Ask the venue whether it holds TheMusicLicence before anyone charges you for one for the acoustic duo. Ask the venue whether it is licensed for live entertainment, or who will give the notice or hold the licence for the acoustic duo's performance. gov.uk →

Safe electrics and insurance for the acoustic duo

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require electrical equipment that could cause injury — the acoustic duo's the PA, microphones and amplifiers included — to be kept safe, though HSE says they do not make yearly PAT testing a legal duty. Venues often ask for a recent PAT record on the PA, microphones and amplifiers and for public liability insurance anyway, at a level they set.

Send the venue the acoustic duo's PAT record and insurance certificate a week before. hse.gov.uk →

Trader status and cancellation terms

Anyone paid to work as an acoustic duo is acting as a trader, which brings in the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and its promise of reasonable care and skill. A booking for a specific date is usually outside the 14-day cancellation right, as regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 excludes date-bound leisure and catering services, so the deposit terms in the acoustic duo's contract matter.

Read the acoustic duo's cancellation, deposit and postponement terms before you pay anything. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Live music played at your event is standard-rated, so a registered acoustic duo adds 20% to the set fee. Acoustic duos whose taxable turnover passes £90,000 must register, charge VAT and show it as its own line on the quote and invoice.

Ask the duo for their VAT number and check the 20% sits under the performance fee, not inside it. gov.uk →

“Can I see a full song from a live gig, not a studio take?”

A good answer: A phone video of the acoustic duo playing a real room. Studio audio says little about how they sound over chatter.

“How many sets do you play, and how long is each?”

A good answer: A clear pattern — say two or three sets of about 45 minutes — that the acoustic duo will fit around your meal and speeches.

“Will you learn a song for the ceremony or first dance?”

A good answer: Yes, with a deadline for the request and any charge stated, and a recording sent back if you want to hear it first.

“Do you bring your own PA, and how much room do you need?”

A good answer: The acoustic duo knows its footprint, needs one or two sockets and can play quietly for a ceremony and louder for the evening.

“Can you work with the venue's sound limiter?”

A good answer: An acoustic duo that has played limited rooms before and keeps under the cut-out level.

“What happens if one of you is ill?”

A good answer: A named dep (stand-in) player the acoustic duo uses regularly, or a refund, written into the booking.

“Is travel, a meal and parking in the fee?”

A good answer: Each listed. A hot meal for the musicians on a long day is a normal request.

Getting the quote right

  • The date, venue, arrival time and the set times the acoustic duo will play
  • What the fee covers: number and length of sets, PA, background playlist between sets
  • Song requests and any learning charge for a ceremony or first-dance song
  • Travel, parking and any overnight stay as separate figures
  • The duo's VAT number, with the 20% shown under the fee and the travel
  • Deposit, balance date, cancellation terms and the cost of an extra set on the night
  • Who actually attends: the two named players, or a deputy guitarist or singer — and whether deputies are employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • No live footage of the acoustic duo — only polished studio tracks
  • No written booking, or terms that say nothing about illness or cancellation
  • They will not say whether they can work under the venue's sound limiter
  • No PAT record or insurance when your venue has asked for them
  • A request for the full fee months in advance
LOW
£200
TYPICAL
£550
HIGH
£2,500

What an acoustic duo costs: £200–£2,500 per booking

Acoustic duos quote per booking — a set number of sets or hours — with travel, an overnight stay and extra sets added as separate lines. Acoustic Duo price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Acoustic duos near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Arrive and load inThe acoustic duo arrives with time to set up quietly before guests, at the spot the venue has agreed.
  2. Sound checkA short check at low volume, within the venue's limiter, and a word with the venue about cables and sockets.
  3. First setGentle songs for a ceremony or drinks reception, with the volume kept below conversation.
  4. Evening setsLivelier sets on the agreed timings, playlist music between them, requests played if agreed in advance.
  5. Pack downKit cleared by the agreed time, the balance settled and any extra set paid at the rate in the booking.

Set
One block of live music, often around 45 minutes, with a break between sets.
Dep
A deputy musician who stands in when a regular member cannot play.
PA
The public address system — speakers, mixer and microphones the duo brings.
Sound limiter
A device at some venues that cuts the power if the music gets too loud.
Learnt request
A song the duo learns for you, often for a first dance or entrance.
TheMusicLicence
The single PPL PRS licence for playing music in public, normally held by the venue.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the booking and receiptsThe confirmation records the sets and hours the acoustic duo agreed; keep it with your payment record.
Note what was playedSets started and finished on time? Any request missed? Write it down the same week.
Ask for recordingsIf the duo filmed or recorded part of the day, ask for a copy and agree how they may use it.
Leave the reviewYour review of the acoustic duo counts because only booked jobs can be reviewed on Locufy. If something went wrong, the make-it-right step comes first: the acoustic duo is asked to put it right before the review goes live.

STEP 1Put it to the acoustic duo in writingSay what went wrong — a late start, short sets, a missed first-dance song — and what you want, by message or email. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 means an acoustic duo must work with reasonable care and skill; where the day cannot be rerun, you can ask for a fair reduction, up to the whole price.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the acoustic duo below four stars and you are asked whether to send the problem to them first; we follow it through, then your review is published.
STEP 3When the trader stops replyingNo regulator oversees acoustic duos. If the trader will not engage, Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) covers England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) covers Scotland, and Consumerline (0300 123 6262) covers Northern Ireland; each can pass a complaint about acoustic duos to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the acoustic duo will not returnThe last step against the acoustic duo is a small claim: up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in the sheriff court in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring an acoustic duo: questions people ask

Not personally. TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS and any entertainment licence attach to the venue or the event; the acoustic duo just plays.

The law wants the acoustic duo's kit kept safe; HSE is clear it does not demand a yearly PAT test, and insurance is not compulsory. Venues, though, often ask for both.

£200 to £2,500 per booking, typically around £550. What drives the price is in the acoustic duo price guide; put your town in the search above to compare local acoustic duos.

Most do. Ceremony, drinks and evening sets are priced as more playing time; tell the duo where each part happens so they can plan the kit moves.

Quieter than a full band; most can play under conversation for a drinks reception. Check the venue's limiter level anyway.

The contract should say whether a stand-in player is offered or the deposit is returned. Get that clause before you pay.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

How to hire: Solo MusicianHow to hire: Live BandHow to hire: Wedding SingerHow to hire: String QuartetHow to hire: HarpistHow to hire: Pianist for HireHow to hire: SaxophonistHow to hire: Wedding DJAll 701 hiring guides →

Acoustic duos near you

Acoustic duos in LondonAcoustic duos in ManchesterAcoustic duos in BirminghamAcoustic duos in GlasgowAcoustic duos in BelfastAll acoustic duos on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — licence to play live or recorded music
  2. gov.uk — Temporary Events Notice
  3. gov.uk — entertainment licence (Northern Ireland)
  4. HSE — portable appliance testing FAQs
  5. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  8. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  9. nidirect — small claims process
  10. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  11. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  12. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register