Suggestions for covers songs - recent & crowd pleaser

[mingsta]

Hi all, I'm looking for some ideas to spruce up our set list for 2015. We are looking for some recent songs ie from within the past few years, that will get everyone dancing and which are doable for a four piece (guitar, drums, bass, male vocals). We already do counting stars, get lucky and happy. Have you got anything that fits the criteria which always goes down a treat with the punters?

[uncle psychosis]

Anytime I've seen a band do "locked out of heaven" It's gone down a storm.

[mingsta]

Good call! We used to do that one, but for some reason the singer was never that keen on it, though the band loved playing it.

[LiamPodmore]

Locked Out Of Heaven is a good shout. Let Her Go (Passenger) and Wake Me Up (Avicii) would be my first thoughts. Wrecking Ball, Gangnam Style and that sort of stuff can be fun if you're willing to play around with a bit and see what works.

Liam

[JTUK]

I think popular tracks are quite regional as there are plenty of tracks mentioned in these various threads
that would not work at all in places round here.... not to the point where the band would be popular in pubs.
And likewise, the staple stuff around here would likely bomb elsewhere.
The whole picking a set that will work, the band can play and make the band a good draw is quite an 'art'

For example, the classic rock 80's bands have too dated a set to do well in the best music ( most work ) town around
and there appear to be demarkation lines about where bands can work. Odd, I agree, but pertinent, IMO.

[Truckstop]

'All About That Bass' by Megan Trainor(sp?) goes down quite well with the ladies. 'Do It Like A Dude' and 'Bang Bang' by Jessie J work well if you take some liberties with arrangement and most Beyoncé stuff works. Crazy in Love and Single Ladies especially.

'Thinking Out Loud' by Ed Sheeran and 'Budapest' by George Ezra are slower but great floor fillers. Took me a while to realise, but older people love dancing in pairs and these songs really work for them.

As JTUK says, it can be hard to get a set list perfect, but if you can play a song with enough conviction to really make it your own, then people will love it whatever the song is.

Truckstop

[crez5150]

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The song that I see a lot of bands 'saying' they are going to cover locally is the new Bruno Mars/Mark Ronson number 'Uptown Funk'. For me this is just another of those tracks such as Get Lucky, Happy etc that the majority of cover bands will absolutely murder..... and stick in alongside AC/DC, Guns & Roses covers..... [/font][/size]

Edited December 28, 2014 by crez5150

[Truckstop]

God, Uptown Funk's so boring! And impossible to cover without a horn section.

Truckstop

[spacey]

Depends how old the band looks, old men playing cheesy x factor style pop songs never looks good.
If you are a bunch of young Adonis sp**k trumpets then you will get away with it.

Edited December 28, 2014 by spacey

[M@23]

My covers band ends with Sex on Fire by KoL - it's pretty much guaranteed to get a drunken sing along going.

[Wonky2]

Mrs wonky got a new cd by pop ginger whinger ed sheran..... All crap but track 3- sing, is about the only one I can stand, modern and got a great groove, would go down well but could present a challenge for any vocalist to be fair....

http://youtube.com/watch?v=b48_NzPWSJI

Edited December 29, 2014 by icastle
Link Fixed.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Rivers of Babylon

[merello]

Happy - P Williams
Just a Girl I used to Know - can't remember the mad Oz name!