Can we see you play live before we book you in for our event?
We occasionally play at cafes and pubs around Adelaide. We also occasionally do live streaming. Keep a lookout on our Facebook and Instagram to see what's coming up.
Why don’t you play at more public venues?
Because we don’t really need or have time to! We are professional musicians and make our living by getting a lot of private bookings.
How do I know I will like your music?
Watch our demos and read the testimonials! We have 100% positive reviews. We’ve played at hundreds of weddings and corporate functions and are really confident that you’ll be absolutely stoked with our musicianship and professionalism.
We’re also happy to meet with you in person if you want to make sure we’re as nice as we say we are :)
What songs do you play?
We have a huge repertoire covering many eras and genres. We love to play well-known songs that get people's feet tapping!
You can request a PDF from us that lists most of our repertoire, but we are always learning new songs and adding to this list.
We go into every gig with an open mind and choose songs as we go, based on how the audience is responding. We also try our best to accomodate song requests both ahead of time and on the day.
Who is in your Cruse Control band?
Marly is always the front man of the band (guitar and vocal) and we have a “first choice” group of professional Adelaide musicians to join us, consisting of:
- Eliza Dickson - Vocals
- Jono Ruse - Keyboards (also covering bass lines) and vocal raps
- Emile Ryjoch - Saxophone
- Nat Cruse - Drums
Usually this full combination is available when booked well in advance. If someone isn’t available we ask our next choice musicians, who are also top quality, professional musicians. You are absolutely guaranteed a highly professional, top-notch band for your function!
I'm sure I've previously seen Cruse Duo as Marly and Nat, not Marly and Eliza..what's going on?
You're correct! When we first started our business, we performed our duo as Marly and Nat. Since having a child it has become much more difficult to negotiate this, so we have decided that it's better both for us and the clients for Nat to be the dedicated consultant and Eliza to join Marly in the duo.
If you have previously seen Marly and Nat perform and have your heart set on them performing at your event, then please let us know. Nat would still love to perform occasionally upon special request!
How do you work out your pricing?
There are a number of factors involved. For a wedding booking we have package prices based on the services required - ceremony, pre-dinner and reception. For a corporate booking we mainly base the price on how many hours we are required from set-up/sound check until pack-up.
If a separate, professional company is providing sound and lighting then our price will be less. If the venue is over an hour from Adelaide CBD or if there are multiple venues then a small travel fee is applied.
Like any business, we also have overheads that we need to cover including insurance, advertising, equipment maintenance, website maintenance etc.
Therefore we set our prices to help cover these costs as well as the actual hours involved on the gig itself and the consulting leading up to your event. We feel our prices are very reasonable and competitive, and if required we are always happy to work with you to find a solution that fits your budget.
How much do you pay your other band members?
More than the average! Before starting our own business we worked for different agencies around Adelaide (and on occasion we still accept agency gigs), so we know how much a professional musician gets paid for different types of gigs. We pride ourselves on paying more than these agencies, but still charging you less!
As we are not an agency, you only pay for the musicians that are actually on the gig. We absolutely love employing our best mates for gigs and paying them really well and in a very timely manner for their professionalism and quality of musicianship.
Are you a proper DJ?
When we DJ for functions (mainly weddings) we use a professional quality sound system and DJ equipment. We also use only legally purchased tracks.
Our philosophy is to choose popular songs that most people know and can sing along to, because we find this to be the best way to keep a dance floor pumping!
We love playing all the classics as well as current bangers. We also aim for seamless song transitions. If you are looking for a “club” style DJ who will use lots of fancy effects and mixing techniques, that’s not us, but you could still hire us for all the live music and hire a separate DJ if you wish!
Do you MC?
Yep! Marly is a great MC. He keeps things short and sweet and doesn’t try to take all the attention at your function.
Can we just hire your lighting and/or sound equipment and use our own iPod/Spotify?
No, sorry. We aren’t licensed to hire out our equipment without us being there, and it’s more than likely that we would get another booking on the same night and need it ourselves anyway!
Can we hire you just to DJ (no live music)?
No, sorry. We will always prioritise performing live as we feel this represents what we do best!
So why do you offer DJ services at all?
To give you a really affordable option for your wedding or event! DJ’s by themselves can be quite costly, so if you hire live musicians and a DJ separately you will likely find this to be a very expensive option. Adding our DJ option to your package is much more cost effective for you.
Can you recommend other wedding suppliers?
Marly is such an amazing singer, why doesn’t he go on The Voice?!
You’d be surprised how many people say this to us on gigs! But Marly is way too humble for that ;) We make a great living as it is and enjoy our simple family life.
