VERY ENJOYABLE IF A LITTLE CLUNKY

By Ruth Thompson | @ruth.thompson_ ⭐⭐⭐ | Press Invite

I joined over 1,500 Bond enthusiasts at the O2 Indigo to enjoy The James Bond Concert Spectacular. Like many people I grew up watching James Bond films, we had the metal box set with every Bond film made up until that point. Listening to  ’s cheesy one liners and fast paced action scene was a family favourite. The music is such an integral part of the franchise whether that’s famous belters like Live and Let Die or the incredible pieces scored for the all important chase scenes. It’s always enjoyable to be in a room full of people who all love the same thing and this was no different.

The artists bringing this globally renowned franchise to life on stage are Q The Music, formed in 2004 they are the world’s first dedicated tribute to the music and sound of 007. Whilst nothing can compare to the originals, director Warren Ringham and vocalist Kerry Schultz and Matt Walker along with the musicians brought the franchise to life on stage. It felt like it took a while to get in to the swing of things but hearing my favourites like The World is Not Enough and Writings On The Wall was thrilling, and has ignited the need for a Bond marathon this weekend.

Whilst it was an enjoyable night there were definitely some elements that didn’t come together so well. The compere for this specific night at the O2 Indigo was David Zaritsky, an American who runs the YouTube channel ‘The Bond Experience’. Whilst well meaning Zaritsky did not create the smoothest feeling show with more than a few jokes that didn’t land, leading to me cringing in my seat.

The audience at the concert were also treated to the two special guests, Maud Adams and Britt Ekland. Both starring in The Man with the Golden Gun which was a motif for the show with a golden woman wheeled on to stage and even large gold bars handed out to lucky audience members. They appeared on stage for shorts chats with Zaristky but unfortunately these were also a little clunky. It was hard to tell if there had been any briefing beforehand as at times the guests weren’t sure how to answer the questions given to them.

These hosting issues along with what felt like a little trouble with the sound mixing and some rogue lights that decided to repeatably turn on and off for about 5 mins meant at times it was little hard to concentrate on the wonderful band and singers. That being said hearing songs like Sky Fall and Gold Finger played by such an impressive and talented group of individuals was very a fantastic way to spend an evening and I would recommend it to any die hard Bond fan.

Q The Music are continuing to share the music of 007 with a tour next year, these are set to be hosted by Caroline Bliss. She will be sharing anecdotes and memories from her time filming The Living Daylights and Licence To Kill, and hopefully keep this running smoothly between songs!

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Photo Credit: Bryan Marshall