The Bond spy films have an iconic place in cinema history, and right from the off their music has been a key part of the appeal.
From Monty Norman’s original James Bond theme to the more recent Oscar-winning songs by Adele, Sam Smith, and Billie Eilish, the music has added to the excitement of the action and delivered some chart hits in their own right.
This new show by the Joe Ringer Band, debuting at Gorleston Pavilion, runs through some of the most popular tunes to feature in the franchise over the last 60 years, with an eight-piece band – including an all-important brass section – and vocals from Joe Ringer, Kayleigh Perrin, and Jessica Taylor.
The band show their props opening with the instantly-recognisable main theme, and later the instrumental On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
The fame of some of the songs, and their original performers, inevitably looms over some performances – it’s hard to best Shirley Bassey, for example – but there are nice original takes including tingly harmonies in an acoustic version of All The Time In The World, and Taylor’s captivating version of Nobody Dies It Better.
The vocal highlight is Ringer’s masterful performance of Writing’s On The Wall, but for all out performance it’s Live And Let Die that gets the audience most excited.
With more than 20 tracks the setlist covers plenty of ground, from show tunes like Goldfinger to the 80s synth of A View To A Kill and The Living Daylights, offering something for all tastes. Throughout Ringer as MC offers a warm patter, sprinkled with plenty of surprising Bond facts.
Let’s hope this incarnation of Bond will be back.
