From the signature guitar riff that accompanies the opening of Dr. No to the breathy understated vocals of Billie Eilish on No Time to Die, the music of the James Bond franchise is as iconic as the tuxedo-clad secret agent himself. The Voices of Bond by Night Owl Shows is an all too brief spin through 60 years of Bond themes.
A licence to thrill
Opening with a video briefing from ‘M’, the show is led by Ella McCready. Resplendent in a red sequin dress worthy of any femme fatale that vexes 007, she shares the history of the franchise’s music and performs a select few favourite songs, moving through the movies chronologically. McCready nails the vocals on every number starting with the Bassey years and Carly Simon’s international hit Nobody Does It Better, she keeps up the charm and the audience respond warmly. Guitarist Alex Beharrell takes over the vocals when we leap to Casino Royale’s rock inspired theme and the two singers definitely have a licence to thrill when they duet on Another Way to Die. MVP of the show may just be the keyboard player who has to cover a lot of the orchestral backing, but someone needs to have a word with the bassist and remind him that the audience can see him. A constant bored expression only broken by picking at your face before intensely examining whatever is under your fingernails is not a good look when Skyfall is being belted out with aplomb by your lead singer.
An excellent show to catch if you enjoy the music of Bond performed by a talented band. With only one hour to perform 60 years of music, there are a few hits that don’t make the cut. I’m sure everyone in the audience has their own favourites that were missed, although we can all agree that nobody needs to hear Madonna’s Die Another Day ever again.
