Review: BBC Big Band: The Music of James Bond… and Beyond, at Grand Leeds Theatre

“…you left the theatre more knowledgeable than when you arrived…”

BBC Big Band: The Music of James Bond… and Beyond by JBA Concerts and The John Boddy Agency LLP, Grand Leeds Theatre

by Helen Kelly

From the opening notes of the James Bond theme to the closing fireworks of Live and Let Die, this was a great night.

The  BBC big band was formed in 1964 and Barry Forgie joined the band in 1977 as their arranger/composer. Add their household name to that of James Bond and you know you are going to be in for a good night – and we certainly were.

The evening started off like all James bond films: with the famous theme music. This set the scene for the night ahead. Although there were no programmes to tell us who was who and what songs were due to be played next, these were not needed and, in my opinion, added to the relaxed feel of the night because you didn’t keep referring back when you didn’t know the tune.

Instead, the wonderfully enthusiastic Barry Forgie introduced some songs – peppered with some interesting facts about them. The information that you were given during every introduction meant that you left the theatre more knowledgeable than when you arrived, and that doesn’t happen very often. I never knew, for instance, that Goldfinger didn’t get nominated for an Oscar for its theme music but Chim Chim Cher-ee from Mary Poppins was and won. Barry Forgie also introduced the musicians who took a greater part in each song and then, at the end of the night, he introduced us to the rest of the band.

We listened to an interesting arrangement of From Russia With Love which was more rhumba-based than the original and brought with it a totally different feel to the music whilst still having the recognisable notes it is famous for.

During the evening a tribute was made to the late Quincy Jones, who had died earlier on in the month, by way of playing the theme music of the Austin Powers movie (a spoof version of James Bond created and starring Mike Myers). Don’t be deceived this was not a night where the only music on the menu was James Bond themes. The theme music from Shaft, Mission Impossible, Pink Panther and also a lovely version of Walk on The Wild Side were also played.

Throughout the night they were joined on stage by the amazing vocal talents of Iain McKenzie and Emer McPartland who in turn sang all the favourites: Goldfinger, Thunderball, Skyfall and From Russia with Love, along with many more. They both sang with enthusiasm and commanded the stage which elevated those songs to a totally different level.

The night started with the famous James Bond theme music and finished on Paul McCartney’s famous James Bond theme, Live and Let Die. What a tune to end on! Throughout the night the songs had had the big band treatment and this turned Live and Let Die into an amazing sound that was a great update of the original.

The night was so enjoyable. It had members of the audiences tapping their feet along with every song that was played. If you weren’t there, you missed an amazing treat.

You can read the NAR interview with Emer McParland here.

The ‘BBC Big Band: The Music of James Bond… and Beyond’ concert took place at The Grand theatre, Leeds on Friday 15th November 2024.

Helen Kelly wrote and published her first Romance book in 2022 after being inspired by completing three master’s degrees in history. She has now written three books and various short stories. In her spare time, Helen loves to visit various parts of the country, some of which have been an inspiration for her books. Helen is a mother of two grown-up daughters living in North Yorkshire. She loves to read and to visit historical places and theatres. Find out more about Helen at www.helenkellyauthor.com