Book your seat for a once-in-a-lifetime night of Bond music with @shirleybassey, @garbage and more @RoyalAlbertHall for #TheSoundOf007InConcert. pic.twitter.com/aMw7tFkE1a

— James Bond (@007) July 28, 2022

The James Bond film series’ standout soundtrack will be showcased within the upcoming event; the concert has been curated by celebrated composer David Arnold. The English movie composer’s credits include five James Bond films along with such blockbusters as Independence Day, Hot Fuzz and the BBC tv show Little Britain. Set to headline the concert is Dame Shirley Bassey, the legendary singer best known for her work within the Bond films. Dame Bassey has a long association with the Bond franchise; the singer lent her vocal talents to the themes of Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker.

To celebrate 60 years of Bond, I will be joining some other wonderful artistes to perform, for one night only, at the Royal Albert Hall! The Sound of 007 In Concert is taking place on Tuesday, October 4th.https://t.co/yjbHBDWpaO — Dame Shirley Bassey (@shirleybassey) July 28, 2022

Also billed to perform at The Sound Of 007 are a host of special guests and artists featured in the Bond soundtracks. Also scheduled to take the London stage is rock group Garbage, fronted by Scottish singer Shirley Manson; the band performed the theme for the 19th Bond film The World Is Not Enough. Also included in the lineup is singer Celeste; the singer will join further acts to perform new renditions of the film’s classic theme songs. Backing Dame Bassey and the event’s star-studded lineup is the acclaimed Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, confirmed to conduct throughout the event is Nicholas Dodd.

Artistic Director of the Royal Albert Hall, Lucy Noble, has given the following statement concerning the upcoming event, “We could not be more honoured to host this landmark anniversary of one of the world’s greatest franchises. The Hall has forged an indelible association with 007 over many years and we are delighted to help them celebrate.“

He’s got a licence to kill. We’ve got a licence to thrill.

Introducing 60 years of Bond – a series of electrifying concerts including film screenings with a live orchestra, and even a special appearance from @shirleybassey herself

Find out more: https://t.co/2FmOx5yuWI pic.twitter.com/DPzfFA9iSI

— Royal Albert Hall (@RoyalAlbertHall) July 28, 2022

Also commenting on the upcoming concert, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, James Bond producers, have stated, “Music has always played a vital role in the success of the 007 series. Over the sixty-year history, we have been blessed with the extraordinary talents of legendary composers and artists who have created the most powerful and moving musical contributions to our twenty five films. The Sound of 007 in Concert on October 4th will celebrate their tremendous achievements.“

The Royal Albert Hall will also be celebrating the James Bond film franchise in November with a string of screenings of the series’ most recent releases. The venue will host the screenings with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra providing a live rendition of the film’s soundtrack, instalments included within the series of in-concert screenings are Spectre, Skyfall and Casino Royale.

Further information concerning the concert and its billed performers are yet to be announced, along with the event’s partner charity. Tickets for The Sound Of 007 go on sale on 10 am on Monday August 1^st 2022, and pre-sale for Friends and Patrons of The Royal Albert Hall went on sale today.

Click here to purchase tickets.

Quite rightly, David Gedge anticipated that we might want to know how this came about – I’m sure we all have memories of that one evening where we had the best idea ever, for a board game, a novel, an entire fantasy world. For most of us, it becomes the one that got away. Well, The Wedding Present have been diligently sitting with this move since 2013. Gedge said,

“Where do ideas like this come from? Well, I can tell you that this one was born during a soundcheck in New Zealand, in 2013, when the band were playing around with the main melody of the classic Bond theme ‘You Only Live Twice’.

“And then came another idea. Each of the artists on this proposed compilation would be required to have a physical connection to Cinerama or The Wedding Present. I liked the unifying feel of that. I suppose it appealed to the collector in me. None of the artists I approached asked for payment for their track and so the obvious thing to do was to make this a benefit album.”

For the CEO of CALM, Simon Gunning, this project is like a teenage dream come true. He says: “I’ve loved The Wedding Present since I was a teenager. I once saw David Gedge doing some photocopying in an office, but couldn’t pluck up the courage to speak to him. I have jumped up and down to ‘My Favourite Dress’ in fields across the country and the tension of ‘Brassneck’ and ‘Dalliance’ gets me all sweaty.

“I, and CALM can’t thank the band enough for this album. Suicide is on the increase – it’s the single biggest killer of young men and the cause of death for 18 people each and every day in the UK. CALM is leading a movement against suicide through campaigning and through our free to call helpline and it’s support like this that means our message can reach more people than ever.” A covers album with a cause.

For those who are here for Bond and not the band, The Wedding Present are a 1980s indie group, heavily influenced by The Fall and Buzzcocks. In their lifetime they have had at least twenty different members, with David Gedge as the band’s only constant. Not From Where I’m Standing calls on the talent of multiple previous band members, and other artists associated with Gedge and his various projects. It has twenty different contributors.

The thing we all want is to know how fast-paced post-punk guitar music translates into the multiple and varied James Bond themes. The Wedding Present themselves will lend their talents Nancy Sinatra’s notorious ‘You Only Live Twice’, which begins with that glorious slow crescendo. Unfortunately, there’s not even a hint from the band as to what any of these covers will do, so we’ll have to wait eagerly. In the meantime, they have released the tracklist (you can see it below) for everyone to start anticipating one of the most ambitious cover albums in a long time.

Not From Where I’m Standing will be released on December 4. Coincidentally, earlier this week we learnt that this will actually become the latest offering for James Bond fans, as the twenty fifth Bond film, No Time To Die, has been postponed until April 2021. Until all of this is available, you’ll just have to pass the time by listening to Billie Eilish’s Bond theme on repeat.

Tracklist:

SIDE A
1. James Bond Theme – The Sleazoids
2. You Only Live Twice – The Wedding Present
3. Goldfinger – Simone White
4. Goldeneye – Follow The Moths
5. The Man With The Golden Gun – Jetstream Pony
SIDE B
1. Live And Let Die – The Donalds
2. The World Is Not Enough – Maria Scaroni
3. Diamonds Are Forever – Cinerama
4. Tomorrow Never Dies – Danielle Wadey & Charles Layton
5. All Time High – Minitel

SIDE C
1. Nobody Does It Better – Samuel Beer-Pearce
2. For Your Eyes Only – Klee
3. Thunderball – The Legendary Len Liggins
4. Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang – Sleeper featuring David Lewis Gedge
5. From Russia With Love – Graeme Ramsay

SIDE D
1. View To A Kill – Terry de Castro
2. Die Another Day – The Ukrainians
3. Skyfall – Such Small Hands
4. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – Shaun Charman
5. We Have All The Time In The World – David Lewis Gedge