Skyfall
Skyfall – this bond theme has been recorded by the Bond Tribute Band The Name is Band. Originally recorded by Adele for the Bond Film Skyfall in 2012 which starred Daniel Craig as the suave 007 Agent. The song was actually released at 0:07am on the 5th October as this date was apparently called “James Bond Day” and marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Dr No.
Sadly, the original Skyfall recorded by Adele was the last Bond theme to feature the amazing Derek Watkins on trumpet. He was a hero to many trumpet, and brass, players all over the world having a unique and unmistakable sound and technique and had played on every Bond sound track. He was, quite simply, a legend! A truly remarkable and gifted musician. To see a clip of Derek and an absolutely stunning version of My Way – follow this YouTube link – you’ll see for yourself why he performed on every Bond Theme and why he has been so inspirational to so many brass players – a very classy performer and in a league all of his own!
The recording by Adele apparently had 77 musicians performing this bond theme and over took two days to record. The Bond Tribute Band are just 10 people and we took a total of 4 hours to do all six new tracks in the studio but we think our version of this piece of bond music is authentic in sound and dynamic. This is one of our favourite bond themes to perform.
The Bond Tribute Band The Name is Band only ever perform totally LIVE and only as a 10-piece. You won’t find any backing tracks used in any of our performances. If you are looking for a band for a James Bond Event then please get in contact – we’d love to hear from you!
Thunderball
Thunderball. Originally performed by the Welsh Sex God that is of course Tom Jones! The original sound track for this film was “Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” sung by Shirley Bassey but concerns were over whether the title of the film should be the same as the sound track and so Thunderball was used instead. This is the version by the Bond Tribute Band The Name is Band and features Gavin Lazarus (who is our very own Sex God but without the tight leather pants) who nails the long top note at the end and sings with suave sophistication all the way through this number.
Apparently rumour has it that when recording this Bond Theme Tom Jones said “I closed my eyes and held the note for so long when I opened them again the room was spinning”. What an absolute legend!
The Bond Tribute Band love this Bond theme – we have two trumpets, one trombone and one saxophone playing on this track. We love the way the vocals interlink with the brass, chasing each other all the way through the song. Nick Malcolm has a unique style and sound on trumpet and he can be heard with his own solo in the middle of Thunderball – blimmin marvellous stuff! Nick’s been known to raise a few eyebrows of his own at our Bond events – a few hairs on the back of the neck also with his wonderful trumpet solos in both the Bond and Party set.
If you are after a James Bond Themed Night and would like some quality bond music performed then please get in contact – we’d love to hear from you and see how we can make your event a night to remember…. but for all the right reasons!
Bond Girl Hairstyles
Sarah (female vocalist and Bond Girl in the Bond Tribute Band The Name is Band) has spent hours looking on-line for inspirational Bond Girl hairstyles for a recent live DVD recording. The Bond Tribute Band The Name is Band recorded several songs: Skyfall, From Russia With Love, Live & Let Die, The Man With The Golden Gun, Thunderball and Diamonds Are Forever. To see the videos then visit our website.
Sarah found that the early iconic styles used big curlers followed by a huge amount of backcombing. Then followed about a litre of hairspray to hold it all in place so everything moved at the same time or didn’t move at all! Thankfully new products and styles have been made since then and Bond girl hairstyles now are much more relaxed but are still really glamorous. There isn’t really a Bond Girl hair look anymore so there are lots to choose from. So whether your hair is long, short, curly or straight there is a glamorous and sexy style that will suit both the event and your chosen dress for the evening.
If you have long hair then go for the loose big curls that fall casually to the shoulders, or tight curls along the 50’s Hollywood styles. For short hair, opt for the cropped sultry look or even the messy “bed hair” look for the ultimate in phooaar. If you have mid-length hair a tousled and loosely pinned “up-do” or a well-groomed and brushed back but seriously sexy ponytail.
Add some sparkles, diamante pins, ribbons, fresh flowers, bows, sequins to the finished hairstyle for added bling. All Bond girl hairstyles have something in common though – the hair looks glossy and healthy and has ooooodles of glamour! So whatever your own hair length and style there is a Bond girl look that will match both you and your chosen outfit.
When that bond music starts, and if you’re lucky enough to be at a Thunderball where The Name is Band the Bond Tribute Band are performing, then you’ll be A View to a Kill on the dancefloor! (See what we did there?)
How do I dress like a bond girl?
It’s your opportunity to be a Bond girl for a night – and there are lots of Bond girls to model yourself on! Pussy Galore, Plenty O’Toole, Holly Goodhead and Honey Ryder! Lots of names with double entendres! Of course, it may get a bit chilly if you turned up at a party dressed like Ursula Andress in a bikini or with gold body paint all over but you’d certainly grab more than your fair share of attention! There’s also the black bodysuit/catsuits although be warned these outfits are fairly unforgiving – you may be a little bit more Pussy Galore than you intended to be!
You don’t have to go that far though! There are stunning dresses available and every bond girl had the opportunity to wear a sexy and stunning dress either in the film or walking down the red carpet afterwards so there are lots of options available. Look at your own figures – what style dress works well on you – backless, plunging necklines, halter neck, bodycon, floaty and flirty – there will be a bond style dress to fit!
Whatever your bodyshape remember the emphasis should be on top to toe glamour. To be honest, the more glamorous the better and this may be one of the occasions when you can actually get away with wearing top to toe in sequins without looking like you are a Shirley Bassey tribute singer! That’s the job of the female singer in the The Name is Band the Bond Tribute Band – now she LIVES in head to toe sequins – all day, everyday!
Skyfall
Wow! What an amazing week for awards – Adele especially with an Oscar and a Brit Award! Well, a little closer to home, an exciting week has also been had by The Name is Band the Bond Tribute Band! We spent some time in the recording studio where we planned on recording just five tracks – we couldn’t help ourselves and ended up recording an extra one and rounding it up to six! It was too difficult to choose only five Bond themes from all the Bond music available! To be completely honest, the whole band would have been quite happy to stay and record all the Bond themes we were having such a great time! With Adele winning an Oscar and a Brit Award for Skyfall we have included this one and it sounds AMAZING! So six new numbers are in the bag and a new demo CD with them on will be available soon. If you want one then it will be available mid March – just contact Miss Moneypenny and she’ll send one out to you!