Out of 2022 – Into 2023

2022 followed in 2021’s wake, in that motivation continued to be lacking. Bizarrely, I had spurts of ambition and often planned a lot of things (& even started stuff), but then I just couldn’t follow it all through – #MindTheBand and #MindTheBard are two cases in point. I got some things written but it was like […]

2022: A few of my favourite things

I think I’m getting much better at doing a wide variety of things these days (I’m not content to just do theatre night after night after night), so I’m back with a bit of a round-up of things other than theatre again. Having become a County Championship/Royal London Cup member at Surrey – and travelled […]

Bondathon: Ranking the theme tunes (5-1)

Before I get into the final five, after meticulously running through 25-21, 20-16, 15-11, and 10-6 over the past few weeks, I want to give an honourable mention to a song that a lot of people will associate with the Bond theme genre. We Have All the Time in the World by Louis Armstrong is a […]

Bondathon: Ranking the theme tunes (10-6)

Having gone through from 25-21, then 20-16, then 15-11 – you should hopefully have a reasonable idea as to what is left, and what might be featuring in this penultimate post… There’s a decent mix of up-to-date and classic Bond themes in each post, though for this one we are looking back a bit further […]

Bondathon: Ranking the theme tunes (15-11)

After going through songs 25-21 and songs 20-16, we’re getting down to the nitty gritty now. This is potentially where things start to get a little controversial, as personal preference plays a larger role this time. It’s a bit of a mix, though leaning more towards the modern side of things overall. 15 – From […]

Bondathon: Ranking the theme tunes (20-16)

Following on from last week’s countdown from 25 to 21, which felt a little samey for the most part, I’m back with the next five songs in my countdown. I think this shows a bit more variety, and has also made use of some of my critical faculties, rather than solely relying on personal taste; […]

Bondathon: Ranking the theme tunes (25-21)

Hardly an original idea, but it’s taken me until doing this Bondathon to consider the canon of theme tunes as a whole, rather than the regular few favourites. This isn’t an intensely analytical series by any means – it’ll mostly be subjective, with a little dash of objectivity thrown in every now and then. Maybe […]

Sound of 007

Never one to take the cheaper options in life, James Bond’s 60th anniversary celebrations began early with an intimate bash at the Royal Albert Hall, with roughly 5,000 in attendance for The Sound of 007 in Concert. Curated by prolific Bond composer David Arnold, the evening saw performances of a variety of theme songs and […]

“I Can Hear Music” – News of the World

Hot Stats Release date: 28 October 1977 UK chart peak: #4 Running time: 39:10 Singles: We Are The Champions/We Will Rock You (#2), Spread Your Wings (#34), It’s Late A perennial fan favourite, News of the World managed to reach the top 10 in most territories across the world: the Netherlands & France (#1), Germany […]

“I Can Hear Music” – Hot Space

Hot Stats Release date: 21 May 1982 UK chart peak: #4 Running time: 43:29 Singles: Under Pressure (#1), Body Language (#25), Las Palabras de Amor (#17), Calling All Girls, Staying Power, Back Chat (#40) Though it’s often looked back on unfavourably, Hot Space still managed to reach the top 10 in most territories across the […]