‘David Arnold  – The Songs: Live’ will see him performing songs from across his prolific career in a stripped back, never before seen style. Performing alongside his band, Arnold will put the spotlight on his own songs with the voice that wrote them, and will include his most notable songs from across his career – as well as some surprises – plus sharing some of the stories behind how they were crafted.

The tour will kick off on 19th November at London’s Lafayette. Arnold and his band will go on to visit intimate venues across the UK in Newcastle, Glasgow, Birmingham, and Manchester before finishing in Cambridge on 26th November.

On the tour, Arnold says: “My earliest musical memories were of songs. I think song is the finest of all art forms. As a songwriter I see them conceived, developed and delivered into the world. From that point on they stop being mine. They become part of the fabric of a film, a show or someone else’s record. Principally, though, they belong to the audience. 

This tour is a way of me revisiting the early years of these songs, reclaiming them for an evening, sharing the stories behind them and doing my best, as their author, to give some insight as to how and why they came into existence and, most unusually, I’ll be singing them in my own voice – the first voice anyone hears when I deliver  a new song, but a voice that the public never do get to hear.”

Lucy Noble, Artistic Director at AEG Presents says: “David Arnold has always been well known to us as a world class composer, however with this intimate tour we’ll see the incredible artist and performer that he is as well. Audiences are in for a huge treat to hear him sing the songs that he has composed and that mean so much to him.”

Famed for his work including five James Bond films, as well as across further film, TV, theatre and music, David will perform the intimate shows bringing personal song highlights and fan favourites, swapping out his usual orchestra for a 6-piece band.

As well as Bond, Arnold has written music for the likes of ‘Made In Dagenham The Musical’, TV shows such as ‘Good Omens’ and ‘Sherlock’; and has collaborated with pop artists such as Bjork, Massive Attack and Pulp.

In 2012 he was Musical Director for the historic London Olympics Closing Ceremony, providing the score and working with artists such as The Who and the Spice Girls.

The full 2023 tour dates are:

19 November                    London Lafayette
20 November                    Newcastle The Cluny
22 November                    Glasgow Òran Mór
23 November                    Birmingham Hare & Hounds
24 November                    Manchester Band on the Wall
26 November                    Cambridge Junction 2

Tickets are available now from https://aegpresents.co.uk.

The post David Arnold heading to the UK for intimate tour in November appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

Casino Royale was the film that reinvented James Bond but also put the movie franchise back on track following the indifferent and blandly corporate Pierce Brosnan era. A major contributory factor in reconnecting the world of Bond with its more brutal and stylish roots was the soundtrack – and David Arnold did not disappoint. In Casino Royale, Arnold delivered the best Bond score in the two decades since John Barry’s final contribution – Timothy Dalton’s 1987 debut in The Living Daylights.

The influence of John Barry casts a long shadow across the world of James Bond on film, which is impossible to overstate. Having scored most of the movies up until the Dalton-era, and arranged the legendary theme tune, Barry had established in audience’s minds what a James Bond score ought to sound like: plenty of brass, sweeping strings, with spiky interjections at the exciting moments and a cool jazz riff when Bond is taking a break from playing cards or seducing ladies and doing some spying.

Barry himself had been impressed with David Arnold’s interpretation of his Bond scores, and, following a few one-hit wonders, he was the choice for five James Bond films, but his work culminates in Casino Royale – Daniel Craig’s debut as 007, and arguably the James Bond film with the most artistic merit overall. It was certainly the best material he had to work with.

There may be some expectations going into the soundtrack that aren’t met. James Bond films traditionally begin with the gun barrel sequence and the 007 theme. Casino Royale saved it to the end. Some traditionalists were up in arms. There is method in the madness: it announces the moment Daniel Craig’s rookie Bond becomes the 007 we know and love. Arnold’s extended and full-blooded version – The Name’s Bond… James Bond – is the final piece on the album and is well worth the wait. Secondly, the title track (Chris Cornell’s vastly underrated You Know My Name) is not on this release. Elements of the melodies for both the classic theme and Cornell’s title song find their way into music on the album, such as in the movement Blunt Instrument.

Whether or not you enjoy the album will depend upon how much you enjoy movie soundtracks in general and James Bond in particular. If you love immersing yourself in the cinematic world of espionage, this score will get your foot tapping and your blood pumping. Movements such as African Rundown and Stairwell Fight pulse with drama – exhilarating stuff – just go easy on the accelerator if you’re driving. Arnold throws everything at percussion and staccato brass for The End of an Aston Martin, which is your pure quintessential Bond action sequence music.

More romantic segments can be found. Arnold’s composition celebrating the ill-fated beauty Solange is a tribute to John Barry, whose influence shines through loud and clear in the luscious strings and a haunting atmosphere. Similarly, Vesper enjoys her own theme, in which (unusually) piano picks out the melody with a string accompaniment. The Death of Vesper – a complicated character whose death turns Bond’s heart to ice, returns to a piano and strings theme, giving way to more emotional anguish than we’re used to hearing in a Bond score.

The twenty-five pieces on this album invoke the full gamut of emotional response in the listener. It’s an exceptionally good soundtrack in successfully directing the listener in how they should be feeling. If you love James Bond, then David Arnold’s Casino Royale sits proudly in the same Bond musical hall of fame as numerous John Barry scores and Marvin Hamlisch’s cheeky disco-themed The Spy Who Loved Me (well, it was 1977).

This excellent release from Music on Vinyl brings Casino Royale onto the medium for the first time. This is a double vinyl release, pressed on quality 180g electric blue. The two records are presented in a gatefold sleeve, and each side contains inner sleeves with full-colour stills from the movie on one side and a track-listing set against the iconic gun barrel logo on the other. The design work is stunning. You’ll also find on one side a folded poster depicting Daniel Craig as James Bond. This release is limited to only 2,000 individually-numbered copies, making it a must-have item for collectors.

Track list: Side A: 1. African Rundown 2. Nothing Sinister 3. Unauthorised Access 4. Blunt Instrument 5. CCTV 6. Solange 7. Trip Aces Side B: 1. Miami International 2. I’m the Money 3. Aston Montenegro 4. Dinner Jackets 5. The Tell Side C: 1. Stairwell Fight 2. Vesper 3. Bond Loses It All 4. Dirty Martini 5. Bond Wins It All 6. The End of an Aston Martin Side D: 1. The Bad Die Young 2. City of Lovers 3. The Switch 4. Fall of a House in Venice 5. Death of Vesper 6. The Bitch is Dead 7. The Name’s Bond James Bond Record label: Music on Vinyl Release date: 31st July 2020 Buy Casino Royale

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Bond met a new challenge with Spectre, coming under fire from critics as a competent if unremarkable and formulaic 007 romp. In the midst of murmurings over whom the new Bond should be, here are ten things we’d like to see from a new James Bond movie:

1. Sign Steven Spielberg whilst he’s still interested. Since the late Seventies, Spielberg has been flirting with the idea of directing a Bond movie. Steeped stylistically in the suspenseful methods of Hitchcock (who in turn was involved in the beginnings of movie Bond; compare North By Northwest to From Russia With Love), Spielberg would undoubtedly bring prestige and visual flair to a franchise which desperately needs to stand out among other action films.

2. Force a hard reboot and place Bond back where he belongs; in the uncanny valley of the past. Bond worked best in the mid-century, top-flight world which Ian Fleming described so vividly in his novels. Arguably the early Sean Connery era benefited most with a Sixties à la mode, flaunting Fleming’s post-WWII world of cigarettes, spirits, jazz and jet-set travel. Rooted within the paranoia of the Cold War, Bond was an effective instrument in espionage, before the complexities of mobile phones, digital cameras and the Internet reduced him to little more than a muscled assassin with bad-old-fashioned manners.

Relocating Bond in a technologically basic, yet more stylish and sophisticated era, may furnish the next 007 with a potency and relevance which has been denied to him in present day missions. Dropping him into the past also allows the wincing political incorrectness of Bond to finally be addressed head on like never before…

3. Investigate the complexities of an anti-heroic Bond and subvert the zeitgeist. In the words of L.P. Hartley: ‘The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.’ Old Mr. Bond has always had questionable morals, particularly in his dealings with the ladies, which could be argued is a symptom of his era’s masculine dominance. Later films have attempted to diminish his immoralities, or lightly excuse them as boorish and harmlessly out of step. However, it seems wholly inappropriate that any of Bond’s archaic attitudes should exist at all in a contemporary setting, least of all should they be excused so freely by those around him.

As early as the Seventies, Roger Moore’s portrayal attempted to smooth out the character’s heavy-handed nature with a softer, less bullish Bond whose treatment of the opposite sex was more in-step with the thinking and sexual politics of the period. By the late Eighties, Timothy Dalton’s darker embodiment was essentially refined into a monogamous gentleman, frowning on promiscuous sex. Bond has clearly evolved with sexual politics, reflecting concerns and criticisms of the period, but how much of Ian Fleming’s original beast survives after such moralistic refinement? The answer is particularly linked to placing Bond back in his home turf of the Fifties. We should allow Bond’s negative aspects to be historically acknowledged and criticised in context; no longer fettered, awkwardly excused or lazily laughed off. Bond should be a gritty anti-hero of sorts, not unlike Mad Men’s deeply troubled Don Draper, allowing his actions to be explored and analysed in a postmodern critique which enriches, educates and entertains. Put Bond back where he belongs: in the era where he was created.

4. Don’t stunt cast 007. The first two James Bond movie stars debuted as unknowns; Sean Connery was infamously criticised for having a background as a driver, whilst George Lazenby’s acting experience extended little more beyond modelling for advertisements. It would seem that in the Sixties, the James Bond brand alone was the key selling point. Roger Moore was the first huge name cast as 007, following global success as The Saint and quickly saving the franchise after a critically disastrous Diamonds Are Forever. Moore brought his genial personality to Bond, scoring over a decade’s success and ever since, big name actors have been exclusively offered the role.

Today, if Bond is to return and remain enigmatic, mysterious and somewhat impenetrable, a daring gallantry in casting needs to be shown. Brave producers should award the role to an upcoming unknown; one who can bring a fresh face of unpredictability to 007. Studios need to avoid the tedium of typecasting, which is so evident today in an increasingly hackneyed string of Hollywood blockbuster roll calls.

5. Bring back Roger Moore. Well, not quite. Star Trek and Star Wars rejuvenated itself successfully by integrating a few familiar faces into a new company of performers. Perhaps James Bond would do well to revel in its heritage a little more. Whilst nobody is waiting to see Sean Connery reprise 007, there is not a single audience who wouldn’t be delighted to spot him or Sir Roger in a cameo as a senior board member of MI6. Timothy Dalton would also make for a superb villain.

James Bond is a loved tradition. Whilst originality and freshness is key to the franchise’s future, the occasional acknowledgement of its rich history not only provides an added nostalgia kick, but rewards those figures who made James Bond the celebrated institution it is today.

6. Develop Bond girls with charisma and complexity. An abundance of leading ladies have passed through Bond’s arms over the years, peaking early with the memorably independent Honey Ryder, iconically blazed by Ursula Andress. By the late Sixties Bond had met his match with the complex, headstrong Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg) and in the Eighties had fought off a brawny, eccentric Mayday in the shape of Grace Jones. But there has been an abundance of lightweight young beauties along the way, offering little more than vapid titillation on screen.

At the age of 50, Monica Bellucci was tipped as the oldest Bond girl, promising a little more gravitas than audiences had come to expect from a Bond adventure. Ultimately Bellucci was in little more than a supporting role, with far less screen time than her character deserved. If the franchise is to stay relevant and engaging to an audience of both sexes, Bond needs to engage with more women who equal and outrank his own intelligence and charisma.

7. Shoot on 35mm film, or better, Super Panavision 70. James Bond movies have always delivered outstanding locations and defined colour photography on film, taking audiences to extravagant and diverse lands. Who could forget The Spy Who Loved Me’s ski jump sequence, or the flight of Little Nellie in You Only Live Twice? Thunderball boasted the most underwater widescreen footage ever committed to film, at huge expense to the studio. The process never came cheap, using the latest colour film emulsions in the harshest locations, whilst many British movies were still shooting on sound stages in black and white.

Bond movies have set themselves apart by shooting in difficult, extraordinary environments, often as the backdrop to death-defying stunts. Shooting on Eastman Kodak film affords a rich, luscious patina to location photography, with an unprecedented quality and saturation which digital capture still can’t quite emulate. Bond movies deserve to be shot on celluloid and audiences deserve to enjoy the high-end clarity it delivers.

8. Leave the CGI to Pixar. Just do it for real. For a time Bond jumped on the CGI bandwagon and threatened to derail its reputation entirely in Die Another Day, serving up laughably-bad animation. Nobody wanted to see Pierce Brosnan windsurfing a tsunami, nor cruising around in an invisible sports car. Thankfully the Craig era has mostly addressed the audience’s need for verisimilitude and grit in picture making, offering once again the stunts and in-camera effects which brought a brutal realism to early Bond pictures. However, in a market with increasingly complex set pieces and outrageous, superhero stunts, the producers at EON are bound to be feeling the pressure to up the level of action to comic strip proportions. The rule is simple: If it can’t be done for real, don’t do it at all.

9. Dare to deviate from the established formula. Some of the most interesting Bond movies have dared to stray from the textbook structure. Whilst Moonraker may not be considered a definitive flick by all, it was one of the highest box-office draws of its time, tapping into the science fiction genre with big budget effects. Asking Bond to pilot a Space Shuttle may seem out of this world, but in the late Seventies it was a gamble which took flight. Mass audiences knew they’d be experiencing a Bond movie like no other. Equally, the critically-acclaimed On Her Majesty’s Secret Service vastly exceeded its usual running time of two hours, culminating with the death of a key character whilst drawing a surprisingly emotional response from Bond himself. Unexpected departures allowed the films to stand out among other 007 romps in a refreshing and engaging way. Bond should not limit itself to perceived conventions of formula.

10. Retain the iconography and soundscape of Bond. Formula aside, some things are sacred and make a Bond movie what it is. The gun barrel, so ingeniously designed by Maurice Binder for Dr. No in 1962, has been notably absent from a few films. In some of the lesser Bond movies, the most rewarding aspect is relishing the iconography and design of the gun barrel. It prepares the audience for a genuine James Bond experience and is as much a seal of authenticity as the MGM lion’s roar. Equally, John Barry’s arrangement of the theme music and his subsequent scores fully established the Bond sound. One of the finest musicians to recapture the essence and scale of the Bond sound is David Arnold, as evidenced in his scores for Tomorrow Never Dies and Casino Royale. Of all the musicians who have scored for Bond, Arnold is one of the few to have been recommended by John Barry himself. High praise indeed, and worthy of a return.

After fifty years, Bond has proven it can evolve and redefine its own genre, providing it has the conviction and courage to push the boundaries of its own formula. Adopting big changes involves high risk, but in order survive into the next decade perhaps James Bond needs to revisit the era of its creator, with a brave new image which retains just a few of the iconic elements which make the franchise wholly unique within cinema.

James Bond will return. However, recent reports confirm his next mission has been delayed until 2018. Follow Entertainment Focus at @ENT_Focus for all the latest James Bond news, reviews and more.

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