Her Majesty’s Theatre, London, 23 October 2022

The James Bond tribute act concludes 18 years of touring with a sell-out concert in a West End venue.

Q The Music’s last act was a performance of Wagnerian length… and no one was complaining… because whilst it was still happening, it wasn’t over. But this was the end, and the performers weren’t going quietly into the night. Her Majesty’s Theatre has been witnessing daily (sometimes twice daily) occurrences of its chandelier crashing down in The Phantom of the Opera, but for one night only it was the band who were instead bringing the house down.

There was a lot of love in the room, both onstage and in the audience, and while this could easily have been a moment of extreme melancholy, instead it was used to celebrate the journey which began even before Daniel Craig was playing 007. As always Kerry Schultz performed the female vocals, Matt Walker sang the male roles, and leader of the pack Warren Ringham played trumpet and kept everything in order.

Former Bond actors and regular Q presenters Madeline Smith (Miss Caruso – Live and Let Die), Caroline Munro (Naomi – The Spy Who Loved Me) and Caroline Bliss (Miss Moneypenny – The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill) introduced the selections, comprising songs and instrumentals. There was also comedy support from Tim Ames

And what a wonderful, barmy, eclectic mix it was. From Kerry’s knockout renditions of Licence to Kill and The Man With the Golden Gun, to Matt’s sublime The Writing’s on the Wall, the rockiest version of Another Way to Die, everything was performed with such love of the material.

Where else could you watch a Bond concert that included a 12-minute suite of Bill Conti’s themes from For Your Eyes Only or Michael Kamen’s Dirty Love from Licence to Kill? On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was represented by both a suite of John Barry’s cues and the 10-minute David Arnold/Propellerheads version, as well as their Backseat Driver from Tomorrow Never Dies. And a special shoutout to David D’Andrade for his vocals on You Know My Name – that guy is a rock god!!

With such a huge back catalogue to choose from, it’s inevitable that all your favourite Bond tracks won’t make it to the playlist, but Ringham and co made sure that we got the best possible mix. Sadly, nothing from Thomas Newman or GoldenEye, but que Serra Serra.

Sadly, even with a runtime of nearly four hours (including interval) we didn’t have all the time in the world, and the party had to end. With multiple thank yous to supporters in all quarters, Ringham made sure that Q went out in style. It might be the end of the theatre shows, but I really hope this Bond band will return.

Verdict: A memorable and fitting final performance for Q in Bond’s diamond anniversary year from the collective that truly set the Goldf(inger) standard for Bond tribute bands. 10/10 

Nick Joy