Search - Bond Live at the Royal Albert Hall on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 2/22/2018...

Incredible non-stopping performance by the Bond girls!

Ah, Hype...

Za'chary Westbrook | Salem, OR | 09/11/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Okay, I'll admit that Bond's not the self-inclusive symphony that it has been hyped by the record label as. However, anyone who says that their 'Coyote Ugly'-esque costumes are the evidence that Bond 'isn't about making classical music cool, it's about sex' don't know too many 24-year-old women. My credentials in this area come from two sources: first as a classically trained singer (as such I'm professionally familiar with orchestras) and as the friend of numerous women in their twenties. From women at my work to women I've sung with, I've covered many differant personality-types, and with only a few exceptions they would all love to get out on stage and play sex-kitten for a night. As a band, Bond is about re-vamping Classical music, the leather pants and low-cut silk shirts are simply the natural result of young women getting to pick their wardrobes when money is no object. With that out of the way... Bond has to be one of greatest ideas for a 'reinvention' of a genre ever. Quickly after William Orbit's 'Barber's Adagio for strings' took over clubs some record excutive decided to see if he could make a band out of it. Are the four 'Bond girls' a manufactored quintet, of course! But when was the last time you heard of a twelve piece orchestra coming together because they met in college and thought playing together would be fun? Of course Bond is four string-players, but they tour with an actual orchestra, complemented by DJs and a standard rock-band. So the CD is an orchestral endevour, Bond is simply the figure-head. Kind of like Bruce Springsteen's last album. In sort, disregard what you've heard disparaging Bond's artistic credibility. Think only of Paul Oakenfold getting a hold of Beethoven's fifth symphony, run through a few bars, and if you like, jump on the Bond wagon. This is classical fused with techno, and unlike most orchestras, the stage show's just as good as the music."

Joy and Exuberance

Ned Hune | Springfield, OH United States | 08/12/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As I sit here listening to their performance on my laptop, I'm struck with the performers' joy and exuberance. Too often I see an emotionless performer on stage giving a short bow or nod to the applause of the audience. Do I usually see performers glancing at each other in sheer enjoyment? Not likely!I read the other reviews on this site and noted that one reviewer put them down as being amateurish. Perhaps naive?And don't I love that about them? They're having fun. They're working hard. They're wearing their expressions on their faces ... their hearts on their sleeves, as it were. And isn't that a good thing? Doesn't it touch our hearts?I get tired of hackneyed performers that are on stage solely for the money and could care less about it. Show me the money, they say!I think we'll see this band of performers on larger stages and will look back at this DVD with great appreciation as one of their early works.This is a group that brings joy to the stage and to its listeners. Have fun listening to (and watching) them!Ned Hune
ned1@aol.com"

A Spectacular Show, but Not For Classical Fans

normjr | San Bruno, CA United States | 11/26/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Forget everything you have heard, or not heard about this namd. It means nothing. Yes, these girls were thrown off the classical charts. Yes, the infuce dance beats into classical music. These are things that people already know about the group.
What you might not know, is that these girls can play very well. Haylie and Eos play first and second violin without completing, which is often found in such quartets. Tania provides great sound from the Viola, and Gay-Yee Westerhoff's cello performance is spectacular.
I am a huge fan of string insturments. Mostly I have listened to Yo-Yo Ma and Vanessa Mae, but this group has put together a performance that rivals either of the former. You can say that it is because they are attractive women. And yes that is why I first started watching them. But that can only take you so far with me. After about two-three minutes you have to prove that you have talent to keep my intrest. These girls have that talent. They are a joy to listen to, and even greater joy to see live."