Bond or BOND (formerly often typeset as bond in deference to the owners of the 007 trademark) is an

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinists ...

that specialises in

classical crossover Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers who appeal to different types of audience. This can be seen, for example, (especially in the United States) when a song appears on two or more of the record charts which track differ ...

and

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

music. The quartet has sold five million albums.

Creation

Bond was formed following initial conversations between Vanessa-Mae composer and record producer

Mike Batt Michael Philip Batt, LVO (born 6 February 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, record producer, director and conductor. He was formerly the Deputy Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry. Having achieved substantia ...

and her manager, promoter

Mel Bush Mel, also sometimes referred to as Melanie, is a fictional character played by Bonnie Langford in the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. A computer programmer from the 20th century who is a companion of the ...

, after Batt suggested to Bush that the two of them should put together a quartet consisting of "four beautiful, talented musicians" Auditions were held at Baden Powell House in London, and violinist (Eos) and Cellist (Gay Yee) and a viola player were "cast" at that point, using as an audition piece "Contradanza" that Batt had written for Vanessa Mae. It was agreed between them that all was then required was to find the ideal first violinist.Mike Batt's Official Website: Bond – String Quartet
Accessed 23 March 2009 Some time later, Bush pushed ahead without Batt, recruiting Batt's former engineer Gareth Cousins. This resulted in an initial four recordings the band made, leading to Bond being signed by

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

. Three of those original recordings, "Duel", " The 1812" and "Dalalai", were the backbone of the first album, '' Born'', with producer Magnus Fiennes providing additional tracks and Mike Batt adding a re-arrangement and remix of "

Victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes ...

", which became the first single. The quartet currently consists of

Tania Davis Tania Davis (born 4 July 1975) is the first violinist of the British/Australian classical crossover string quartet Bond. Originally the violist of the quartet, she became the first violinist of the group in 2008 when its original first violini ...

(first violin, formerly viola, from

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

), Eos Counsell (second violin, from

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

, Wales),

Elspeth Hanson Elspeth Hanson (born 12 May 1986) is the violist of the all female string quartet, Bond. Biography Hanson was born in London and was educated at Theale Green Community School and the School of St Helen and St Katharine in Abingdon, Oxfordshir ...

(

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

, from

Upper Basildon Upper Basildon is a small village in the civil parish of Basildon (where the United Kingdom 2011 Census population is included), near to Pangbourne, in the English county of Berkshire. It has a church, dedicated to St. Stephen, built in 1964 i ...

, England) and

Gay-Yee Westerhoff Gay-Yee Westerhoff (born 14 June 1973, in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England), is an English cellist of the all female string quartet, Bond. She studied A-level music at Wyke College in Hull and holds an Honours Degree in music from Trinity ...

(cello, from Hull, England). Hanson replaced original band member

Haylie Ecker Haylie Ecker (born 9 October 1975) is an Australian performer, writer, artistic director, and the former first violinist and co-founding member of the multi-platinum selling classical crossover string quartet Bond. With Bond she sold over 4 mil ...

(formerly first violin and from

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Australia), who left in 2008 to have a child.

Genre and success

Their début album '' Born'' was removed from the

UK classical chart The UK Classical Charts are three record charts based on classical music in the United Kingdom: the Classical Artist Albums Chart, the Classical Compilation Albums Chart and the Specialist Classical Albums Chart. The charts are commercial monitori ...

, apparently owing to its "sounding too much like pop music"". ''Born'' later rose to #1 on 21 charts around the world. '' Shine'', their second album, went gold in six countries. '' Remixed'' featured remixes from their first two albums as well as three new pieces. Their third studio album '' Classified'' went double platinum in Australia, reaching the number one spot on both the classical and pop charts. '' Explosive: The Best of Bond'' is a "

Best of A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

" that, again, included three unreleased pieces.

Appearances and recent work

The quartet spent much of 2003 touring, particularly throughout Asia, and participating in the

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stre ...

2003 held in

Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...

, Panama. They also fitted in performing and filming a TV commercial for American department store chain

Marshall Field's Marshall Field & Company (commonly known as Marshall Field's) was an upscale department store in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in the 19th century, it grew to become a large chain before Macy's, Inc acquired it in 2005. Its eponymous founder, Mar ...

and made a commercial in Los Angeles for the Japanese karaoke manufacturer Daiichi Kosho. The group made their movie debut playing themselves in a scene in

Rowan Atkinson Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English actor, comedian and writer. He played the title roles on the sitcoms '' Blackadder'' (1983–1989) and ''Mr. Bean'' (1990–1995), and the film series ''Johnny English'' (2003–201 ...

's James Bond spoof ''

Johnny English ''Johnny English'' is a 2003 spy comedy film directed by Peter Howitt and written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and William Davies. It is a British-French venture produced by StudioCanal and Working Title Films, and distributed by Universal Pi ...

'' for which they also contributed the track "Kismet" (composed by Westerhoff) and played on the Main Theme. They also appeared as themselves in the film '' XXX: State of the Union'', performing "Victory". The classical violinist

André Rieu André Léon Marie Nicolas Rieu (; is a Dutch violinist and conductor best known for creating the waltz-playing Johann Strauss Orchestra. Rieu and his orchestra have turned classical and waltz music into a worldwide concert touring act. He r ...

and the

Johann Strauss Orchestra The Johann Strauss Orchestra is a pops orchestra founded in the Netherlands by André Rieu in 1987. The orchestra is well known for performing classical works with a distinctly unorthodox frivolity, joking with the audience and performing all s ...

performed live on

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

in a set that includes many

Strauss Strauss, Strauß or Straus is a common Germanic surname. Outside Germany and Austria ''Strauß'' is always spelled ''Strauss'' (the letter " ß" is not used in the German-speaking part of Switzerland). In classical music, "Strauss" usually re ...

favorites, as well as an appearance from Bond performing "Victory". In 2009,

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and the ...

commissioned Bond to record

Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...

's " Four Seasons" to advertise the 308CC. All four members of the band helped arrange these tracks. The tracks were available for download from Peugeot's website free of charge, with "Summer" and "Winter" also appearing on Bond's album ''Play''. In an interview with the ''

Birmingham Mail The ''Birmingham Mail'' (branded the ''Black Country Mail'' in the Black Country) is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, England but distributed around Birmingham, the Black Country, and Solihull and parts of Warwickshire, Worcestershire ...

'', Davis revealed that Bond were currently working on their next studio album. She also noted that the next album would have Gypsy, folk, and Eastern European influences. In late 2010 the band started to perform new material from their new album ''Play'' at concerts in Mexico, including the new single "Diablo". Songs on the album include their first single, titled "Diablo". It is characterized by an up-tempo beat, and features Bond's own Eos Counsell as vocalist in the song. The string quartet also showcases Jai Ho, a huge hit from the movie

Slumdog Millionaire ''Slumdog Millionaire'' is a 2008 British drama film that is a loose adaptation of the novel '' Q & A'' (2005) by Indian author Vikas Swarup. It narrates the story of 18-year-old Jamal Malik from the Juhu slums of Mumbai. Starring Dev Pa ...

. The album also features a few more recognizable hits, such as the song "Pump It", a version of the

Dick Dale Richard Anthony Monsour (May 4, 1937 – March 16, 2019), known professionally as Dick Dale, was an American rock guitarist. He was a pioneer of surf music, drawing on Middle Eastern music scale (music), scales and experimenting with reverb eff ...

and His Del Tones' hit song "

Miserlou "Misirlou" ( el, Μισιρλού < tr, Mısırlı 'Egyptian' < ar, مصر ''Miṣr'' 'Egypt') is a folk song from the Eastern Mediterranean region. The original author of the song is not known, but Arabic, Greek, and Jewish musicians wer ...

", featured in the opening credits of

Pulp Fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Vin ...

. The song "Last Time" is an interpretation of the song Bitter Sweet Symphony by the band

The Verve The Verve were an English rock band formed in Wigan in 1990 by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bass guitarist Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboard player Simon Tong later became a member in ...

. Members of Bond have also written their own tracks on the album. Gay-Yee Westerhoff wrote the song "Beatroot", which is strongly Russian influenced (noticeable by a clarinet improvising over the strings). According to the band's webpage, the group recorded a medley of

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

hits at the request of its Japanese label. The Lady Gaga medley was available initially by phone download and was released digitally, soon after, as part of a special Japanese album release. Bond also performed "

I Am the Walrus "I Am the Walrus" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 television film ''Magical Mystery Tour''. Written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it was released as the B-side to the single "Hello, Goodbye" a ...

" alongside

Russell Brand Russell Edward Brand (born 4 June 1975) is an English comedian and actor known for his flamboyant, loquacious style and manner. Brand has received three British Comedy Awards: Best Newcomer (2006), Best Live Stand-Up (2008), and the award for ...

at the 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony. They returned to the Olympic Stadium in London in July 2013 to perform at The National Lottery Anniversary Run event. A team consisting of the 4 remaining members of Bond, and composer

David Arnold David Arnold (born 23 January 1962) is a British film composer whose credits include scoring five James Bond films, as well as ''Stargate'' (1994), '' Independence Day'' (1996), ''Godzilla'' (1998) and the television series ''Little Britain'' ...

(according to the BBC, including because he has composed music for

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

movies), competed in and won an episode of '' Celebrity Eggheads'' first aired on BBC2 on Thursday 1 June 2017, winning a £20,000 prize for charity as a result. Bond performed the

Australian National Anthem "Advance Australia Fair" is the national anthem of Australia. Written by Scottish-born composer Peter Dodds McCormick, the song was first performed in 1878, sung in Australia as a patriotic song. It first replaced "God Save the Queen" as the ...

at the Australia versus New Zealand match of the 2013 Rugby Championship in Sydney, 17 August. Bond performed "Married Life" from '' Up'' alongside the Cinematic Sinfonia at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

as part of ''

Michael Giacchino Michael Giacchino (; born October 10, 1967) is an American composer of music for films, television and video games. He has also served as a director for television. He has received many awards, including an Oscar for his work on '' Up'' (2009), ...

At 50: A Birthday Gala Celebration'' on 20 October 2017.

Personnel

Gay-yee Westerhoff Eos Counsell Elspeth Hanson Tania Davis

Current members

–

(2000–2007), first

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

(2007–present) * Eos Counsell – second

(2000–present) *

–

(2007–present) *

–

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

(2000–present)

Former members

– first

(2000–2007)

Discography

Studio albums

*'' Born'' (2000) *'' Shine'' (2002) *'' Classified'' (2004) *''

Play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

'' (2011) *'' The Collection'' (2020)

Compilations

*'' Remixed'' (2003) *'' Explosive: The Best of Bond'' (2005)

Promotional records

* ''Raymond Weil'' (2001) * ''Fab Field's Mix'' (2003)

Soundtracks

* ''

Singles

* "

" * "

Wintersun Wintersun is a Finnish heavy metal band from Helsinki originally formed as the side project of Jari Mäenpää, then-vocalist and guitarist of folk metal band Ensiferum. In 2003, Mäenpää began pulling together songs that he had been wo ...

" * "Viva!/Wintersun" * "Shine" * " Fuego" * "Speed" * "Atlanta/Time" * "Viva!/Victory" * "Explosive/Adagio for Strings" * " Fly Robin Fly" * "I can't Wait (2019)" * "Panthera (2019)" * "Zadok The Priestess (2020)" *"Come Home (2020)" * " Artemis (2020) " * " Alone (2020) " * " Experience by Ludovico Einaudi (2021) " * " Cease and Desist (2021) " * " Rise of the Phoenix (2022) "

DVDs

* ''Live at the Royal Albert Hall'' * ''Bond: Video Clip Collection''

Movie appearances

* '' XXX: State of the Union'' * ''

Image gallery

File:Tania Davis - Metrocentre 2009.jpg, Tania Davis in 2009. File:Eos Chater - Metrocentre 2009.jpg, Eos Counsell in 2009. File:Elspeth Hanson - Metrocentre 2009.jpg, Elspeth Hanson in 2009. File:Gay-Yee Westerhoff - Metrocentre 2009.jpg, Gay-Yee Westerhoff in 2009.

References

External links

Bond's official website

Bond's official Facebook Page

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bond All-female bands Australian string quartets British string quartets British synth-pop groups Musical groups established in 2000