Cardiff band SAL talk about winning the theme song contest
18-Mar-2008 • Literary
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Bands were invited to write a song for the audio version of Devil May Care, due out this year to mark the centenary of Bond creator Ian Fleming's birth.
SAL's track of the same name was chosen by 007 fans in an online vote and beat 500 other unsigned bands to the prize.
The track is the first to accompany a Bond book, which is due out on 28 May.
The four-piece band will now join Welsh legends Bassey and Jones in 007 history by recording a Bond song.
Bassey sang three: Goldfinger in 1964, Diamonds Are Forever in 1971 and Moonraker in 1979, while Jones recorded Thunderball in 1965.
SAL emerged as the clear winner from a shortlist of four after a public vote on the MySpace website where the song can currently be heard.
The track will eventually be made available as a free digital download via the Penguin and iTunes websites.
The band formed in 2001 and are made up of lead singer Catrin Wyn Southall, Lee Lavis (Noog) on guitar, Chris Saunders on bass and Denley Calais Slade on drums.
They found out about the competition by chance and are hoping the exposure it will boost their career and lead on to greater things.
"A friend basically told us all about the competition," explained frontwoman Cat, who hails from Aberdare, Cynon Valley. "We'd been writing songs and one of them sounded really Bondy so we thought, why not give it a go.
"They said they didn't want us to emulate any of the previous Bond themes and we thought what we had was going to be a refreshing change and thought it was worth taking a chance with it.
"It feels great to know that there's so many people out there who liked our song enough to vote for us.
"It's great for us, as people will get to hear our music and hopefully something good will come out of it.
"We'll just have to wait and see but fingers crossed this could be the kind of break we need."
SAL's track was short-listed alongside four other bands by a high-profile judging panel, which included the new book's author Sebastian Faulks.
SAL emerged as the clear winner from a shortlist of four after a public vote on the MySpace website where the song can be heard.
Alex Clarke, editor of Devil May Care, was also one of the judges and said: "We were incredibly excited to see which track the public would vote for.
"They voted for SAL and we couldn't be happier as it oozes the excitement and glamour of Bond and is a fitting theme tune to the book."
Faulks has said he wrote Devil May Care in six weeks and the book picks up where Fleming left off in his last 007 book 43 years ago.
Faulks, who is best known for his novels Birdsong and Charlotte Gray, was asked to write the new book by the Fleming's estate and said he has written in a style he calls "about 80% Ian Fleming".
Set during the Cold War, it is said to be in keeping with 007 tradition with the action played out across two continents, exotic locations and several of the world's most thrilling cities.
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