Tara Nichols, Justin Hoffman and Amy Orman from Smooth Ops are the voices behind the new James Bond show coming to Canberra in March. Photo: Supplied.
It makes so much sense that Tara Nichols and Justin Hoffman met at a Canberra karaoke event.
It was back in 2009 and, according to Tara, Justin was singing a Beatles number – although she can’t remember which one.
“It was at the Old Canberra Inn,” Tara said. “We were both going out with other people at the time, but about two years later, we met up again.”
They married in 2014.
Tara has always been passionate about singing, although it has come a little more recently for Justin.
“He could always sing,” Tara explains. “He’s the sort of person who can do anything he puts his mind to.”
Fast forward to 2024 and the Googong couple, who now have a daughter, Eva, 5, are continuing to make music. They have fronted Smooth Ops, the national capital’s top corporate event and wedding band, for more than a decade.
They are also just about to see a long-held dream come true when The Name’s Bond: The Music of 007 comes to Canberra’s Southern Cross Club at Woden on Saturday, 23 March.
In what will be a first for Canberra, the show will bring to the stage the best of the James Bond themes, from the early years in the 60s up to the present day.
“We have always loved everything James Bond, particularly Daniel Craig as Bond,” Tara said. “I love how he’s managed to change and evolve over the years.”
The Bond show, which will have Canberra actor and speaker Lexi Sekuless as its MC, will track the history of Bond music, performed by the 10-piece Smooth Ops band. It will also feature choreography from HighKix Cabaret dancers.
“This is something we’ve wanted to stage in Canberra for a long time,” Tara said. “There are so many Bond fans out there, and by doing something like this, we can bring to life all the Bond themes that reflect cultural moments in our lives.”
The show starts with the 1962 classic Dr No, featuring Sean Connery. It moves on through the years, including From Russia With Love, featuring Sinatra-like crooning of romantic ballads through to the sassy vocals of Shirley Bassey in Goldfinger, the 70s sounds from Live and Let Die, to Duran Duran in the 80s For Your Eyes Only and all the other Bonds, from Timothy Dalton to Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.
Justin Hoffman and Tara Nichols with their daughter Eva. The Googong couple are organising the James Bond show at the Southern Cross Club in March. Photo: Supplied.
The Bond show will feature a 10-piece band, including vocalists Tara Nichols, Justin Hoffman and Amy Orman, with musical director Julia Mayne, sound engineer Jack Buchanan, Anthony Firth on guitar, Melanie Wundke on bass, Phil Measham on drums and percussion, Jeremy Firth on saxophone, Clare Leske on trumpet and Bec Temby on trombone.
“The whole Bond thing represents a fantastic era. Right from the start up until today, each one tells a story about a time,” Tara said. “It was also something we wanted to do because it is quite musically challenging. The tunes can be quite complex and they need to be arranged to suit the specific performer.”
Does she have a favourite Bond soundtrack? “It’s hard, but it would probably be Casino Royale. There’s something about that film and the music that has a fresh sort of energy. I love it.”
The Name’s Bond: Music of 007 is on at the Canberra Southern Cross Club, Woden, on Saturday 23 March, at 8 pm.
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