The Band Back Together is a newish play, written and directed by Barney Norris, which succeeds wildly on its own terms. It delivers a low-energy slice of feelgood nostalgia involving three musicians who reunite in their hometown of Salisbury. The action consists of talk and songs, more talk, more songs, some cider-drinking and a surprise ending to convince the audience that it was worth the wait.
The play was commissioned by Farnham Maltings, an arts centre in Surrey, whose aim is to ‘bring artists, makers and communities together’ and it feels a bit am-dram. The script has no conflict, suspense or uncertainty. No harrowing emotions or life-changing experiences. It’s just a pipe-and-slippers get-together involving three has-beens who once shared a stage as musicians. For a school band, they were pretty successful and they played numerous gigs in towns outside Salisbury. Why did they split up? You’ll have to wait until the 115th minute to find out.
The characters are deftly sketched and superbly acted by players who look just right for their roles. Ellie is the geeky boyish singer with a blonde crew-cut and a lot of ironic attitude. An Annie Lennox replica, clearly. Ross, the dapper guitarist in a chic leather jacket, would fit easily into a Duran Duran tribute band. Finally there’s Joe, the mopey drummer, who clutches a flagon of cheap scrumpy and seems well on his way to becoming a sozzled vagrant domiciled in a bus shelter.
The two-hour show is padded out with second-hand gags and other irrelevances. Mopey Joe, a football fan, informs us that when he uses the phrase ‘the 2020/2021 season’ he has to repeat the word ‘twenty’ four times in a row.
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