The Big Show

Olympic fever is fully upon us here in London. You couldn't miss it if you tried, and why would you want to. It is there on every street, in every shop and it's buzzing in the air.

It's there in every sound too, crackling in conversations, in transport announcements and in music.  The music of the Olympics brings with it pomp and fanfare, national anthems played for every podium and sung boisterously by the supporting masses. In these modern times we have bands such as Elbow and Muse writing new tracks purely for the Games, and let us not forget also the obligatory slow-mo BBC montages set to mood defining music to help the audience deal with every victory and defeat.

Even the athletes and competitors play their part.  Arriving for a race, multiple medal winner Michael Phelps looks more like a regular from a hip-hop video with his hoodie pulled up and his Dr Dre Beats headphones than he does a champion swimmer.

It's for the opening ceremony however that I think these Olympic Games will be remembered for the music.  Danny Boyle's incredibly well-designed and orchestrated vision of Britain had, amongst all the historical references and theatre, an intertwining of musical forms that highlighted just how prevalent and important music has been within the development of British life.

The highlight of this, for me, was the inclusion of David Bowie's 'Heroes' as the Team GB competitors entered the stadium to a tumultuous roar from the home fans.  To have watched that moment was to feel hope and pride.  To have experienced it as a competitor would no doubt be indescribable.  I'd expect the song and the moment to live long in the memories for our Olympians, as it will for the millions of us cheering from the stands and from our sofas.