Earlier this month, I attended 'Across the Spider-Verse: Live in Concert' at the Hammersmith Apollo. It was the second time I'd seen the performance, having caught the previous show at the Southbank Centre in June - and the third time I'd watched composer Daniel Pemberton and a live orchestra perform his music (having also seen the first film, Into the Spider-Verse, screened with a live orchestra in 2023). So, um, you might call me a big fan of the soundtrack.
I could write about the sheer genre-bending ingenuity of Pemberton's work, which includes: an Indian-inspired theme for Spider-Man India inspired by a particular 1982 record; a '90s "indie-synth pop band" sound for Gwen's theme; heavy drums and feedback for Spider-Punk; and the electronic, coarse synth for Miguel O'Hara (which ended up going Tik Tok viral). I could write about the delightful choice for goose honks to be mixed into Miles Morales' theme (with Pemberton pointing to the orchestra's resident scratch DJ (DJ Blakey) at this point in the show, a cheeky nod to those in the know about the fun little detail). That's not even mentioning the themes for Spider-Woman, the Prowler, and the main villain, Spot, or the nonsense Italian opera in 'Vulture Meets Culture', or the thrilling 6-minute piece that accompanies the Spider-People chase out of Nuevo York. There's so much sheer brilliance on one soundtrack album.
But my favourite piece of music from the film comes right at the end of the film...
'Start a Band' is a 4-minute piece of music that plays right at the very end of the movie, a call back to the opening of the film in which Gwen struggles to fit in with her band, and so ends up assembling her own. Sony released a fantastic video in which Pemberton breaks down each and every layer of the piece. It's a really insightful breakdown.
Another recent soundtrack that comes to my mind here is from Amazon's Rings of Power by Bear McCreary. Like Howard Shore before him, McCreary juggles a number of individual character and location leitmotifs, weaving together a tapestry of sound that creates a sweeping, epic identity for each element of the world. It's something I really enjoy in film and TV soundtracks, from Lord of the Rings to Star Wars. Pemberton achieves something just as impressive here, layering theme upon theme while building to a crescendo before we cut to black.
It starts with the return of the excellent Prowler theme, first heard in Into the Spider-Verse, featuring a remixed elephant sound form the basis of a menacing, abrasive villainous theme - this time accompanying the reveal of alternate universe Miles Morales. This then progresses into Miles' main 'destiny theme', tinged with the ominous dread of Spot's villain motif - which has built in intensity through the film as the character becomes a bigger threat. Then, as we transition back to Gwen's universe, the soundtrack kicks into full gear, drums and electric guitars bursting in to provide a dose of hope and energy as we see her assemble her friends to rescue Miles.
Through all of this there's the swell of the string orchestra and the underlying hip hop beat that we've come to associate with Miles. There's so much going on, and it feels like it shouldn't work, and yet it all blends together to make one of the most satisfying final movie moments of the last few years. Though the story ends on a cliffhanger, it's a combination of the finality of the music - and how it ties together everything we've seen so far- and the screenplay that allows the movie to strike the perfect balance between feeling satisfying and longing for more, like a rousing musical number just before intermission.
Watching this piece performed live twice was truly incredible. Pemberton breaks out his Spider-Punk one-of-a-kind electric guitar, the drums make the whole thing feel like a rock concert, while the orchestra reaches the euphoric highs of Miles' hero theme, and DJ Blakey on his turntable continues to lend the soundtrack a truly fresh, unique sound.
Back in 2023, 'Start a Band' ended up in my Spotify Wrapped top ten and I have no doubt I'll continue to listen to it in 2025. The Spider-Verse movies are often recognised for how ground-breaking they are from an animation standpoint, and how much heart the story has, so I'd really love for the same to be recognised in the soundtrack too. And if The Wild Robot can earn a Best Original Score nomination, perhaps that's hope for Pemberton's upcoming work in Beyond the Spider-Verse...
Thanks for reading this article! To read more about my favourite soundtracks, you can check out my series of articles in which I count down my 100 favourite film scores of all time here.
Comments