Classical gals: Bond quartet members talk with media at a press conference in Ha Noi on Saturday. The band captivated a local audience last night with their stunning performance. — VNS Photo Thuy Hang

HA NOI (VNS) — Bond– the best-selling string quartet in music history – with over 4 million albums sold – captivated a Ha Noi audience last night at the Monsoon Music Festival at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel.

During their performance, the all-women band, which includes Tania Davis on violin, Eos Counsell on violin, Elspeth Hanson on viola and 5-string violin, and Gay-Yee Westerhoff on cello, presented several compositions that they previously performed, including from their soon-released album.

At a press conference in the capital on Saturday, prior to their show, the women said they would play the very high energy tracks that would keep people excited.

Some tracks from the their upcoming album, which is expected to be released by the end of this year, also were performed because, "We want to see how people respond to our music," said Davis, who is also co-founder of the Bond.

The group, which has been hailed as the "classical Spice Girls", also said they were excited to accept the invitation to perform at the Monsoon Festival.

"Despite Viet Nam being among those countries we have not previously performed in, we have fans all over the country. So your country is the place where we want to come to play," said Davis.

Exactly as they said, the band created an "explosive" atmosphere last night, as thousands of audience members could not stop themselves from shaking their bodies and dancing along with the music of the Bond.

According to cellist Westerhoff, it is the friendship among the band's members, who share a common music desire, which has motivated their success.

"Since we founded the group in 2000, we've never had any conflicts. We all support and complement each other. Like friends, we are sharing everything together. We also have common friends and hobbies," said Westerhoff.

After their show in Ha Noi, Bond will spend a few days visiting tourist attractions in the North, so they might "discover more about Viett Nam". — VNS