Royal Marines Bring Joyful Energy to Neil Diamond’s “I’m a Believer”

The Bands of His Majesty’s Royal Marines brought irresistible sunshine to the Mountbatten Festival of Music with a buoyant take on “I’m a Believer,” captured on their official channel. Framed as part of their Neil Diamond focus, the clip showcases the band’s tight ensemble sparkle and feel-good groove, turning a beloved pop classic into a brass-bright celebration that invites instant smiles and sing-along energy.

Part of the joy is hearing a song with such deep pop lineage reimagined at full symphonic scale. Written by Neil Diamond and made famous by the Monkees in 1966, “I’m a Believer” topped charts on both sides of the Atlantic, securing its place as a universal anthem of upbeat optimism. The Marines’ rendition taps that history, channeling the tune’s original effervescence through gleaming orchestral color.

The broader context is a lovingly curated Neil Diamond segment that the band titled “Diamond Decades,” arranged by Warrant Officer Class 1 Trev Naughton RM. Within that medley, “I’m a Believer” sits alongside other favorites, the whole sequence designed to move from gentle sway to full-on party. The arrangement’s smart transitions and spotlight moments keep the audience lifted from first bar to last.

Front and center, Band Corporal Sam McIndoe delivers the vocal with sunny charisma and bell-clear projection, anchoring the band’s rhythmic engine with pop sincerity. The Royal Marines Band Service has celebrated her work across platforms, and this feature shows why: her phrasing rides the groove with ease while leaving room for the band’s riffs and countermelodies to sparkle around her.

From the podium, Major Steve Green guides the ensemble with springy, dance-like gestures—glimpsed beautifully in the band’s “Conductor Cam.” Green’s light-touch leadership keeps the articulation crisp and the tempo buoyant, and a 2021 festival review notes his role among the evening’s conductors at London’s Royal Albert Hall, with broadcaster John Suchet serving as compere. It’s pageantry with pop-concert joy.

That 2021 Mountbatten Festival was crafted as a broadcast spectacular from the Royal Albert Hall, bringing the Massed Bands, the Fanfare Team, and the world-famous Corps of Drums to a global audience. The concert combined cinematic staging with the immediacy of live performance, reminding viewers how effortlessly the Marines blend ceremonial polish with contemporary flair.

Percussion lovers get their own treat: the band also shared a “Drum Cam” cut of “I’m a Believer,” highlighting the snap and lift that make the chart bounce. Hearing the groove from the kit’s perspective underscores how the rhythm section locks with the brass punches and woodwind runs, turning a familiar tune into a kinetic showcase of ensemble cohesion.

Naughton’s arrangement leans into call-and-response writing—low brass riffs answered by trumpets and saxophones—while leaving pockets where the vocalist and rhythm section can breathe. It’s the kind of scoring that keeps feet tapping and shoulders swaying, honoring Diamond’s hooky songwriting while giving the Marines room to parade their tonal range and dynamic finesse.

A big part of why it works is the culture behind the sound. The Royal Marines Band Service is the musical wing of the Royal Navy: a world-renowned unit whose musicians perform globally, from state occasions to arena-scale spectacles. Their versatility—concert band, big band, chamber groups, even rock band settings—means they can pivot from solemn ceremony to joyous pop in a heartbeat.

They also have deep roots at the Royal Albert Hall, where their annual concert series has become a fixture. That familiarity with the room’s acoustic personality helps explain the comfort and confidence on display: even in a pop chart, the ensemble shapes phrases with orchestral sensitivity, giving choruses lift and codas shimmer. It’s consummate musicianship with a smile.

The Neil Diamond thread runs through more than one highlight at the festival. The Marines’ channel also features a glowing “Sweet Caroline,” complete with that irresistible audience-wave energy built right into the arrangement. Heard alongside “I’m a Believer,” it sketches a portrait of Diamond’s songwriting as both communal and sophisticated—perfect for a band that thrives on connection.

It’s easy to forget, amid all the color and fun, how carefully the 2021 event was planned and shared. The band previewed and streamed the festival worldwide, an approach that turned Royal Albert Hall grandeur into a living-room celebration for fans across continents. That openness is part of their modern identity: excellence on stage, and access online.

Their YouTube presence has become an archive of craft in motion—playlists for “Conductor Cam” and “Drum Cam,” full-length concert streams, and medley spotlights that encourage repeat listening. It’s a generous window into rehearsal-fresh detail and performance polish, and it gives pieces like “I’m a Believer” a second life beyond the hall.

The festival itself continues to evolve year after year, bringing new collaborations and premieres while preserving the core blend of military precision and musical exuberance. Recent editions have featured guests and thematic showcases, proof that the Marines approach tradition not as a limit but as a launchpad for creativity and joy.

In the end, this “I’m a Believer” radiates what makes the Bands of HM Royal Marines so beloved: immaculate playing, warm showmanship, and arrangements that honor the original while sounding utterly their own. It salutes Neil Diamond’s evergreen songcraft and re-introduces it with brass-bright sparkle—music you can both admire and dance to, with belief to spare.