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Review: Magnum, Fleece
“We’re probably not everybody’s cup of tea, but . . . everyone’s got to drink something.” Theia are yet another of those post-Royal Blood duos (guitar, drums, backing tapes in this instance). The siblings have spent the last three years supporting Magnum (it’s a covid thing) and their dad’s in attendance to cheer them on tonight. They’re a jolly, self-deprecating pair with a neat line in chunky metal riffage and thunderous beats, but the set never really catches fire.
Classy veteran hard rockers Magnum are by no stretch of the imagination a political band, but Days of No Trust seems even more apposite today than it did back in 1988. It’s a great choice of opener, but the big question, as ever, is; how’s Bob Catley’s voice holding up? He’s been noticeably struggling in recent years, and this isn’t helped by the band’s punishing tour schedule and guitarist/songwriter Tony Clarkin’s wordy lyrics. Turns out that, at least to begin with, he’s sounding better than he has in a long time after a couple of months off the road, and seasoned bassist/backing vocalist Dennis Ward is there to pick up the slack when he falters a little on the likes of Dance of the Black Tattoo.
They’ve downshifted from the Academy, via the Trinity, but still seem delighted to be here and the capacity crowd comprises hardcore fans rather than being fleshed out with punters who’ve come to hear the mid-80s hits. That’s just as well given that the first half of the set cherry picks highlights from more recent albums, such as the title track from Lost on the Road to Eternity and Where Are You Eden? from The Serpent Rings.
is needed now More than ever
Magnum are yet another of those bands celebrating their 50th anniversary this year (commercial success came rather late for them). Although only Catley and Clarkin remain from the original line-up, it’s hard not to be reminded of their glory days when they mine that rich back catalogue. All England’s Eyes and On a Storyteller’s Night whisk us back to those great shows at the Granary back in the early 1980s when Magnum formed a rockin’ bulwark against the grotesque rising tide of inept ‘indie pop’ that captivated the era’s music journalists, while Sacred Hour conjures memories of them blowing Swiss cheesy headliners Krokus offstage at the Hall Formerly Known as Colston on the Chase the Dragon tour.
And Catley doesn’t need to worry when they reach Clarkin’s finest composition, Les Morts Dansant, as the audience sings it for him. The rest of the current line-up are more than equal to challenges of Clarkin’s rich and distinctive oeuvre, with former National Theatre Musical Director Rick Benton giving it plenty of heft in the orchestral keyboards department, while ex-Paradise Lost drummer Lee Morris copes equally well with the hard-rockin’ Rockin’ Chair and early favourite Kingdom of Madness as he does with the more laid-back set-closing wartime truce anthem On Christmas Day – a rare selection from the 1994 Rock Art album and a non-mawkish festive song that you won’t be hearing on a loop in Tesco.
Read more: Metal & Prog Picks: December 2022
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