Tony Clarkin of Magnum. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
No matter how times Magnum come to Liverpool, the five members that make up the premier Midlands rock band give a show worthy of their incredible pedigree and vivid and descriptive music.
The o2 Academy in Liverpool has played host to Bob Catley, Tony Clarkin, Mark Stanway, Al Barrow and Harry James on several occasions and each time the five men step out on stage the reception they receive is akin to any of the local bands that make Liverpool the burgeoning powerhouse of 21st century music. On the back of the band’s latest release, the critically acclaimed On The Thirteenth Day, Magnum were once again lauded by their fans of the North-West.
The combination of Tony Clarkin’s incredible and generous writing and Bob Catley’s almost unique interpretation of them is almost like no other rock band currently performing today, when added to the exciting bass playing of Al Barrow, the flowing and almost hypnotic keyboard playing of Mark Stanway and thumping, commanding drum patterns of Harry James, the music takes on a life of its own and provides the backdrop for a great night out.
Magnum opened up the evening with All the Dreamers from the latest offering and the excellent When We Were Younger before giving the assembled crowd a thrill ride with songs such as Brand New Morning, the sadly relevant How Far Jerusalem and the brilliance of Les Morts Dansant. Bob Catley was in fine form as he scaled the heights of performance as he and the Midlands maestros continued the set with tracks as diverse as Dance of the Black Tattoo, the superb and captivating All England’s Eyes and the stunning Kingdom Of Madness.
Magnum came back on stage to give the audience a final blast of powerful and incisive music from three distinctive periods of the band’s history, as Al Barrow and much loved drummer Harry James got the beat going, Bob Catley went into See How They Fall from the latest album, Rockin’ Chair from the 1990 Goodnight L.A. and the classic Days of no Trust from the definitive Wings of Heaven.
A brilliant night of Midlands Rock in the heart of the North-West, Magnum at their very finest!
Ian D. Hall