BRUM ROCKERS MAGNUM REGENERATED AND ALL HANDS TO THE POMP
Just as Deep Purple's plans are 'Infinite', so are Magnum's 'Eternal'
26th December 2017
Words: Andy Rawll
Beloved Birmingham rockers Magnum have gone through many changes during their 45-year history. Formed in the heart of 'Venice of the North' in 1972, the band began as the in-house covers band for the famous canal-side Rum Runner club, which also hosted Duran Duran later that decade.
Within a few years, founding member Tony Clarkin had discovered his songwriting muse and the band honed their quintessentially English prog pomp style to grab a support slot on local heroes Judas Priest's 'Sin After Sin' tour in 1977 and a record deal with the Arden's Jet Records in 1978.
From their 80s pomp through their mid-period dalliance with mainstream AOR and subsequent six year hiatus, Magnum's post-millennium return saw them rediscover their symphonic mojo with a succession of strong albums. 2014s 'Escape From The Shadow Garden' and its subsequent companion live DVD provided ample testament to their continued vitality as a live band and revealed Clarkin's creative spark to be as bright as ever.
Forty years on from their heady debut, 'Kingdom Of Madness', the band, still featuring fellow founder member vocalist Bob Catley, are set to release a landmark 20th studio album, 'Lost On The Road To Eternity, on 19th January 2018. Echoing one of their marauding early songs, 'Reborn', and the recent regeneration of Gallifrey's finest, this is the start of yet another chapter in the band's illustrious history.
This will be their first album featuring sacred new blood Lee Morris and Rick Benton, replacing longstanding members Harry James on drums and Mark Stanway on keyboards. As the powerful preview track, 'Without love', demonstrates, this is much more than a brand-new morning. They've clearly recovered their spirit and storyteller's might, following 2016s relatively laid-back 'Sacred Blood, "Divine" Lies'.
Catley's voice may be deeper and darker than in dragon chasing days, yet it remains an instrument of wonder, living and breathing every note of maestro Clarkin's melodies and embodying every emotion of the elegant and imaginative lyrics. The title track is a duet with frequent collaborator Tobias Sammet and a perfect union of the latter's melodic power and the former's emotional range.
After their headline appearance at the Giants Of Rock Festival on January 26th 2018, Magnum will set off on a two month European headline tour in February, including sixteen UK dates, starting with Bristol Trinity on 20th February 2017. As such, there's no danger of the band getting lost on any road, given that their itinerary from Bristol to Madrid on 16th April 2018 is already well charted.
All Europe's eyes are indeed smiling.
Tour dates:
26th January: UK-Minehead - Giants Of Rock 20th February: UK-Bristol - Trinity 21st February: UK-Cardiff - Tramshed 23rd February: UK-Holmfirth - Picturedome 24th February: UK-Manchester - Academy 2 25th February: UK-Hull - City Hall (with Saxon) 26th February: UK-Aberdeen - Garage 27th February: UK-Glasgow - Garage 1st March: UK-Belfast - Limelight 2nd March: UK-Birmingham - Town Hall 4th March: UK-Preston - Guildhall 5th March: UK-Nottingham - Rock City 7th March: UK-Leamington - Assembly 8th March: UK-Cambridge - Junction 9th March: UK-London - Islington Assembly Hall 11th March: UK-Southampton - Engine Room 12th March: UK-Brighton - Old Market 14th March: NL-Leiden - Gebr de Nobel 16th March: SE-Stockholm - Fryshuset Klubben 17th March: NO-Oslo - John Dee 18th March: SE-Gothenburg - Sticky Fingers 19th March: SE-Malmoe - KB 21st March: DE-Munich - Ampere 23rd March: DE-Nürnberg - Der Hirsch 24th March: DE-Aschaffenburg - Colos-Saal 25th March: DE-Berlin - Columbia Theater 27th March: DE-Bonn - Harmonie 28th March: DE-Stuttgart - Im Wizemann (Club) 29th March: DE-Freiburg - Jazzhaus 31st March: DE-Wuppertal - Live Club Barmen 1st April: NL-Uden - De Pul 3rd April: DE-Leipzig - Werk 2 4th April: DE-Hamburg - Fabrik 5th April: DE-Bremen - Aladin 7th April: DE-Neuruppin - Kulturhaus 8th April: PL-Bydgoszcz - Klub Kuzinia 10th April: CZ-Prague - Nova Chemelnice 11th April: DE-Memmingen - Kaminwerk 12th April: CH-Pratteln - Z7 13th April: IT-Milano - Legend 15th April: ES-Barcelona - Bikini 16th April: ES-Madrid - But
Tickets for all UK and some European dates are available rght here.
