Magnum have been making albums across six decades, which is a huge achievement. But with twenty-two albums under their belt, it’s hard for a band to stay fresh. The Brummie rockers enjoyed a flash of chart success with a trio of albums that did well in the 1980s, featuring great songs by guitarist Tony Clarkin, passionate vocals by singer Bob Catley, and tight arrangements that mixed pop with touches of prog. I’d not seen them for years.

By Miles Salter

Bob and Tony still lead the band, but the rest of their former colleagues have gone, and I missed long term keyboard player Mark Stanway, who left the band in 2016, but now leads a band playing Magnum songs, Kingdom Of Madness.

Clarkin remains mostly impassive on stage, barely raising an eyebrow or cracking a smile, which is funny because his songs are full of passion. He was the same in the ’80s. He’s still a terrific guitar player though, crunching power chords out of his modified Telecaster.

Lee Morris was fantastic on the drums, relishing the drama of Magnum’s songs with rolls and cymbal crashes – what a great player, and half of a terrific rhythm section with bassist and backing singer, Dennis Ward.

Bob continues to be a charismatic front man, with multiple hand gestures that border on the comical. Bob’s voice is pretty worn, though, and lacks the clarity it had in the ’70s and ’80s. 

The highlights included Les Morts Dansant, one of Clarkin’s numerous anti-war songs, and On A Storyteller’s Night, the title track of one of their best albums, and Kingdom Of Madness, from their first album. Vigilante got the crowd jumping up and down, and a smattering of older songs, including Sacred Hour were great to hear.

But Magnum miss a trick when they omit really good tracks like Just Like An Arrow, The Spirit, Changes, Lonely Night and loads more. They’ve got some great ballads, but mostly ignored them in favour of the punchier stuff. A more textured set list would improved things. They’re still good, but the old Magnum was better. Additionally, it was too loud. I came out with my ears ringing, which sucks so much. Please, Brudenell, be a bit more careful with the volume.

Magnum played at The Brudenell Social Club, Leeds on Sunday 18 September 2022.