To be honest, though, if Catley hadn’t said then I doubt anyone would have spotted them, given the fact that “On A Storytellers Night” and “Sacred Hour” are superb. “All England’s Eyes”, “Vigilante” and “Kingdom Of Madness”. What follows is almost a race to the finish that would shame many an arena band. “Les Morts Dansants” is treated as a singalong here, and it almost seems to usher in part two. Not the showiest band – although Catley is as animated as I’ve ever seen him here – Magnum simply rely on the songs and the audience’s love of them to see them home. Kicking off with the pertinent “Days Of No Trust” (they also end with a reprise of it) has a little more resonance than a song written in the late 80s should, and the sheer quality of the material shines through. By and large that means that whilst they know their history they are happy to go with the present too. Band members might come and go – Dennis Ward on bass is the latest edition – but you know what you’re getting. Likewise with the way they structure shows. I suppose, in a way they have, because while Magnum’s records don’t sound the same, there’s no mistaking who made them. The title track and the even better “Where Are You Eden” have slotted in as if they’ve been there for years. This years is “The Monster Roars” and a few of them have already found a way into the set. In those 50 years in and out of Magnum, the pair have never made a bad record.Įvery two years or so they stick a record out – and it’s a record that sounds pretty much unlike any other band. He says of the guitarist: “I’ve worked with him for 50 years”, and I’ll wager this with you. When he introduces the band right at the end of the gig, frontman Bob Catley leaves Tony Clarkin until near the end. There must be some awful pun about shining brightly I can do here. Vega, the brightest star in the northern hemisphere. I saw them at Christmas time and as they did there they end with a cover of “Animal” – to be fair it suits them. “Kneel To You” – an attack on our leaders – the ballad “Live For Me” and “Sooner or Later” underline what is in my opinion, a step up since the new look band including Billy Taylor on rhythm guitar and Pete Newdeck on drums. Last years “Anarchy And Unity” album was just about as good as it gets and three of the set are from it. “Worth Dying For” is a thumping opener, while “Every Little Monster” has the type of soaring chorus you need in a huge venue like this. Amongst friends, actually – they often support Magnum – their set is a triumph. They know it too, and set about winning another crowd over. Songs, presence, energy, a charismatic frontman, they could headline venues like this in another life. You know its odd, sometimes, how some bands go under the radar a little and you never quite know why. Theia have taken the biggest tour of their lives in their stride, just like many of us always knew they would. As they clear the stage, you notice the ironic sign that says “applause” on it. They’d stuck out a new single a few weeks back and “The Day” ends the set here. “Blue Heart”, or reworked older stuff like “Back In Line” are superb examples of the 2022 version, and the personal “About A Boy” is delivered with a real passion. to be truthful, its been a few years since I’d seen them, but the new style suits them. Now a two-piece with a radically different sound than they had, singer Kyle Lamley (these days backed by brother Ashley on drums) is clearly emotional when they play (“I’ve cried twice already today, you’ll set me off again”) but here’s the thing: Theia are superb, in whatever guise they play in. A lot has happened since, but are they here, finally on the big stages many of us predicted for them back then. They were the up and coming young rockers then. The last one (and my message to anyone who’s promoting gigs, is simply: don’t.) was headlined by a band called Theia. Many years ago – longer than we’d both care to remember I suspect – I put three gigs on to launch MV.
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