My Writings. My Thoughts.
Sydney Show Cancellation Apologies, First Trip to India
// January 20th, 2012 // No Comments » // News
We regret to announce that we have had to cancel our show and workshop in Sydney on 12th February, and must express our apologies to everyone who had bought tickets or was hoping to come. Once in a while an opportunity comes in that requires a hard choice to be made, and on this occasion we’ve had a booking for two concerts in India (our first ever in that country) that will help underwrite the whole tour.
Unfortunately the resulting flight changes mean that we won’t arrive in Sydney in time for the show. We very much hope we will get another opportunity to play in your lovely city again soon. We’re happy to say that the rest of the Australian dates in Adelaide, Perth and Albany are going ahead as scheduled.
Behind the Scenes…
// January 14th, 2012 // No Comments » // News
We’ve been in rehearsal the last few days learning music for our big Radio Times awards gig next week and working on some new tracks for the studio. Our good friend Roger Goodgroves dropped by to take some pictures. Check them out here.
Shepherd’s Bush Empire Show, 13th October. Tickets on sale now!
// January 11th, 2012 // No Comments » // News
Once upon a time a young, up and coming a cappella band supported Lisa Stansfield at the iconic Shepherd’s Bush Empire, and said confidently to each other that we’ll be back to headline there one day.
OK, may have taken a bit longer than our youthful selves might have imagined, but 10 years on our prediction has finally come true. We can proudly announce that tickets have gone on general sale today for our first headlining show there on Saturday 13th October.
The show is our biggest hometown show yet, and will be the climax of our Autumn UK tour, so get in there quick for some front row seats at what is sure to be one of the highlights of our year.
Related show
Radio Times Advert Out
// January 11th, 2012 // No Comments » // News
Check out our advert in this week’s Radio Times! We’re singing at their Awards Dinner next week.
UPDATED: Christmas Morning on Radio 2
// December 24th, 2011 // No Comments » // News
- Lots of fun Aled, but only 6 mince pies to go around
Our year came to an end today with a lovely Christmas morning appearance on Aled Jones’s Good Morning Sunday on Radio 2. We performed three songs; our Christmas single Walking in the Air, our Christmas medley and our ballad Tinsel Town. If you missed it you can still listen to the show here, we’re featured between 7am and 8.10am.
If you’ve just heard us on Aled’s show for the first time and want to know more, please do check our gigs page. We’re on tour in the UK in April and May, and then again in the autumn. You can also download our version of Walking in the Air on iTunes, Amazon.co.uk and many other download sites, plus several other albums.
Thanks to everyone who has come and seen us play during the past 12 months. It has been an great year for us, despite some tough challenges faced along the way. Hopefully we’ve gone some way to fulfilling The Guardian’s prohecy of The Magnets being “a band to watch in 2011″! As you’ll see from our long list of tour dates in the post below we’re going to be even busier in 2012,, so hopefully we’ll be seeing you again very soon. Merry Christmas!
The Magnets Christmas Single Released!
// December 21st, 2011 // No Comments » // News
Merry Christmas One and All!
It maybe a bit late to challenge for the Christmas No. 1 slot, but we’re happy to announce the release of our very own Xmas Single, ‘Walking in the Air’. Arranged by Steve for our appearance on Aled Jones’s Radio 2 show on Christmas day (7-8am), we liked this funky Yuletide nugget so much we dashed into the studio to record it last week, and pestered our distributor to get it out in time for Christmas.
Backed with our own Christmas song Tinsel Town, the release is available on iTunes, Amazon.co.uk and many other download sites. We very much hope it will bring you a bit of extra Christmas cheer, so stick it on your Christmas playlist and buy a copy to put some unexpected grooviness in the life of your favourite Aled Jones loving Auntie!
Adelaide Fringe – Tickets now on Sale!
// December 12th, 2011 // No Comments » // Gigs, News
We’re delighted to be making our debut in the famous Garden of Unearthly Delights! Come and see us present the best of our Edinburgh show to the good people of Adelaide from February 17th until February 29th.
For more info check out the Garden’s website or the Fringe Website: Here
Spring UK Tour Dates!
// December 8th, 2011 // 17 Comments » // News
Hello from the studio, where we’re putting down vocals for a brand new Christmas track. In the meantime we’re very pleased to announce that we’ll be back on the road around the UK this April and May on a tour taking in lots of virgin territory for The Magnets. Of the 17 dates confirmed thus far we’ve only visited Leeds and Swindon before. Tickets for most shows are on sale already, so if you’ve got any family or friends in the towns and cities below, ring the box office and your Christmas gift crisis is sorted! Full details will be on our Gigs page just as soon as we’ve had a chance to post them.
Watch this space also for the annoucement of a big new London show for later in 2012. It’s all very exciting…
April
12 Dartford
15 Bromsgrove
17 Leeds
19 Swindon
21 Durham
May
10 Guildford
11 Harpenden
15 Hastings
16 Southend
18 Hayes
19 Morecambe
20 Aberdeen
21 Kilmarnock
23 Cardigan
24 Derby
25 Burnley
26 Carmarthen
Australia – The Return
// December 5th, 2011 // 2 Comments » // News
The Adelaide Fringe is the Australian version of the Edinburgh Fringe, ONLY WITHOUT ALL THE SODDING RAIN. Which is why (having paid our dues to the Aussie winter last June) we’re delighted to announce we’re returning to Oz this February and March for a whole load of sun, sea and song at the Adelaide Fringe, Perth International Festival and at the Basement in Sydney.
Check out our gigs page for more details. Tickets for Sydney and Perth are already on sale, and we’ll be announcing when tickets are available for our two week run at the Adelaide Fringe shortly.
We’re really looking forward to hooking up with the friends we made last time around, and making many more – so do please put the word out for us if you live down under. Bonza!
Tour Note #4: The Great Frequency Robbery
// November 19th, 2011 // No Comments » // News
Poor, poor microphone.
As our German tour winds to a close in Eislingen tomorrow night, we find ourselves contemplating life without our best friends around. By that I don’t mean each other, for much though we love our fellow Magnets, a bit of time away is always good. Instead we will soon say farewell to our beloved and long suffering radio microphones.
These beautifully weighted black tubes of sound conductivity were a massive investment for us back in our early days as a professional band, requiring a hefty bank loan and the expert knowledge of our newly acquired sound technician Dr John Milner. For over a decade they have survived spit, sweat, coffee breath, Brunei airport lost and found and the disrespect of a platoon of budget airline baggage mishandlers, and can thus truly be said to have suffered for our art.
Alas they are now to be thrown on to the scrap heap of electro-acoustic history in a massive frequency grab by the mobile phone industry that will render almost every radio microphone and in-ear monitor in the UK obsolete. Our faithful mics must go or else we’re going to get more of the drop-outs and pops that we’ve been becoming all too familiar with on this tour of Germany, where the frequency sell off is already more advanced.
We’re costing up the new kit at the moment and it’s not looking pretty, but then at least we’ll be safe from having our concert interrupted by someone tagging their cat on Facebook on their brand new iPhone 5. Furthermore those brand new cylinders of wireless loveliness will be splendidly hygienic. I love my old mic, but it’s spent ten years in front of my gob without a proper clean. Yuck. Next please!
Michael
Spring UK Tour
