Magical Musical Mixture (A Week of Bands Beginning With 'M')

Although it has relatively been a while since my last blog entry, this is not a sign that  I have been complacent. Three exciting gigs in the space of one week have been squeezed between my 'normal' working hours in retail which has left me little time for recovery. I'm by no means complaining however because when else do I get to see three great bands in the space of one week? Oh....and they all begin with 'M' !

Magistrates - Friday 28th February at The Lexington (North London)

Since their comeback, Magistrates have learnt to be experts at teasing their fans with the promise of new material. Playing to a full crowd at The Lexington meant that fans were brought another step closer to this promise with new tracks such as 'When We Are Apart' along with 'Faces' being granted a new format. The light-hearted party anthems created a vibrant atmosphere which should keep fans' appetites full until the eventual album release.


Metronomy -  Thursday 6th March At Kingston's New Slang 

I had last seen Metronomy perform live at Hippodrome, the previous venue for Kingston's 'New Slang' nights, back in 2011. All the way back then they were heading to Glastonbury the very next day and the size of the Hippodrome was suited to such a band. Since then, New Slang nights have been moved to the smaller venue of McCluskey's and so I was holding my breath in anticipation at seeing Metronomy in such close quarters. In fact if I had wanted to, I could have quite easily have given Joe Mount a pat on the head as he was sat at the piano.  Metronomy have always been quite a coordinated bunch, paying close attention to the aesthetics of their sets, which was the same case for Thursday's performance. Pure, white minimalism was applied all over, right down to their matching trousers.  The intimacy of the venue only intensified the experience of Metronomy however.

Metronomy both teased and pleased us by showing us the progressing sound of their new album 'Love Letters' (opening with 'Monstrous' and closing with 'Immaculate Haircut') but still pumping up the crowd with old classics such as 'The Look' and 'Radio Ladio'.  'I'm Aquarius' was placed in the centre of the set, the stripped sound with catchy backing vocals showing us how far the musicians are willing to evolve and progress. Although they maintained their original electronic groove, there is a sign of experimentation in working on maturing their sound. I have 'Love Letters' sitting beside me in its film wrap and I am looking forward to playing it on full volume once this entry is posted!

Mutineers - Saturday 8th March at Liverpool's Zanzibar 

Following on from their sold out show in their hometown of Manchester, the next stop for Mutineers on the 'Love, It's A Killer' tour was Zanzibar in the heart of Liverpool. Despite the many acts on the bill that night, they stood out for all the right reasons. The low-ceilinged bar created a fitting atmosphere for the rock-fuelled set. My highlight of which was hearing 'Love, It's A Killer' (available to purchase on the 17th March) with it's contagious riff sending a ripple of excitement through the crowd. In addition to favourites such as Shadow Kisses and You Used To Be Ok, two brand new tracks surfaced which has only left me impatient for the album release. With the combination of a charismatic frontman, unapologetic guitars and powerful stage presence, you can't help but realise that Mutineers are big fish swimming in a cramped goldfish bowl. Although Mutineers have legion of loyal fans, they still remain an underrated band as they could have quite easily blown a hole in the roof with their unrestrained energy and passion with which they play.

When We Are Apart: Magistrates Talk of Their Comeback

Press the rewind button back to 2009 and  Magistrates were everywhere you turned. Their fun, contagious tracks such as 'Colour Coordination' and 'Goldlover' secured them a vast, loyal fan base and the accolade of the music press.Having been featured on the Samsung NME Radar Tour and supporting Blur twice on their historical comeback, the future seemed limitless for the Essex quartet.

Despite their position, Magistrates removed themselves from the public eye for four years. As 2013 drew to a close however, fans were treated with the news of a mini-gig to debut the release of two new singles 'When We Are Apart', which was recently awarded NME's 'Track Of The Week' and 'B.T.P.A'. They were back again! So what had happened between then and now? 'I don’t like to say 'back' as to be honest we never really went away.' Paul Usher tells me. 'In terms of shows and releases, yes we disappeared from the light, but Magistrates has always been constant and making music. It is just right now we feel we have something that we want to share. Always new ideas to the very large table we own however, it has always been like that, natural progression.'  One of the new ideas they have shared with us so far has been the hilarious video to 'When We Are Apart'.  making use of retro footage from 1980s  'Lonely Hearts' ads and clever lip syncing. So is the tongue-in-cheek video a sign of the direction they'll be heading in? 'It is a great video that was created by VH/YES. I don’t really see it as tongue in cheek, it is just a colour that represent a colour of the record. Nothing can stay the same colour all the time and it is important always see things through a spectrum. The album has many colours and I know that the videos will represent those.' 

With this comeback there seems to be much anticipation, will there be an album? What about a tour? 'I couldn't give you a date to be honest just yet.' In regards to album ' It is in the almost finished stage, expect a lot of hours and love and honesty put onto a record.' As for a tour 'I hope so. We are currently sorting all of that business out at the moment. Very keen to get back over to our European neighbours. To be honest we have always been a band that have a motto of, if you’ll have us, we’ll be there.'

Finally, did musical legend Damon Albarn share any of his wisdom for the band when they had toured together? 'I can’t say he did on those shows. We spent time in his studio a few months before those shows and learnt a lot about space in music and melody. It was a great to play with Blur as they are such a talented iconic band'

You can follow the magistrates on Twitter and Facebook. Catch them play at The Lexington, London on the 28th Feb Get your tickets here