Since first stumbling across this Brighton based four piece on sound cloud whilst looking for something new to listen to, I was instantly sucked in by their hazy, laid back sound and poignant lyrics.
After seeing them play a short set at The Social in Oxford circus back in May, I knew that they had a strong sound live but the small venue and somewhat timid crowd at that gig admittedly created some restrictions in terms of audience atmosphere.
However, the second they stepped on stage at the Boston music room it couldn’t be clearer that this would be a gig that would allow their stage presence to really shine. Kicking the set off with self conscious, sing along track ‘You don’t want me’ it was as if they’d flicked a switch that sent a fizz of life and energy reverberating through the crowd.
The set consisted of eight tracks, two of which can’t be found online which didn’t seem to deter a large portion of the audience from moving around and eagerly attempting to sing along. It’s always refreshing to go to a gig and look around to see that everybody is getting into it, what’s even better is that it was clear that The Magic Gang up on stage seemed to be having just as good a time of it; Nobody really wants to go and see a band that look like they would rather be anywhere than on the stage in front of you.
Stand out tracks from the set-which you should also check out if you haven’t listened to these guys before- were the dreamy, anthem-esque charm of smartly written track ‘She Won’t Ghost’, the meloncholic magic of plaintive track ‘Alright’ and the stomping beat and catchy chorus of ‘No Fun’.
There’s not much of their music you can find online, but the few tracks that you can listen to Here on their sound cloud make for some very decent listening. Having drawn comparisons to the likes of Weezer and Blur, their nostalgia tinted, yet innovative sound hits you in just the right place. I would 100% recommend checking these guys out and keeping an eye on them, because any music they release in the future is looking to be of a very high standard.
The Magic Gang will be supporting Swim Deep on their UK autumn tour, see dates below.
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