Magnum – Live At KK’s Steel Mill

Magnum – Live At KK’s Steel Mill

The last ever recording of Tony Clarkin and Bob Catley performing Magnum songs together was made on 10 December 2022 and in Bob’s words it was “….the perfect evening. We finished our ‘The Monster Roars’ tour in Wolverhampton, KK’s Steel Mill was packed out and the promoter was a passionate Magnum fan. I couldn’t imagine a more worthy farewell to Tony than those recordings…”. The resulting package Live At KK’s Steel Mill, released on 10th January, is a fitting a reminder of how the band has nurtured and accumulated such enduring goodwill from its followers.

It’s not just the poignancy of the event that will entice people to collect this album and in doing so pay their final respects to Tony Clarkin. This is a spectacularly energetic, bright, barnstorming live recording of what was obviously a highly entertaining evening, for the band as much as the audience. The setlist is a perfect blend of new and old songs that both complement each other and create the necessary ebb and flow of excitement that has provided fans so much enjoyment for so long.

The band launches out of the blocks with the first group of songs that begins with the signature anthemic rock sound of Days of no Trust and is followed by four more rockers picked from the three most recent albums up to 2022. It’s a stonking way to start a concert but Magnum have so much more in their locker. The next section presents some examples of the more progressive songs that elevate Magnum’s signature sound, showing off the skills of Tony Clarkin’s songwriting and the imaginative mixing of styles and influences that he uses to such good effect to enhance the story-telling. Where Are You Eden?, The Flood and Wild Swan are just glorious and the emotionally charged Les Morts Dansant brings an ecstatic reaction from the crowd.

The lead up to the finale is predictably full of classics and crowd-pleasers and the show ends with the iconic Sacred Hour with lyrics that have now taken on new meaning.

“Face through the clouds in the Gods shine with awe and splendour
Rise up and roar they approve will they always remember?
I hear the voice of the crowd, it will last forever
Locked in my heart kept away like a stolen treasure”

As we know now, this was to be the last time that the pair played together on stage and as usual, after introducing the rest of the band, Bob Catley pays tribute to his great pal, the one and only Tony Clarkin, and as usual the crowd raise the roof in appreciation.

This recording of Tony Clarkin in his element for the last time takes on the burden of encapsulating a lifetime of memories and achieves it effortlessly. The band always was the most reliable of entertainers in the live arena, and this is no exception. In my review of Magnum’s excellent 2024 album Here Comes the Rain, released just a few days before Tony Clarkin’s untimely passing, I gave the opinion that “the saddest realisation that I came to was the fact that most of these songs would be sensational performed live”. I hope that one or two of these tracks do appear in the set list at the Tribute to Tony concerts, even if it will be a bitter/sweet experience. The beauty of music is not just that it endures, also that it can take on even greater meaning at moment like this. Sacred hours indeed.

TRACK LISTING
CD 1

01. Days of No Trust (6:06)
02. Lost on the Road to Eternity (6:12)
03. The Monster Roars (4:14)
04. The Archway of Tears (6:06)
05. Dance of the Black Tattoo (6:00)
06. Where Are You Eden? (5:34)
07. The Flood (7:09)
08. The Day After the Night Before (4:18)

CD 2
01. Wild Swan (6:21)
02. Les Morts Dansant (5:39)
03. Rocking Chair (4:45)
04. All England’s Eyes (4:53)
05. Vigilante (5:52)
06. Kingdom of Madness (5:23)
06. On a Storyteller’s Night (5:03)
08. Sacred Hour (8:16)

Total Time – 92:23

MUSICIANS
Anthony Clarkin – Guitar, Vocals
Robert Catley – Vocals
Dennis Ward – Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
Lee Morris – Drums
Richard Benton – Keyboards

ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Steamhammer/SPV
Country of Origin: UK
Date of Release: 10th January 2025

LINKS
Magnum – Website | Facebook | Facebook (Group) | Bandcamp | X | Instagram