Magnum at Manchester Academy 2025

Magnum

Manchester Academy
Wednesday, 22nd January 2025

It was a truly special night in Manchester as Magnum took to the stage, this time without the commanding presence of Tony Clarkin on lead guitar, who sadly passed away last year. The band, led on his own now by Bob Catley, committed to this short series of concerts, billed as the ‘Tribute to Tony’ tour with encouragement from, and the full blessing of Tony’s family, with Manchester being the second of four shows.

Magnum at Manchester Academy 2025

The atmosphere in the crowd before the band appeared on stage could be described as respectful excitement. This was an opportunity to pay our collective respects and demonstrate our appreciation to the band, but also to enjoy for one more time (and this could be the final time) the band in full flow. High anticipation was tangible but there was no sign of the over-exuberance that can sometimes permeate through an eager crowd. I would estimate that a very healthy crowd of around 2000 plus were in attendance, with a good mix of age groups represented, the youthful contingent possibly bolstered by the venue being situated in the Manchester University campus.

Standing in for Tony Clarkin was his long-time guitar tech Brendon Reilly and he did a fantastic job, making the leap from stagehand to rock guitar god look effortless. Despite all the pressure and the emotions of the evening he came across as being relaxed and confident and to my ears he delivered his guitar parts flawlessly. He fully deserved the recognition he got from the crowd, and undoubtably he had the full confidence of the band as they melded together from the off.

Magnum's Brendon Riley at Manchester Academy 2025

The setlist included a number of rarely performed deep cuts that were clearly close to Tony’s heart or had special resonance for him and the band and this careful choice of songs enhanced the sense of occasion. I’m sure When We Were Younger from the Princess Alice and the Broken Arrow album released in 1994 wasn’t on anyone’s setlist bingo card, but the band took delight in playing a song inspired by Tony Clarkin’s close personal ties with the Princess Alice orphanage near Birmingham. Like-wise The Tall Ships from Rock Art, and even When the World Comes Down from Vigilante appearing as the final song at the end of the night were unexpected treats.

The Tall Ships, with Bob Catley’s vocal accompanied by Brendon Reilly on acoustic guitar was certainly a highlight of the night, and lyrically-speaking When the World Comes Down was a fitting way to sum up the poignancy and the sentiment of the evening.

‘There are times it’s hard to swallow
When the world comes down on you
May it shine on you tomorrow
And your dreams, they all come true’.

Personally, the appearance of Don’t Wake the Lion was an incredible bonus, Brendon Reilly, once again, doing a heroic job on this track. The rhythm section of Lee Morris and Dennis Ward was powerful throughout and Rick Benton provided atmospherics and well-placed flourishes from his keyboards. Bob Catley’s voice retains its characteristic tone but the years are clearly beginning to tell, so credit to Dennis Ward again who did a great job on backing vocals, providing harmonies and also a bit of extra support when it was needed, along with the audience of course, who played their part in making this such an enjoyable and memorable concert.

Magnum at Manchester Academy 2025

If this does happen to be the last tour the band can rest up reassured that they have gone out on a high, and for Bob Catley he knows he has all best wishes from the fans for all the joy that he and his great pal have provided over the years.

Magnum at Manchester Academy 2025

[Our thanks to Mike Ainscoe (At The Barrier) for the photos used in this article.]

SET LIST
Set 1

How Far Jerusalem
Lost On The Road to Eternity
Wild Swan
When We Were Younger
The Tall Ships
The Flood (Red Cloud’s War)
Les Morts Dansants
Don’t Wake The Lion (Too Old To Die Young)

Set 2
Soldier Of The Line
Just Like An Arrow
Need A Lot Of Love
On A Storyteller’s Night
All England’s Eyes
Vigilante
Kingdom Of Madness
~ Encore:
The Spirit
When The World Comes Down

MUSICIANS
Bob Catley – Vocals
Rick Benton – Keyboards
Lee Morris – Drums
Dennis Ward – Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
Brendon Riley – Guitars

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