Magnum - Wolverhampton Review

I think it is fair to say that, when the band's founding guitarist and songwriter Tony Clarkin died in January 2024, I thought that I would never see Magnum live again. I had a ticket to see them live last year, but the tour was cancelled a month or so before Clarkin's death due to his ill health - and at the time it was suggested that that might be it as far as touring was concerned, even before his sad passing. Founding frontman Bob Catley confirmed as much not long after Clarkin's death, too, and I do not think that anyone could really be surprised. Whilst Catley had fronted Magnum since the beginning, Clarkin essentially was Magnum - at least in terms of songwriting and production. Whilst Catley was the focal point on stage and brought Clarkin's songs to life - Clarkin essentially wrote everything Magnum ever put out on his own, and also became their producer during the second half of their career. Nothing could ever replace that force - and Catley seemed broken by the death of his friend and long-time associate. A few months ago, though, it seems that he had a change of heart - and it was announced that, in agreement with Clarkin's family, Magnum would reunite for a short run of tribute shows in 2025. In place of Clarkin would be his long-time guitar tech Brendon Riley (guitar) - with Catley leading the charge alongside the rest of the last line-up of the band. Whilst this left Catley as the only founding member (and, indeed, the only long-term member) in the band - I am not sure that many people minded. Many of Magnum's other founding or long-term members have been out of the band for some time by this point - and the last line-up of the band was likely the strongest of the the reunion era, at least in terms of drumming and vocal support for Catley. It would have been nice to have seen some other key older members join this run of shows, but Catley and Clarkin's family clearly just wanted to be surrounded by those they gelled with - and it made sense to pick up where things left off. Of the handful of dates announced, I opted for KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton. The show ended up selling out quickly, so a second date was added - alongside other shows in London, Manchester, and Glasgow. The Glasgow show ended up being postponed due to the recent storm, so there is at least one more Magnum show to come somewhere down the line - but as I write the tour is over and Magnum have no other plans. It did feel as if this tour would be it, and it makes sense to bow out here. Catley is 77 and is known to struggle with his voice at times - and without Clarkin there are not going to be any other new albums to promote. As such, this triumphant final tribute tour featuring many of Clarkin's best songs from over the years seems like a good way to close the Magnum book - and KK's was packed on Saturday night in anticipation of such. The band likely made a fortune in merch sales, as the queue for shirts and a limited edition LP snaked around the venue, and there was a great atmosphere in the room from the moment the doors opened - with the band's dedicated fanbase looking forward to singing along to their favourite songs one more time.

It turned out to be quite an early one, too. There was no support act, and the band played two sets with a 15 or so minute interval - which all kicked off at 8pm and was done by just past 10pm. There was little in terms of hanging around, then, particularly after standing in the merch queue for quite a while - and when the lights went down the place went wild. Magnum fans are very loyal and that showed throughout the next couple of hours as the band essentially played through a greatest hits set. Shows in recent years have, rightly, generally be filled with newer material, particularly from whatever the latest album was, but this setlist largely focused on the band's original 1970s - 1990s run - with just a couple of fan-favourite newer cuts included. Pictures of Clarkin were flashed up as the show got underway, before the familiar atmospheric keyboard intro of How Far Jerusalem filled the venue. Generally the song sits towards the middle of a Magnum set, but it worked well as an opener - with the band slowly taking to stage as the synths swirled around and Catley sang the opening lyrics. Having had quite a lengthy period off the road, his voice sounded pretty strong for the most part. He still struggled at times, but he is nearly 80 so some cracks should be expected. His classic tone and emotive delivery was intact, though, and Dennis Ward (bass guitar/vocals) ably helped him out at times with some strong harmonies. Riley also filled Clarkin's shoes nicely. Clarkin was never a flashy or technical player, rarely truly soloing, and Riley kept his playing to Clarkin's blueprint - and it looked like he was having a great time up there on stage with people he has worked with for many years. Following How Far Jerusalem, which did feature a little soloing from Riley, the first of two post-reunion cuts in Lost on the Road to Eternity was played - which really highlighted the playing of Rick Benton (keyboards). He has always been very statesmanlike behind his keyboards since joining the band a decade or so ago - and he added plenty of flourishes to the evening. His keyboards were always high in the mix, too, with the synth pulses of Wild Swan bringing the off-kilter rocker to life - before Riley had a few more chances to show off with the swelling hard rock of When We Were Younger, which featured maybe his best solo of the night. It was also the last 'newer' cut played - with the rest of the set made up of classics. There was something of a deep cut which followed, though, in the form of the acoustic-based The Tall Ships - which had not been played live for a few years. This, and The Flood which followed, were probably the two main surprises of the set - but the die-hard fans treated these slightly deeper cuts like old friends. It was the two WWI-influenced pieces which rounded out the first set which brought the loudest cheers, though, with the piano ballad Les Morts Dansant seeing phone lights held aloft as Catley ran through the poignant lyrics with ease - before the monstrous Don't Wake the Lion (Too Old to Die Young) brought the night's first half to a close. I had not see the band do the song live before - and the 10 minute-plus epic was one of the night's overall highlights.

Following the break, the band came back for what felt like a victory lap. With a couple of deeper cuts and newer numbers in the first half, the second half and the encore which followed were very much just chock full of classics. It would have been nice if a couple of extra deeper tracks were included, or even a song from the band's last album which was never toured, but it was hard to argue with the anthems chosen given that this could well be the band's last tour. More swirling synths heralded the band's arrival back on stage - but this time the vibe was much more dramatic, and they soon launched into Soldier of the Line. This hard-hitting and melodic piece has always been a favourite, so it was great to hear it live again, before the band pulled a couple of favourites out which I had never seen them do live before. Both Just Like an Arrow and Need a Lot of Love have been played live by the band many times over the years, just not at the handful of shows I had seen before. It was great to hear Just Like an Arrow in particular - as the song was one of the first Magnum tracks I got into many years ago when I was introduced to both Princess Alice and the Broken Arrow (their newest album at the time) and On a Storyteller's Night at the same time. The smooth 1980s rocker has always been a favourite, then, as has the latter's title track which followed - which featured one of the biggest sing-a-longs of the night. In truth, the crowd were vocal throughout - but the second half of the show just seemed to get bigger in terms of crowd participation, with the song's chorus really ringing around the venue. This was also the case with the chugging and proper hard rock of All England's Eyes, which is ever-present in the Magnum set, before the one-two punch of Vigilante and Kingdom of Madness were wheeled out to round out the main set - as is often the case. Vigilante was a particular highlight, with Benton's keyboards filling the Steel Mill - as Lee Morris (drums) provided lots of tight fills. He is easily the best drummer to sit behind the kit during the band's reunion years. I personally never felt that Harry James was right for Magnum, despite him suiting Thunder and, strangely, The Quireboys, but Morris has that slightly grander edge to his playing which suits Magnum's pomp rock sound. A rousing Kingdom of Madness brought the main set to a close, then, and the crowd were left wanting more - which was soon given to them. A two-song encore followed, with an emotional The Spirit nailing the atmosphere of the night perfectly. Catley was clearly full of love for his lost friend at this point, and he led the crowd perfectly through one last sing-a-long in the form of When the World Comes Down - with the ballad being the perfect way to close out the night. The setlist was:

How Far Jerusalem

Lost on the Road to Eternity

Wild Swan

When We Were Younger

The Tall Ships

The Flood

Les Morts Dansant

Don't Wake the Lion (Too Old to Die Young)

-

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

-

The Spirit

When the World Comes Down

It is very likely that this past Saturday contained my last ever Magnum show. It was my fifth time seeing them, which does not seem all that many considering how long I have been listening to them, but each show was memorable - and I was glad to be there at the end. It seems that the band are leaving things open as to whether they will do any more. They have a cancelled Glasgow show to fulfil, but otherwise there are no plans for anything else. It seems the right time to bow out, but should the band want to tour again at some point then I am sure the fans will support them - but for now was can just reflect on a great career and a triumphant final setlist filled with classic tracks.