Magnum - Wolverhampton Review

Those keeping up, by reading my last post here, will know that I am not long back from another weekend away in Wolverhampton. It was great to return to the Black Country city for the first time since June, when I stayed in my favourite Premier Inn before bussing it out to Bilston to catch Mostly Autumn at The Robin 2, and my first gigs there since an excellent showing from Primal Fear at KK's Steel Mill back in March. Having already taken in a masterful performance from Europe on Friday night at The Halls, a gig that showed that the Swedish band are still one of the very best in the business, I hung around in the Black Country for another day for another show - this time by Magnum at KK's Steel Mill. In truth, after seeing Magnum live last year - I was not really sure that I would get the opportunity to see them again. This is due to the nature of last year's tour, which was a short run of shows to pay tribute to the band's founder, guitarist, and songwriter Tony Clarkin, who died in 2024. The band's 2024 touring plans had already been cancelled due to Clarkin's health, but his death still came as a surprise. Frontman Bob Catley, the only other person besides Clarkin who had been in Magnum up to that point, later said that the band was done - and that he could not carry on without Clarkin. He was clearly persuaded to change his mind, though, and, with the blessing of the Clarkin family, took Magnum out on the road for a few shows last year as a tribute to Clarkin - with Clarkin's long-time tech Brendon Riley (guitar/vocals) in his place. The tour came to a close with two nights at KK's Steel Mill, as Magnum were long based in Wolverhampton and came from the West Midlands more generally, one of which I was at. At the time, Catley was unsure what the future would hold, although it was known that there would be at least one more show as the tour's Glasgow date had to be postponed due to a rare red weather warning, but activity has slowly ramped up again since. A few more shows were added around that rescheduled Glasgow date, and 2026 has seen the band busier again - with quite a few UK shows spread over the period of a few months, around some festival appearances both here and abroad. Clearly, despite the lack of Clarkin and Catley now 79, there is still demand to see Magnum live. The band have a very loyal and dedicated fanbase, and it is clear that many just want to hear the old songs live for as long as Catley is able to sing them. At the end of Saturday's show he hinted that quite a lot more was to come in 2027 - and there has even been rumours of a new album featuring songs Clarkin wrote previously that were never finished. At this point, it is just good see the band so loved by their fanbase and doing what they can - as Magnum are one of those nostalgic bands for me that have been in my life a long time. As such, when the 2026 shows were announced and the Wolverhampton show tied in with my existing plan to see Europe, staying the extra day was very much a no-brainer. Given the distance travelling up to Wolverhampton from Devon, it is always nice to be able to stay for a couple of nights if possible. Two nights in the same hotel always feels like a bit of a proper break - and it is nice to have time to wander around the city and not just rush to get some dinner before going to the show. I had a day shopping in Wolverhampton on the Saturday, then, before having a quiet couple of hours in the hotel and heading down to a busy KK's Steel Mill for the evening's entertainment. The crowd was large, but the show was not sold out as it was last year. With more shows to choose from this year, though, that was not a surprise - but the venue was still very busy with the Magnum faithful out in force.

I did not rush down the venue as the night's only support act was not due to go on stage until quite a while after the doors opened. As such, I took a slow walk down to the venue when I was ready - getting there about 15 or so minutes before the music started. The support act was Grand Slam, the short-lived band that the late Phil Lynott formed after Thin Lizzy broke up. Grand Slam only played a handful of shows in the 1980s, and did not officially release anything, with Lynott dying shortly after. Resurrected in 2018 by guitarist Laurence Archer, the current Grand Slam has little to do with the original band, save for Archer's presence, but they have now released two albums - which mix newly-written material with songs written by the original line-up. I had seen the band once before, opening for FM back in 2022, but I likely had not listened to them at all since. As such, I was surprised to essentially know the whole set - even though the band has since released their second studio album. There was one song, Spitfire, which I did not know, which is from that second album - but otherwise everything else came from the first album, and was largely made up of songs from the 1980s. 19 kicked things off, before one of the band's better new numbers Gone Are the Days showcased a Thin Lizzy vibe. Lynott's songwriting carried the Thin Lizzy spirit into Grand Slam - and Archer has ensure that it has carried forward into everything the band do now. The similarities can be a little obvious at times, but Archer is a strong enough guitarist to do them justice - whilst frontman Mike Dyer has a soulful enough voice, even if he is more of a hard rocker. Highlights for me were a powerful version of Military Man, a grooving, juggernaut of a hard rocker that Gary Moore recorded a version of in the 1980s, as well as the lengthy and more atmospheric Sisters of Mercy - a smouldering, gothic semi ballad of the like Lynott could not really have done with Thin Lizzy. Whilst Grand Slam are not that well known, even now, there is true rock lineage in many of their songs - so I was surprised that the band did not receive a better reception. There was never anything more than polite applause during their set - with even the slightly more well-known numbers not exactly whipping up much excitement. Given the size of the crowd, this was a shame - but I have often gotten the impression that quite a few of the die-hard Magnum fans care little for anything that is not Magnum. The Magnum fanbase is like Marillion's in that regard, but most still woke up for a set-closing rendition of Whiskey in the Jar, which whipped up something of a sing-a-long as Grand Slam's 45 or so minutes on stage came to a close. The setlist was:

19 [Phil Lynott cover]

Gone Are the Days

Dedication [Thin Lizzy cover]

Spitfire

Military Man [Gary Moore cover]

Crazy

Sisters of Mercy

Whiskey in the Jar [Traditional Irish folk song]

It did not seem like much time had passed before the lights went down again, and the jaunty opening synth melody of Days of No Trust was ringing around the venue as the band took to the stage - then launching into the song proper. The band did not have a support act at last year's shows, instead playing for longer over two sets - but this show was a more typical 90 minute affair. The band largely stuck to crowd favourites from the 1980s, but there were still two songs included that I had not seen them do live before - and the more recent albums also got a bit of a look in. Catley's voice has not been what it was for quite some time now, and he did not sound as strong this time as I remember him sounding last year. He still has the tone, but he sounds quite rough around the edges now - but he powered his way through the 15-song set, with all of his trademark warmth and stage moves. Dennis Ward (bass guitar/vocals) helped out a lot, harmonising regularly, whilst the band as a whole sounded nice and powerful. This was evident during the driving symphonic rock of newer cut Lost on the Road to Eternity, whilst Wild Swan allowed for some of Riley's heaviest riffing of the night. Riley has been around the band for years, but really seems to have settled into the role of guitarist now. Clarkin was always an understated player, and rarely soloed, so Riley largely just kept the riffs and melodies flowing - with Rick Benton (keyboards) generally providing the flourish. An early highlight for me was the inclusion of Run into the Shadows, the only song that has been played live from 2024's Here Comes the Rain (which I reviewed here) - Magnum's last album. I was surprised that the album was not featured on last year's tour, and Catley clearly wanted to play one of those songs for Clarkin this year - with the one chosen one of the album's best cuts. The strong chorus rang around the venue, whilst Benton's driving keyboards flashed back to the 1980s. Aside from that and one other later cut, the setlist was pretty predictable. A fairly lengthy take on How Far Jerusalem sat in the middle of the set, which did allow for Riley to cut loose a little, whilst there were later triumphant anthems on display in the form of Soldier of the Line and On a Storyteller's Night. Given how many of the setlists over the past couple of decades were often weighted in favour of newer material, I get the impression Catley is now enjoying showcasing many of the band's classic tracks. It was always great that the band were so creative, but sometimes showcasing the favourites is the way to go - especially given the situation the current line-up find themselves in. The acoustic The Tall Ships, a song that has found a home back in the set in the past few years, shows that it was not all about the 'hits', though, whilst the other surprise came in the form of the AOR drive of Midnight (You Won't Be Sleeping). A saxophone player whose name I did not catch joined the band for the song, as per the original album, and it was one of the overall highlights. There were no surprises with what followed, though, with a classic trio of All England's Eyes, Vigilante, and Kingdom of Madness rounding out the main set. Kingdom of Madness was especially powerful, with more strong riffing from Riley - as well as some busy fills from drummer Lee Morris. After this run of shows concludes, Morris will be stepping away from the band after nearly a decade - with the returning Harry James, who played with the band at some of the other shows this year, taking his place. There were plenty of cheers for more, though, and a two-song encore followed. Benton's piano melodies heralded the epic Sacred Hour, before the soaring ballad When the World Comes Down allowed for the band and crowd to sing as one - bringing a majestic 90 minutes to a close. The setlist was:

Days of No Trust

Lost on the Road to Eternity

Wild Swan

When We Were Younger

Run into the Shadows

How Far Jerusalem

Solider of the Line

The Tall Ships

On a Storyteller's Night

Midnight (You Won't Be Sleeping)
All England's Eyes

Vigilante

Kingdom of Madness

-

Sacred Hour

When the World Comes Down

As Magnum continue to push forward into the post-Clarkin era, I do wonder what will follow. It would be great if new material is on the horizon, whether written by Clarkin or by the current line-up in his style, but, either way, I get the impression that the band do not see themselves truly slowing down yet. As mentioned, Catley said that next year would see quite a bit of activity from the band - so it is quite likely that I will be seeing Magnum again in 2027.