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Review: Magnum, Trinity
It’s the first night of Magnum’s 578th (estimate) gruelling tour, but anyone returning to the band after a 15 year absence is in for a surprise. Refreshingly, these veteran Britrockers don’t simply churn out the same old crowd-pleasers each time, like certain lazier ‘heritage’ acts. With eight albums of a uniformly high standard from 2004’s Brand New Morning onwards, they have the luxury of concentrating on more recent material without attracting a single complaint. And with newie Lost on the Road to Eternity now ranking as their biggest chart hit in 27 years, they’re eager to showcase it on stage.
Some changes in the personnel department have supplied a firm kick up the collective arse. As the former drummer in Paradise Lost, Lee Morris has been associated with metal of a much heavier stripe, but on tonight’s evidence he’s a real boon to Magnum. His predecessor, Harry James, is unquestionably a great drummer but always seemed an odd fit here, thanks to his larger-than-life personality in Thunder. Equally impressive is incoming keyboard player Rick Benton – an accomplished sessioner, arranger and musical director – who effortlessly rises to the difficult challenge of putting his own mark on Tony Clarkin’s songs without unbalancing them. Clarkin himself is on top form as usual: the least flashy of guitarists, his tasteful playing is always a joy to behold.
There is, however, an elephant in the room. And that elephant is Bob Catley’s vocals. Not every aging rocker is blessed with a voice like Glenn Hughes’s, astonishingly unravaged by the passage of time. Hell, even the Golden God himself, Mr. Robert Plant CBE, now mightily rearranges those Zeppelin classics to dodge the notes he can no longer reach. Nobody expects 70-year-old Catley to belt out Soldier of the Line with the power he possessed in his prime. But on recent tours, he’s taken a while to warm up and there are points during tonight’s opening numbers – When We Were Younger, Sacred Blood, ‘Divine’ Lies and the title track from Lost on the Road to Eternity – when he really seems to be struggling to emit anything other than a hoarse rasp, with only bassist Al Barrow’s backing vocals holding it together.
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But then halfway through the set they dip into the back catalogue for How Far Jerusalem and – perhaps appropriately for a gig taking place in a deconsecrated church – something miraculous happens: his voice recovers. It helps that he now uses a lower register for Les Morts Dansant – Magnum’s Freebird or Stairway to Heaven, if you will, though the execution of shell-shocked WWI ‘deserters’ remains perhaps an unlikely subject for a fan favourite that they can no longer get away without playing. By the time they reach All England’s Eyes and Vigilante, it sounds like vintage Magnum and the faithful are suitably delighted. There’s also a treat in store with rarely played set closer Don’t Wake the Lion (Too Old to Die Young), something of an epic, 10-minute counterpart to Les Morts…, whose anti-jingoistic message has never been more timely.
First encore The Spirit gives the singalong muscles a workout and they leave us with an aptly emotional When the World Comes Down. Fingers crossed that Bob’s voice holds up for the rest of the tour.
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