Review: The Magic Numbers, Bristol Academy, 15 Nov 06

Chubby funsters The Magic Numbers came to town last night, touring their new album 'Those the Brokes'. And from the off, the sell-out crowd were clearly up for a good time, cheering and joining in every chance they got.

In keeping with their music, the whole evening was very bright with the lighting up high throughout, and it was a bit like seeing them on Top of the Pops (had they not walked off!)

Things seemed to go a little flatter when they tried songs from the new album (at least near the back where I was standing), which to be fair has only been out little more than a week. But they soon got people swaying and singing again when they came back with a favourite such as 'Forever Lost'.

The only other bum note came from the drumkit, which had either been badly set up or was suffering from drummer Shaun's over-enthusiastic bashing. Meanwhile bassist Michelle was by far the most active of the group, swinging her guitar and hair around like nobody's business. Singer Romeo concentrated on belting out the words (and yes, they can belt), but it was keyboarder Angela that stole things, with huge cheers every time she opened her mouth, and a warm, wonderful sound came out when she did.

The support group were invited back on stage to cover a Bob Dylan classic, and while the jammin' finale seemed to finish three or four times, people left with what they'd come for - a warm glow and huge, broad smiles.

Review: John Legend at the Royal Albert Hall

On Monday night I caught John Legend live at the Royal Albert Hall in London, in a special one-off gig before a bigger tour later in the year to support the new album, 'Once Again'.

Firstly, for me it was a concert of two halves really. The first five or so songs was spent up in the Gallery at the very top of the famous dome. While the view up there was great, the sound was dreadful, echoing and booming around the roof.

So we asked if we could move down into the half-empty main floor, where the orchestra normally sits. And we weren't the only ones- the ticket desk was a steady stream of people asking how to move or even asking for their money back. But they happily swapped our wrist passes and let us in, and- what a difference.

Clear and warm, you could hear every note and what John was singing & saying perfectly. Only a dozen rows from the front, it was great to see and hear him go through songs from the first album and the new one, which sounds just as good.

But the place really erupted during 'Number One' when KanYe West strode on stage to deliver his rap live! John picked it up with him, the two swapping sides of the stage, and he stayed to sing on just one other song.

John spent the rest of the set switching between standing at the mic and sat playing the piano, ending with a croud-silencing rendition of 'Ordinary People', sounding better live than on the album.

The gig was clearly a pre-promotional event as well. It was streamed live on MSN and also looked like it was being filmed for TV or a DVD as there were cameras everywhere. Also, the lighting was much brighter than you'd normally expect for a gig, presumably again for filming, and there was more than a few drunken 'VIPs' out on a corporate freebie to see John SomeoneOrOther.

John name-checked the album and release date very clearly twice (for the kids at home?) and, of course, KanYe West putting in an appearance doens't happen every day!

But with what sounds like another good album on the way, John looks sure to build on his reputation as the man, the Legend. :)

Fopp

Paid my second visit to Bristol's newest Fopp on Whiteladies Road, the magic music, DVD and book peddler.

Ever since I first wandered into a tiny record shop called Fopp in Leamington Spa years ago, I've been hypnotised (and made not a little poorer) by their great prices, canny choice and obvious love of music and other stuff.

It was pretty empty for a Saturday, which is good as you can take your time browsing to come up with that 50 quid stack of CDs everyone seems to carry round. This one also has a cafe, which again is good and reasonably priced, doing coffee, toasties and cake (click image to see the menu).

Apparently, they're now the fourth largest record retailer in the country. They see to get it right so easily, which begs the question- what it is it that HMV, which is struggling, could get so wrong? Don't know, just know that they do. Typically, I'm sure their (or someone's else's) way out of the hole will be to try and buy Fopp before too long, and ruin what everybody likes about them along the way.

Unless of course, it happens the other way round- which judging by their new flagship branch on Tottenham Court Road in London that I visited the other week- it could well do.