GIG NUMBER SEVENTY-ONE
Who
We saw some of support Absentee who bizarrely played a super slow motion version of You're The One That I Want! No other memories, but methinks a little surreal moment like that comfortably places them in the top 10% of support acts! The Magic Numbers followed and, although they failed to live up to the NME hype as a super-happy experience (The Flaming Lips really do put all other live shows into perspective!) and were not "beaming at each other" anywhere near as much as I'd been led to believe, they put on a fairly pleasant show. The crowd absolutely loved them and the general quality was high. Of the two sets of siblings, the singer/bass player seemed to do far more than the other two, although both the girls helped out nicely with the harmonies when required. Forever Lost proved a catchy choice of single and we even got a chance to name one of their new songs, but whether they'll go with The Beard Song as a title is another matter! That story even made it into NME! They also told us how they'd previously played this room supporting Travis, which is pretty much the only other thing I can remember except that they dressed in very dark colours and that the singer is a very charismatic onstage presence! So my prolific run of gigs continued in respectable fashion, and The Magic Numbers demonstrated potential, even if they weren't as good as the NME made out.
Mark: 7.0/10
The Magic Numbers
Support
Absentee
Where
Manchester Debating Hall
When
16th May 2005
Price
£7.50
Who with
Matt
Position
In the middle
Comments
Shortly after Nine Black Alps and just one day after Supergrass, I managed to keep the new music theme alive with The Magic Numbers, who'd won me over immediately from their press photos. I believe this gig goes a long way to establishing my theory that you can tell an enormous amount about a band by their appearance, including perhaps up to 80% accuracy how good they are to listen to! The happy faces, beards and general positive attitude, without looking remotely manufactured or cheesy, made me quite comfortable to check them out without any need to try and hear their songs beforehand, and the hype suggested that this could be an unmissable show! We were late in (now becoming a habit) and had a few beers (also part of my newer gig tradition, although the old method of going to the front and clinging on for dear life is still far better for the highest quality acts) and went to the second floor of the Union. It was a pretty strong night for Manchester, as Ladytron were playing on the top floor! The crowd was also insanely large and seemingly dedicated fans already, and I'm shocked to report that the lead singer was standing behind me when I made a comment about it being the bass player "standing over there" (also true!). It's a good thing I wasn't saying anything nasty!
