Magnum - Live at KK's Steel Mill
Reviewed by Laura DQ • 9 January 2025
Has it really been a year since we lost Tony Clarkin? As a Magnum fan, I recall a sense of profound sadness at the news of his passing; a sinking realisation that as the band’s lone songwriter the possibility of a future for Magnum had surely died with him. A sadness somehow deepened by the release of 23rd studio album ‘Here Comes the Rain’ just days later; an album that proved Clarkin still had much to offer, both as a guitarist and a wordsmith.
Whilst the likelihood of any new music from Magnum remains remote (and possibly even unwanted without Clarkin’s input), the release of ‘Live at KK’s Steel Mill’ on January 10th is certain to garner some excitement as the last official live recording of Mr. Clarkin in action. Captured at the end of the European tour in 2022, it’s a bittersweet listening experience, now marked by sorrow but ultimately joyful, boasting an impressive setlist that successfully strikes a balance between the classics and more recent material.
From the keyboards that introduce ‘Days of No Trust’, this is Magnum as you remember them, alive, on stage and seeming to relish every moment. There is a magic radiating between band and audience, a genuine warmth in the interactions captured. Bob Catley is reliably affable, and in good voice (despite what you might have been told!). Yes, there’s the occasional wobble (shall we pretend we don’t notice Bob missing his cue on ‘The Monster Roars’?!), but let’s not forget that Catley is a man very much in his 70s and still singing better than should reasonably be allowed. His performance of ‘Les Morts Dansant’ is particularly moving, and his invitation for the audience to sing ‘On a Storyteller’s Night’ with him could not be better received.
As the set progresses, the old favourites are dispensed with greater frequency, to the delight of those in attendance. The noise that greets ‘Vigilante’, ‘Kingdom of Madness’ and ‘Sacred Hour’ is something to behold. But I would argue that there’s as much majesty to be found in the dramatic ‘Where Are You Eden’, the adrenaline rush of ‘Lost on the Road to Eternity’ and the moody strut that dominates ‘Dance of the Black Tattoo’. Overlook modern Magnum at your peril!
With tribute shows to Tony Clarkin fast approaching, ‘Live at KK’s Steel Mill’ successfully whets the appetite; a reminder of what we’ve been missing, and igniting the desire to hear these songs live once again. Magnum will never be the same, but it seems appropriate to keep Tony’s songs alive.