Face Of Cheam

Saturday, after seeing Sidebottom destroy a poor West Indies side’s first innings in the Railway Tavern in Carshalton (I think it’s the first time I’ve been in there sober as normally we do the ten pub loop of the area before ending here) it was time to head up to town and see Magnum. Bob Catley and Tony Clarkin have been in this band since the seventies, and their latest album, Princess Alice is one of their best to date. With keyboardist Mark Stanway and Thunder’s Harry James in on drums this is probably one of my most collective of favourite musos. Upon getting into the venue about fifteen minutes before they were due on it was absolutely rammed. We were unable to get closer than level with the mixing desk with it even being crowded behind it and to the bar. Even upstairs you could see people peering round each other to get a view! As for the show, they did five from their current album, unfortunately not You’ll Never Sleep, which was played over the PA at the end of the show. The rest of it was much as I’ve seen before, except maybe You All Run from their album before, Breath Of Life. The set alternated between new and old songs, before the collection of classics at the end, including a welcome return in the set to The Spirit, where during the acoustic intro, ‘Arry lit us a fag and drink through a Red Stripe. Bob also came out for the encore holding up a can of Red Stripe saying Cheers to everyone. The show ended with a 10 minute version of Sacred Hour culminating an hour and three quarters of fantastic rock.