In January 2024, much loved British rockers Magnum released their twenty third studio album ‘Here Comes The Rain’. The record captured a typical sound for the veteran band, but mixed the huge pomp sounds of later releases like ‘The Serpent Rings’ with more of the commercial AOR elements of their late 80s work, making it feel a little more well rounded than some of the latter day Magnum releases. The record, although hugely enjoyable, was surrounded by sadness: just a few days before release, founding guitarist and songwriter Tony Clarkin passed away, effectively making ‘Rain’ a poignant swansong.
The deluxe edition of the album was packaged with a full length live DVD – ‘Live At KK’s Steel Mill’ – featuring what was to be Clarkin’s final gig with the band. Fans, naturally, loved this show, but many hoped for an audio release to fill out their already extensive collections. In January 2025, they would get their wish.
The 2CD audio release of ‘Live at KK’s Steel Mill’ is isn’t especially flashy, but offers another solid document of the latter day Magnum’s prowess in front of a very loyal crowd. Audio wise, it’s comparable to other “late” live sets like ‘Escape From The Shadow Garden…Live’ and ‘Wings of Heaven Live’, and there are times when Bob Catley’s voice displays a few rougher elements compared to his younger self, but in terms of sheer musical tightness and their ability to structure a setlist for the greatest impact, Magnum still excel here.
By opening with the brilliant ‘Days of No Trust’, there’s a really optimistic and upbeat feel to reel in the listener. This particular performance begins has a much pompier stance compared with its 80s counterpart. Opening with deep drones, there’s a sense of atmosphere being built gradually, and when hitting the opening riff, keys man Rick Benton approaches the melody with a much darker tone than Mark Stanway ever had. With the arrival of the rest of the band, the number takes on a slightly harder edge, with Clarkin’s guitar really high in the mix. As things begin to find their feet, the AOR melody still shines, and although he’s arguably had easier days behind the mic, Catley delivers the lyric with a confidence and gusto that shows off a still commanding presence. With the recording remaining natural enough to pick up any audience participation during the chorus sections, it sounds properly “live”. What’s more, it sounds like the kind of set opener that would have been a genuine treat for the fans who’d been at the show itself.
By then devoting the first half of the show to some of the bigger tunes from the latter day albums, Magnum certainly don’t hold back on their pompier traits at this show. The title cut from ‘Lost On The Road To Eternity’, Clarkin cranks the riffs, whilst Benton fills most available spaces with a string-fuelled compliment, which creates an impressively bombastic sound. The music is so tight, that even a couple of missed notes from Bob never lessen the track’s impact. If anything, it’s a pleasure to hear a recording that’s not been subjected to vanity overdubs. The still relatively new ‘Monster Roars’ slots in to the set very naturally, and on this night, the slow yet swaggering riff takes on a massive presence, whilst Catley’s voice – at least on the quieter moments – approaches the melody and lyric much in the same way he’s tackled Tony’s finer works since the 80s. Although a slightly bluesy lead guitar break creates the biggest highlight here, along with Bob audibly geeing up the crowd, a closer ear will also experience a pleasingly taut performance from drummer Lee Morris. Nothing Lee plays feels particularly flashy, but in terms of all round power and presence, he absolutely nails the required job here. He also takes a dominant role throughout ‘Where Are You Eden?’, a fine rocker from 2020’s ‘The Serpent Rings’ which, in its live guise, occasionally sounds like a heavier successor to the classic ‘Vigilante’, and the pleasingly punchy ‘The Day After The Night Before’, which plays like another callback to Magnum’s AOR years, and at this particular show, shares a great chorus vocal. Although the audience aren’t especially audible, it’s easy to imagine the crowd at the intimate venue clinging onto every note. When it comes to sharing the excitement and energy of a great live show, this track shares a near perfect example of a Magnum gig atmosphere circa 2023.
With strong performances of ‘Dance of The Black Tattoo’ and ‘The Flood’ also present, the first half of this set is all good to great – even with a few gruff vocals in places – but it’s during the second half of the show that this gig really comes into its own. Slowly building to a climax, the band bring out a succession of crowd-pleasers.
The intro to the still wonderful ‘Wild Swan’ captures a similar mood to that of ‘Days of No Trust’ in that both Benton and Clarkin battle for dominance, and the guitar just about wins out due to a particularly hard tone. Some of the “parpier” keyboard sounds used during the opening verse jar a little, but once the band hit the faster section of the track, they sound like a well oiled melodic rock machine, with Clarkin in great musical shape. A fan favourite, there are moments during the slower second half where this sounds as great as ever, with Tony sharing soaring notes against a vocal that isn’t short of emotion, despite being very clearly “live”, and going straight into ‘Les Morts Dansant’ provides a very effective one-two punch of melodic rock. On the quieter moments of this number, Catley’s voice sounds as strong as it ever has, and the opportunity to hear him deliver the now very familiar lyric against a very 80s piano – delivered with perfection by Benton – creates a set highlight.
‘Rockin’ Chair’ was never the greatest of Magnum songs – it definitely celebrates the cheesier side of melodic rock – but it works effectively in the live set. It’s surprising how much it shifts the tone of this show with immediate effect, with Tony adopting some cleaner guitar sounds, and Bob almost seeming to rediscover an older voice. It almost feels like a snapshot from the past, almost on a par with the recording from ‘The Spirit’ live album recorded on the ‘Goodnight LA’ tour. It seems almost inconceivable that it would be a standout from any Magnum live show, but here, the band really sound like they’re enjoying themselves.
‘All England’s Eyes’ sounds a little fudgy from a keyboard perspective, but again, this only shows how genuinely live the recording is, but with a final run of tunes – taking in the AOR-tastic ‘Vigilante’, the omni-present ‘Kingdom of Madness’ tipping the hat to the band’s prog roots, the much loved ‘On A Storyteller’s Night’ and ‘Sacred Hour’, the set finishes with a great flourish. ‘Vigilante’ showcases a no-nonsense rock band helmed by one of Bob’s best performances of the night, and much like the earlier ‘Day After The Night Before’ the chorus vocals are great. Adding something that feels a little more spontaneous, Tony’s featured lead break sounds especially “bendy”, and for something he’s played thousands of times at this point, it’s nice to hear him tackling bits of ‘Kingdom’ with the kind of fervour that keeps things relatively fresh. There mightn’t be much that distinguishes ‘Storytellers’ from the many other live performances out there, but it features the veteran Magnum in great shape, and shows how well this particular line up worked together at the very end, whilst ‘Sacred Hour’ shares a great intro from Benton, a pleasingly dirty tone from Clarkin, and a world of crowd participation, making it a solid finalé for Clarkin’s swansong.
In terms of sheer perfection, this doesn’t match the Hammersmith ’88 show – as captured on the ‘Wings of Heaven’ VHS, and disc five of the hard to find box set ‘The Gathering’ – nor does it rival the youthful exuberance of 1980’s ‘Marauder’. That’s understandable: times change, voices change, line ups change, and even the choice of venue can have an impact. Taken on its own merits, however, ‘Live At KK’s Steel Mill’ is a remarkably strong document: a sixteen song set that gives a broad overview of a deep catalogue, delivered with the kind of force that shows why Magnum spent many years as a popular live act, and how their best songs have endured. As far as the CD release is concerned, it’s certainly geared more towards being a “fans only” affair, but those fans will certainly not be disappointed.
Read a review of ‘Here Comes The Rain’ here.
January 2025