liltin' broke...
"‘DO YOU GUYS FIGHT A LO " IS ALL ANYONE ASKS'
Top of the Pops? Fighting siblings? Difficult second album? The Magic Numbers just don’t want to talk about any of it. Malcolm Jack asks them anyway.
here are probably precious few things that cause
more conflict in this world than: a) sibling
discord and b) inter-band rivalry. Armed with this kernel of thought. I assure Magic Numbers bassist and singer Michele Stodart (half of one of the two brother/sister combos comprising the London four- piece) that. despite catching her at the end of a long and doubtless repetitive day of press interviews. I've a highly original line of inquiry prepared to keep her entertained in this final shift.
‘(ireatf she responds. ‘Anything that beats "do you guys fight a lot?" That‘s all anyone asks.‘ Scoring a pen through my questions. I quietly scrap that idea and just ask her about 'Iiip oft/1e Pops.
Not long after the release of their hugely successful eponymous debut album in 200-1. The Magic Numbers were famously the first (and last) band to storm out on the show without playing a note. in response to a presenter’s introductory quip about them being. well. slightly bigger boned than your average popstcrs.
‘We‘ve totally forgotten about it now.’ says Stodart. ‘lt was just that one time we wanted a day off.‘ she adds. with a laugh. As altogether genial a bunch as their fuzzy strand of heart-warming harmony laden indie would imply. the band kissed and made up with BBC producers. returning not long before the show‘s eventual demise. "fhey asked us back and we couldn‘t not say yes. It's one of those programmes you watched as a kid and said “one day I'd like to be on it.“ And we were. right before it got axed. Which was pretty cool.‘
In the run up to the conventionally precarious second album stage. The Magic Numbers were faced with a
62 THE LIST Iii) Nov- 1/1 Do(: 2006
pretty daunting task: following up a record that packed a slew of Radio I play listed singles and scooped a Mercury Prize nomination. ()pting not to dwell on matters too much. T/IUM' I/lt’ Bro/rm was largely written while still touring. and recorded swiftly this spring in New York — a process that bore unexpectedly positive results.
‘You work on your first album in your head your whole life.‘ says Stodart. ‘You know exactly how you want it to sound and spend years imagining it until you finally get a chance to walk into a studio. With the second album its different: you‘ve got all these songs. but they haven't fully grown yet. Some of them really surprise you and it‘s great.‘
Among those surprises are slow burning. soulful nuggets such as the string washed waltz 'Boy' and Michele-penned (her brother Romeo writes most of the material) heartbreaker "I‘ake Me or Leave Me' — as well as the more ‘classic‘. upbeat. hook ridden single. ‘Take a (‘hancc' (itself a staple on the airwaves this summer). Aren‘t they a bit worn out after such a sustained period of activity though?
‘We‘re knackered.‘ Stodart replies. ’but we didn‘t want to stop. If we had we‘d have jtist driven each other even more crazy than normal.~ Ah. so they do scrap a lot then‘.’ "l‘otallyf she says with a chuckle. ‘Me and Romeo are constantly at it. literally 2-1 hours a day. But it‘s always going to be like that with people you hold close. It‘s just easier to fight. especially for us since it‘s more . . . complicated.‘
Barrowland, Glasgow, Sun 3 & Mon 4 Dec.
" JAZZ i FOLK
James Yorkston, Popup and Yellow Bentines Launching a season of gigs called VERSAcoustic, three damn fine pop practitioners get acoustic on our asses. The Goat, Glasgow, Wed 6 Dec. (Rock 8 Pop)
Arab Strap Arab Strap are dead, long live Malcy and Aidan. Witness their last hurrah. See feature. page 14. Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Fri 7 Dec; ABC, Glasgow 4 Dec.
(Rock 8 Pop)
Spanky Wilson and the Quantic Soul Orchestra Will Holland formed his own serious funk outfit and recruited legendary soul chanteuse Wilson to provide some honeyed tones. Arches, Glasgow, Wed 6 Dec; The Bongo Club, Edinburgh, Thu 7 Dec. (Rock 8. Pop)
Jo Mango’s Hootnanay A ton of top names including Vashti Bunyan, Trashcan Sinatras and The Pictish Trail convene to help raise money for Yorkhill Hospital. Hynd/and Community Hall, Glasgow, Fri 8 Dec. (Rock 8. Pop)
Roddy Woomble and Friends and Foxface Rescheduled from July. our columnist and Idlewild trontman gathers a raft of his compadres for an earthy, folksy set. spun from his debut solo album. Queen '5 Hall, Edinburgh, Fri 8 Dec. (Rock & Pop)
The Horrors They are but a handful of songs old but the sullen looks. spectacularly backcombed hair and fondness for all things 503 and rockabilly give this Southend quintet the edge over the Libertine—aping hordes. See 5 Reasons, page 69. Oran Mor. Glasgow, Mon 77 Dec; The Vaults, Edinburgh, Tue 72 Dec. (Rock & Pop)
Duels Enjoyany epic indie turns from Yorkshire. driven by trontman Jon's Cocker-meets- Martinish wail. King Tut's, Glasgow, Mon 1 7 Dec; Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Tue 7 2 Dec. (Rock & Pop)