For the first time in 15 years, Magazine songs returned to the live arena courtesy of the long standing partnership between founding member and keyboard player Dave Formula and 2009 replacement guitarist Noko, but most significantly toured under their names and not that of the band to signify this was not Magazine without its frontman Howard Devoto, who respectively refused to be part of this venture. Together with their band formed partly of French new wave group Affection Place (Peter Petersen on vocals and his son Tim on bass) and Formula’s son Max Tomlinson on drums, they rekindled a set of Magazine covers, some of which have never been heard live before both in the UK or even at all.
The band’s 1979 second studio album, ‘Secondhand Daylight’, was a frequent citation in the set; underrated when it was released it has also not received enough live playage over the band’s existence. Being Noko’s favourite album and ‘The Thin Air’ always having been a track he wanted to perform, the band opened on this icy instrumental. The recorded version contains saxophone parts by original guitarist John McGeoch which Noko attempted to evoke using flanger equipment, however, alongside the heavy keyboard it needed a little more. ‘Back to Nature’, not played live since 1979, also left wanting for the guitar and keyboards to be boosted to create more chaos.
The lazy and loose basslines of 1978 single, ‘Give Me Everything’, had an evolved trilling keyboard solo against the swing of rhythm guitar and bass; although it was good to refresh the song, the original keyboard solo composition cannot be replaced and perhaps should have been retained. The band also played from Magazine’s 1980 third studio album, ‘The Correct Use of Soap’, with ‘Sweetheart Contract’, Formula playing string synth, and debut album track ‘Motorcade’ was performed to perfection with Tomlinson’s precision drumming (original drummer John Doyle would be proud) and Noko’s wild flanger guitar.
It was then back to ‘Secondhand Daylight’ with its opening track ‘Feed the Enemy’; one of Magazine’s epic compositions, its grungy basslines needed to spring louder and it was lacking the authenticity of the original such as in the spine tingling keyboards and backing vocals. ‘Rhythm of Cruelty’ was perhaps a bit rushed through but had a more upbeat, playful feel, whilst surprise track, ‘Cut-Out Shapes’, excelled with Petersen’s vocals, which throughout despite the Anglo-Francais twist had adapted to the lyrics well despite the ghost of Devoto coming through; he also sang in French for Magazine’s regularly performed Sly & the Family Stone funk cover, ‘Thank you (Falletinme Be Be Mice Elf Agin)’.
There were two marvellous side-by-side renditions of ‘Permafrost’ and ‘Parade’, the former with Noko’s whirling guitar and Formula’s queer keyboards; the latter sung partly in French. The band finished their set fairly predictably but appropriately on the band’s best known 1978 and 1980 singles: the jazzy piano of ‘A Song From Under the Floorboards’ and the choppy ‘The Light Pours Out of Me’ respectively – the later of which again needed to push the guitar more – with a triple-song encore thereafter featuring the wildly experimental noise piece ‘Twenty Years Ago’; a traditional song played on Magazine’s live circuit during their reform years from 2009 to 2011. This went straight into the uplifting fantasy of ‘Definitive Gaze’ – the song that restarted this whole journey after Formula had an epiphany of wanting to play it again live – and finally the band’s 1978 debut single ‘Shot by Both Sides’. An emotional evening for Magazine fans who thought they might never hear the band’s material again – thank you Dave and Noko. It shouldn’t have worked but it did.
16/05/26: Dave Formula + Noko @ The Garage, London.
Photos © Peter Tainsh.
© Ayisha Khan.