Rock ‘n’ Roll; a simple slogan but one that perfectly describes The Magic Es sound. The band, formed in 2014, consists of Pete Thompson (vocals/guitars), Jasper Stainthorpe (bass), Stuart Catchpole (drums/bvox) and Phil Woods (guitar). All have impressive music CVs which include running record labels, world tours, and top 40 singles and albums.
In this interview spotlight, we chat about influences, the band’s newest project and more.
Full Q&A along with links and a stream can be found below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
We are The Magic Es from Norwich, in the East of England. Our music is great mix of indie rock and pop, there’s definitely a quintessential ‘Britishness’ about our sound that harks back to genres such as Britpop and Mod rock.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to stay the course?
Each individual in the band is a music lover! We’ve all taken different routes to becoming the Magic Es but that deep down appreciation of all music styles and how music can define any point in time, evoke emotions, memories and tell stories definitely resonates within each of us. The Magic Es was born from this love of music and we want to share our own creativity with the world, this drives us on to stay the course – we want to share our stories through the medium of great music.
Who or what are your biggest influences when it comes to your creativity?
We’ve been compared to a vast range of musicians from The Undertones, The Who and The Jam to Neil Young, Teenage Fanclub and Bruce Springsteen! We have such an eclectic taste in music that creativity comes from all of these talents. From a song-writing point-of-view melody leads the way; if we get a tune going and it grabs us then it tends to stick around for a few rehearsals; we then knock it into shape and usually the lyrics come afterwards.
How is Colour Up My World different from previous releases? Did you set out to accomplish anything specific?
Colour Up my World is a lighter, more poppy tune than we have put out previously. We do have ‘a sound’ and this tune definitely gives you a flavour of what the Magic Es are about, with guitar driven, infectious melodies that stick in your head with a driving rhythm section, strong vocals and great lyrics. A lot of our tunes are 4 or 5 minutes long so Colour Up my World is quite different due to the fact it’s in and out in just under 3 minutes; perfect single credentials!
Do you face any challenges as an indie musician in a digital age? On the flip side, how has technology helped you (if it has)?
Technology is both our greatest asset and biggest enemy! We are blessed to be able to put out our music globally at the touch of a button but to cut through the sheer amount of noise is tricky. Like most bands we have a website and a good approach to social media. We like to create regular content that engages our fans and builds a relationship with them. There is a certain pressure to create and push out songs at an increasing rate but we are up to the challenge.
How do you feel about streaming services? Any romantic attachments to the physical formats: vinyl, 8-track, cassettes, CDs?
Streaming services are here and as long as people subscribe to them then they are a viable platform. Nothing will ever beat the emotions of physically buying a record, removing the sleeve, enjoying the artwork and reading the text before playing your tunes of choice.
Where can we follow you online and hear more music?
You can find us all over the web; www.wearemagic.uk is our website. You can hear our music at www.soundcloud.com/the-magic-es, we’re on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wearemagicuk, follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/wearemagicuk and buy our music directly from us at http://themagices.bandcamp.com. There’s really no excuse not to find us. If you prefer purchasing from iTunes, Amazon and Google Play then fear not, you’ll find us there too!
