MAGNUM to play Manchester Academy on Wednesday 22nd January 2025

26 November 2024 The Rockpit

Magnum – A Tribute To Tony Clarkin.

There are only a few great bands on our planet that you can identify within the first few bars of one of their songs. With their unique melodic skill, their tasteful instrumentation, the right balance of depth and catchiness, and of course that charismatic voice, MAGNUM fall into this category of rock royalty.

Birmingham British rock band Magnum were formed in 1972 by Songwriter / Guitarist Tony Clarkin and Singer Bob Catley. Their first release is the well-known ‘Kingdom of Madness’. By ’82 ‘Chase the Dragon’ hit the UK charts. Tony Clarkin’s writing was recognised with a Gold certificate for ‘On a Storyteller’s Night’ and Platinum for ‘The Wings of Heaven’ in 1988. Tony Clarkin, Magnum’s sole songwriter wrote and produced 23 albums over 52 years. In 2022 they reached their 50th Anniversary and celebrated with the fans on a major UK & European tour.

On 9 January 2024, Magnum announced on their Facebook page that Clarkin had died peacefully on January 7 surrounded by family following a short illness. The previous month the band revealed that he was diagnosed with a rare spinal condition, which brought about the cancellation of their Spring 2024 tour. Here Comes the Rain, Magnum’s 23rd studio album, was released five days after Clarkin’s death and achieved chart positions unprecedented in the band’s history. Two months after the release, Catley said that he could not carry on without Clarkin and that Magnum would disband.

In honour of Tony, Magnum will reform to perform a tribute show for him on January 22, 2025, at Manchester Academy 1. The band can’t wait to play again, this time for the man in the hat. Keep the night light burning… We will meet again…