Rock The Vote

When was the last time you got involved in a Battle of the Bands style contest? Not as part of the band itself, but as a participating audience member or part of a musical electorate? Well why not give some moments of your time and get stuck in? West London types Magic Ship have been set against a Scouse band called The Fare Evaders (and you would too if you came from that neck of the woods). Anyway, I hear the latter are fans of Stevie Gerrard's team so I'll be voting for the band whose bass player's footy club will be collecting the cup as champions this Saturday afternoon. I'll be there to watch the glamour unfold at Griffin Park when the Mighty Bees will be awarded their much deserved cup. Anyone who votes for Magic Ship tonight and sees me at the ground tomorrow will be rewarded with a free drink. Editor's decision is usually final - so don't push your luck by saying you managed to vote more than once. This competition is being held by none other than the old fogeys' favourite hairy-arsed music magazine Classic Rock. If you have a heart, spare a few precious minutes from your hectic lifestyle and amble on over here to vote for the Magic Ship boys. Otherwise Rover (above) ends up as kebab meat.

If, however, you are a bit pressed for time you can simply register a vote for them by sending an email with the subject line ‘Magic’ to classicrock@futurenet.co.uk.

Luv'n'hugs,

I'mnotHowesysoI'llshutthehellup.

Now That's Magic!

Ye White Heart is a good pub in the summer. With a balcony and a large porch overlooking the River Thames, it's a venue that can be enjoyed not only by the smokers of the drinking fraternity, but also those that relish a nice cold pint out in the open on a mild evening. They also have live music every now and then, as they did last Friday. The only downside is that it's full of Fulham FC fans, probably.

If you were lucky enough to have been there, you would have witnessed the first ever gig by a band known as Magic Ship. Not only was it their first gig as a collective, it was also quite sometime that most of the individual members had gigged with anyone in a long while (I won't mention how many years for the sake of any younger readers, ageism is still alive and well unfortunately). It's a good job then that these fellows showed no signs of displaying any nervous cobwebs and they managed to deliver their brand of classic rock with consumate ease, professionalism and above all else they had a lot of fun in doing so. That last point is important, if the band are having a good time onstage, chances are the audience will too - and they did. Some even risked the dance floor!

Magic Ship, left to right; LEB, Dave Lombardi (ex-Slayer?), Axe Victim & Abraham Love in psudonym heaven

The performance was good, the songs are good, the sound was good (more of that in a mo). The purpose of the gig was certainly valid - a showcase for the release of the lads' new album 'LoveTel Motel'. If the quality of their live set is anything to go by, then you really should treat yourself and buy the studio recorded version of these songs. And I'm not just saying that were it not for the fact that Colin is giving me his Firebird...go buy it.

For those of you who were unfortunate enough to miss this gig, this is available as a free MP3 download (the file size is 58.7 MB at 192 kbps). See how gracious this lot are? They're treating you, the potential album buyer, to stuff that's absolutely gratis!

Download the gig. (To save, right click and select "save target as" or to listen as a stream just left click on the link)

(...and here's the set list: 1. Fly! 2. Lucky Lost 3. Headaches and Heartaches 4. Black Holes Don't Eat Everything 5. Monkeyphonic Alphabets 6. Standing Taller 7. Love and Glory 8. LoveTel Motel 9. Tumbling and Falling 10. Walking With a Mountain)

Listen to the gig on Switchpod

Listen to the podcast.

Pay them an interweb visit.

Add them as your mates on Munterspace.

Now buy the album.