Britain’s premier music tastemaker Annie Mac has announced the return of AMP LONDON, bringing the best new talent in music from a variety of genres to the capital’s most loved music venues. We caught up with Brighton rockers The Magic Gang to find out what you can expect from their set…
What’s your fondest memory of playing in London?
I think it would have to be our first headline show at Scala a few years back, at the time we only had a couple of EPs out and we managed to sell it out on the day which felt very surreal, I think that was the first time we felt like a proper ‘band’ as it were, whatever that means. There’s also just something about the space, the different levels and low balconies make it feel as though the audience is very close at all times.
Who are you looking forward to catching at AMP?
We and the future audience are particularly blessed to have Do Nothing and Lazurus Kane with us at the Courtyard Theatre. We played with both recently in December and both were incredible. Having said that, Do Nothing are good friends of ours so naturally when I say blessed what I really mean it’ll be tough to sit through their set again. You can never be too supportive.
What does AMP’s message of showcasing new talent and future female headliners mean to you?
It’s incredibly important to continue to address the gender imbalance within music and by providing a larger platform to womxn and BAME artists. It can only seek to inspire younger artists if the more prestigious shows and festival lineups around the world are as diverse as our society itself. I was actually fortunate enough to see Billie Eilish and Dream Wife a couple of years back and what they have gone on to achieve is incredible.
What was your highlight of 2019?
Last year we sort of had a deliberate bit of time off so we could focus on writing and recording the next record, we were fortunate enough to go to Atlanta to record with Ben Allen of Deerhunter / Animal Collective fame in the summer. We’re excited about what we’ve made, and it will be announced very soon.
Do you have any new year’s resolutions? Do you usually stick to them?
I tried to do 50 Burpees a day after watching some guy on YouTube talk about it, this number quickly went down to 25 today we stand at ‘some’ a week. Gus from the band has actually gone smoke free so upmost respect for that.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever put on a rider?
Unfortunately as a band we are painfully, painfully boring so nothing untoward. I think we’ve always felt bit like we’re inconveniencing someone for having to go and get everything in the first place.
What can we expect from your set?
We’re very excited to be playing a few new songs in the set and I think the levels of energy will go up accordingly. There’s also a lot more variation in the set this time around, with changes in instrumentation, a couple of additional members and just more varied subject matter. We’re very excited to be playing again!
What’s your favourite thing about London?
Funnily enough I was having this conversation with a friend the other day and we realised that there are a lot less steps to making friends here as opposed to anywhere else I’ve lived. With the wealth of events going on there’s a lot of opportunities to meet people of a similar interest and way of being, and it’s easy enough just to be like “oh are you going to this” etc etc. a close second is the overground.
What artist would you love to collaborate with?
Doja Cat – perhaps on a similar tip to Rhianna and The Klaxons doing Umbrella at the 2008 Brit Awards.
Any advice for any younger musicians who want to play something like AMP one day?
I think it’s very important for any young artist starting off to spend time honing your sound and being in a position to showcase the best of yourself from the get go. We we’re very fortunate in being from a large friend group to tell us exactly what they liked and what they didn’t and that turned out to be very formative for us in the early days.
will play at The Courtyard Theatre on Thursday 5th March