Roxy Magic REVIEWS

Reviews are republished with grateful thanks to the various authors

ROXY MUSIC on Roxy Magic:

Bryan Ferry It would be nice if the band could remind me how some of the songs go!

Andy Mackay Thanks for the 'Roxy Magic' photos. Amazing!

Andy Mackay It took a long time for there to be a Roxy tribute band; there is one now and it's very good.

Brian Eno What's the name of the band?

The Great Paul Thompson I think Tribute bands are a great idea . . .

"Roxy Magic cast their spell for a perfect evening"

Review of Bristol - The Prom for 'Bristol Rocks' by Kathryn Courtney-O'Neill

Everybody expects a tribute band to perform the 'Greatest Hits' on a night like this, after all most people know the hit singles, unless you are a fan in which case you do expect to hear more. And it is here that some bands and artistes can underestimate their audience. There are only so many times they will return to your 'Greatest Hits' show before boredom sets in and you lose them forever. Which is why you should revise and refresh your performances on a regular basis and not just stick to the well known songs. Some of the best tribute performances I have been to have included lesser known songs that weren't big hits at the time and album tracks and I have to say 'Roxy Magic' belong in this category.

By nine o'clock 'The Prom' was packed and I have to say the venue has a friendly atmosphere. I'd made four new friends that night who'd come along just to see what 'Roxy Magic' were like. By the end of the evening they were saying what a great night they had.

'Roxy Magic' took to the stage, all smartly dressed, an image 'Roxy Music' has. Kevin Hackett who is 'Bryan Ferry' wore trademark black leather trousers, white shirt and white dinner jacket and looking at him Kevin bears a strong resemblance to the man himself. As the show progresses you begin to realise that Kevin has worked hard on the looks, mannerisms and voice that is Bryan Ferry and has captured that whole package. He certainly gets you doing a double take and some of the pictures I took that night catch the image overall and what a voice!

The first half opened with 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes', a Bryan Ferry single from 1974. Throughout, you are treated to 'Roxy Music' songs and Bryan Ferry songs, with his solo career just as successful as the group. Sometimes it can be confusing, mixing the two together. And there were songs I didn't recognise such as 'If There Is Something', 'Ladytron', 'Re-Make/Re-Model' which showcased some of the greatest musicianship of the evening, 'Out Of The Blue' a great second half foot stomping opener, and 'Editions Of You'; all album tracks taken from 'Roxy Music's first three album releases. That makes a refreshing change and in my opinion a major plus point for 'Roxy Magic' as they are also thinking of the fans. They are not sticking with the tried and tested formula most do and certainly know their subject well. Both sets of the show were very well balanced indeed with rock, mid tempo and ballads. I don't think anyone left disappointed.

'Roxy Magic' work closely together as a team and on stage you could see they were also enjoying the evening. The performance of 'Oh Yeah (On The Radio)' was frighteningly close to the real thing, 'Slave To Love' was a superb performance all round and 'Dance Away' was one of my favourites of the night. 'Both Ends Burning' was full of enthusiasm and had a wonderful ending instrumentally that was met with loud applause from the audience.

Throughout the second half of the show people were dancing. 'Virginia Plain' had the crowd joining in and 'Jealous Guy' had some singing along. With two songs in the encore, because the audience wouldn't let 'Roxy Magic' leave that easily, I would say the final song, 'Let's Stick Together' was the song of the night. Everyone joined in and new friends I met that night, Jenny and Lucy, were up on stage with the band, Kevin giving gentle encouragement to sing the song. It was get fun and met with professionalism. How many bands could do an impromptu audience participation that was unplanned? Not many. A couple more took to the stage before 'Roxy Magic' brought an end to the show which was met with loud applause and cheers of appreciation. A perfect evening of entertainment with real musicians and if you closed your eyes you could be easily convinced it was the real thing.
I have to say I would love to see this band at a bigger venue because vocally and musically I feel they have a lot more power in their performance to give. The Prom gives intimacy and approachability to anyone that performs at the venue and it keeps performers in touch with their audience, but it is not always possible to give your all in smaller venues where bands have to adapt their sound levels. Which begs the question: 'Would I see them again?' The simple answer is .... yes!

Letchworth Plinston Hall - Denis Hill for Plinstonlive

TITANS OF ROCK GO HEAD-TO-HEAD ROXY MAGIC AND JEAN GENIE

Reviewed by Denis Hill for Plinstonlive.

Two titans of rock music from the modern era battled it out head to head at Plinston on 16th March in a blistering double-header tribute showcasing the music of Bryan Ferry and David Bowie.The sell-out crowd, uncharacteristically animated right from the start, seemed happy to be caught up in the ‘friendly fire’.

Roxy Magic took first slot and opened with a tantalising keyboard medley of Ferry “faves”. I spotted More Than This and Slave to Love, along with several others in this mouthwatering hors-d’oeuvre – an unusual and creative way to at least pay homage to those classics which couldn’t make it into the band’s 90 minute set.

And what a set it was! The persona and voice inflections of front man Kevin Hackett were so completely Ferry-esque as to border on the mesmeric.

From the opening track Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (surely one of the most covered pop songs of all time), through Remake/Remodel and Over You, this band created and maintained a fluent authenticity which drew admiring gasps from the audience.

During Ladytron, another triumph which had dozens of dancers on their feet, I couldn’t help wondering why Bryan Ferry always dressed like he was ready for a day in the office! Kevin, an equal epitome of cool, delivered vocal near-perfection track after track, ably supported by Lee Sullivan’s sexy sax plus Simon Atkins’ tremendous drumming talent.

John Ozoroff on lead guitar especially stood out on All I Want is You, as another musician of outstanding virtuosity. Bob Hackett the band’s bassist and Paul Woolley on keys (he is also MD for Roxy Magic) completed a sound which came straight out of rock music’s very select top drawer.

For me, the best of a dazzling set were Love Is The Drug and Virginia Plain. Captivating stuff!

Birmingham Evening Mail Reviews Section: It's Ferry Believable.Roxy Magic, The Palace, Tamworth.

How do you imitate the inimitable? You form a band called Roxy Magic.

"Bryan Ferry" has mastered the original's crab-like stage mannerisms to an eerie degree while "Phil Manzanera" is an obviously talented pony-tailed facsimile of one of rock's most distinctive guitarists.

The classics - Virginia Plain, Do The Strand, Oh Yeah, Editions of You - were all handled with aplomb but it was particularly heart warming to hear the quirky purist material that illuminated the first Roxy album in 1972.

Remake Remodel and Ladytron took The Palace back 35 years - but didn't really seem a day older on delivery.

Southampton The Brook - Melvyn Letts

Hi Guys. Saw the gig last night and I loved it. First time I've seen you and was suitably impressed. Loved Ladytron, If There is Something and Remake. Great musicianship all night. Thanks again for a great night of Roxy Music.

Mansfield The Diamond - Janet

Saturday night at the Diamond was absolutely brilliant - I'm sure you get better each time! Looking forward to when you return in December! (you signed my DVD and one for my mate in Germany! - the DVD is great by the way)

review of the YouTube promo videos - Ron from California

I have been seeing Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry in concert for thirty years. They are my all time favorite group with Bryan being my favorite singer ever. Having seen all of these concerts and meeting Bryan in person puts me in a qualified position to evaluate your band. You guys are fantastic! I just finished watching your videos and I am amazed. I hope you tour Southern California so I can experience your "Magic".

Birmingham Hibernian - Kath & Hels

I don't get to see Magic that often, so I try not to start with the time-honoured 'they were great, as always...' (they were, btw :))

In a way, it's good not see them regularly, because they have added new songs to their repertoire in the meantime. Most notable last night - Avalon was gone and ITIS added. I didn't miss the former, not one of my faves. But the latter is and I have got to say - it was sublime! A mixture of the studio and Viva! version, it hit the spot and full marks to Lee Sullivan for having the puff to blast through AM's lengthy solo. Also highly commendable was Paul's piano solo. A wonderful contribution from the band's musical director. Not leaving the rest of the band out - I doubt John's guitar solos could be improved on (no that they need to), Simon's drumming was powerful, like it should be and Bob was infallible on bass. And Kevin . . . well, if I had a penny for everytime someone said that he's more Ferry than Ferry himself, I'd be rich. But it's true and one couldn't imagine a nicer guy behind the mask.

On a non-musical note (no pun intended), Kevin was heckled by a young lady (Kev, I think yer pulled there! :) ) and handled it wonderfully. I later found out that she was a friend, so all's well. And there was a tease all the way through about Mr Sullivan's 'huge secret' that would be revealed before the show was over. It was during the sing-a-longa 'Let's Stick Together' when Kevin announced that after years of trying and practising in front of a mirror, here it is - Bryan mk 2! Lee then treated us to his own version of the Fez-meister - with hilarious results. Someone mentioned it reminded them of Prince Charles - need I say more?

To round it up - you pays yer 7 quid at the door and gets an evening of entertainment worth easily double that, if not more. A varied set list to boot and as the band's confidence grew, some great banter with the crowd. So to anyone - if you ever get the chance to see these guys in action - do it! A well worth quick Roxy fix while the real thing is hibernating!

Bolton Moses Gate - BobDrum

These guys rock!! At long last we have managed to catch a Roxy Magic gig and it was worth the wait. I have seen plenty of tribute bands in my time but these were head and shoulders above the rest. To the untrained eye, Kevin is Bryan Ferry, he's got the mannerisms and movements spot on. The rest of the band are great musicians (even I thought so, and I usually get told off for being too critical of other bands...). The band had the crowd going from the very first song, they played a wide range of stuff from Remake Remodel to Slave to Love. Paul on the keyboards is exceptional and played a compilation of snippets from Roxy songs in the middle of the set which was fantastic. I would definitely recommend if Magic play near you, that you catch a gig. It's the next best thing to the real thing...
We had 'a really good time!'

Leytonstone The Loaded Dog - Stabbs MacKenzie

"Taking a turn off high-street, away from the cacophony and real-life relics, & into the outer spaces myriad faces & sweet deafening sounds of rock 'n' roll. And inner space...the mind loses its bearings. What's the date again? (it's so dark in here) 2025 or thirty years ago?"

Okay, apologies to the late lamented Dr. Puxley for the above, but this is really what I felt seeing Roxy Magic for the first time last Saturday. To be able to see a perfect facsimile of the band that has so shaped my life since the age of twelve, and to see them in such an intimate venue, I just had to close my eyes and I could have been at the legendary private function at the Tate some thirty odd years ago.

The Great Simon Atkins on drums and Bob Hackett on bass provide the bedrock on which these classic songs are built with consummate ease. John Ozoroff on guitar and Paul Wooley on keyboards provide the layered soundscape so beloved of Roxy fans. Lee Sullivan provides a stunning portrayal of 'The Emperor Himself.'

Kevin Hackett was clearly separated at birth from Bryan Ferry, but more, the vocal delivery is a studied labour of love that succeeds on every level.

I will always be a Roxy Music fan, but there is now a place in my heart (dear) for Roxy Magic.

The following is reprinted from Artrocker.com - not strictly speaking a review of us, but a great review of Roxy Music at their London Koko gig which we all attended as you shall see. Now read on . . .

This is surreal. I'm sitting in the pub having a drink with members of Roxy Magic, the UK's only Roxy Music tribute band. I'm sharing a table with 'Andy Mackay' when 'Bryan Ferry' comes across to suggest it's time to move into the venue next door. Where we are going to see the band they love doing a club sized gig for the first time in decades.

The place is absolutely rammed with hardcore Roxy fans. There are more silk shirts and feather boas than you can shake a stick at.

When the band come on, there are twelve of them, led from the front by Andy Mackay and Phil Manzanera, both looking like stern business men until they pick up their instruments. Rocker for hire Chris Spedding prowls behind them. And of course there is Bryan Ferry, still looking ridiculously dapper, still with that faint look of disgusted hauteur shown by a Persian cat as it is tipped off a cushion.

This is fans' night. A band such as Roxy could easily do the hits and coast through, but not a bit of it. It is a good eight tracks until they do a single at all and then it is "Oh Yeah (On The Radio)". Although touched upon, the material from the "Manifesto" era onwards is largely discarded in favour of classics from their earlier incarnation.

It is astonishing how modern tracks such as "Remake/Remodel", "Editions of You" and "Pyjamarama" still sound - Mackay's atonal oboe and sax skronking well to the fore. This is very much a Roxy show and not an audience with Bryan Ferry - indeed for many songs he is hidden at the back or side of the stage playing keyboards, particularly on a sublime version of "In Every Home a Heartache".

Being Roxy Music, they cannot resist a little pizzazz. An incendiary "Both Ends Burning" is graced by two dazzling female dancers gyrating at the front of the stage, Ferry grinning with the fun of it all.

As the evening progresses they get out the big guns - "Virginia Plain" and "Do The Strand", Ferry falling over the words to the latter and bursting out laughing mid song. It is an astonishing performance and the whole venue is a tumult of wildly dancing, happy sweaty people.

After the band have finally trooped off to a thunderous ovation, I meet up with the tribute band at the back of the hall. Fans flock around, and I laugh at seeing people happily shaking the hand and chatting with 'Bryan Ferry' while just nodding in passing to the real Gary Kemp and Rusty Egan who are stood beside us. Further along the bar Glenn Matlock is described as 'looking like a fireman'.

This is Roxy Music and Roxy Magic. Everyone's a star. Wyldman http://www.artrocker.com

Mansfield The Diamond - Mark Stephens

They were even better than the band I saw in Nuneaton last week, Take a Chance With Me was a treat, and Editions of You. Even Avalon seemed to work live, which is more than I can say for the many times I have heard Roxy play it. The set list really flowed. No big write up this time, I don't want to get a reputation for being the band groupie! Go and see them for yourself, it's Steve Siren's turn for the write up.

Catch them if you can, they deserve the support, book them for your regional meet ups,

Everyone in the band kicked ass, and the seemingly growing crowd had a great night.

Mansfield The Diamond - Steve Siren

Finally got round to seeing Roxy Magic on Saturday night, very impressive they were too.

The venue "The Diamond" was sizeable place, I'm guessing 300? but the Magic managed to almost fill it, & I've never seen a crowd reaction quite like it since Stacia used to perform with Hawkwind!

After a recorded intro of "India" they launched into "Virginia Plain" - probably a wise choice as it immediately got the neutrals on their side, a blast through the Roxy/Ferry single catalogue was expected, but it was a delight to hear "Remake," "Ladytron" & "These Foolish Things", Kevin Hackett does a plausible Ferry . . . probably the best impersonation I've seen. John Ozoroff does Manzo almost perfectly, using only one guitar, Bob Hackett on bass, Paul Woolley on keyboards are excellent, as is Kearin Wright as TGPT.

The show stealer for me though was Lee Sullivan's peformance, what an artist! Dressed somewhere between a Stranded era Mackay & Sylvester McCoy's Dr. Who, his sax screeching got the crowd up to fever pitch . . .

A few years ago I was really anti-tribute bands, but after "Remake" & now "Magic" I'm a big fan, & no, I'm not biased as Saturday was the first time I'd met any of the band.

If you're around Wolverhampton on Thursday, I urge you to see them..

Nuneaton Nag's Head - Mark Stephens

. . . next day, long drive home, should I drop into Nuneaton to catch Roxy Magic? Surely not, after (seeing ROXY MUSIC at) the KoKo, it would be too much of an anti climax? Well like Love is the Drug, I needed my fix, to top me up, and temptation got the better of me. Pulling into the car park, I could hear Re-make Re-model blaring out, and I thought I was late, and rushed in to find I was the only one there hours early, catching them in rehearsal, and they sounded great.

So after a few beers to get into the swing of things, the show began, and what an interesting set list. . . . Virginia Plain, Pyjamerama, AlI want is You, (great to hear that live) Street Life, Over You, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, Out Of The Blue, OhYeah (On The Radio), Dance Away, These Foolish Things, (a brave one but really worked a treat), Tara, (close your eyes and picture Loch Ness). Both Ends Burning, Ladytron, Angel Eyes, Love Is The Drug, Slave To Love, A Sign Of TheTimes, Re-Make Re-Model, Take A Chance On Me, Jealous Guy, Do The Strand and Let's Stick Together.

Now I am no musical technician, but these guys seemed to have a really tight set. and it has to be said, I heard more bum notes the night before! All the band are worthy of my praise, Paul Woolley on keyboards, the Colin Good of the band? Bob Hackett on Bass, John Ozoroff as Manzo, but leans more towards Spedding, Kearin Wright on drums, Lee Sullivan on sax, a star in his own right, who decided to go for a walkabout through the audience with a couple of songs.

Finally Kevin Hackett, as the Meastro himself. Amazing what a bit of black hair dye, a white Tuxedo jacket, black leather trousers, and a couple of Pints of John Smiths can do. He looked the part, and pulled off a very convincing Ferry voice.

Guys I take my hat off to you all, I found myself singing and dancing through all the setlist, (and you did Nigel Hollis!) and letting what bit of hair I have left down, and it really brought a close to a great two days. If you get a chance to see these guys, please give them your support, I was very sceptical, but believe me, these guys Blew me Away! As well as Amsterdam and Liverpool, I am now looking forward to a little pub called the Diamond (which has seen some bands that have hit the big time) in Sutton in Ashfield Mansfield,

Nuneaton Nag's Head & Cannock Staffs Tackeroo - Nigel Hollis

. . .next day off to see Roxy Magic in Nuneaton . . . I have to say they are very, very impressive. I last saw them in Bristol and was impressed then, but they have improved tremendously. I take Roxy Music seriously, but I also now take Roxy Magic as fun seriously at the same time and they deserve it.

Mark posted the set list and band members so nothing more to say except each member of the band is so professional, has obviously worked very hard and dedicated to recreating the Roxy sound and I am amazed how good they are . . . I then decided on Saturday to drive back to Stafford to see them at the Tackeroo club as, if I wasn`t to be at the IOW (Roxy Music appeared at the Isle of Wight Festival), I certainly knew where the second best place to be was . . . I have to say that I think I made the right choice in this particular instance.

No one can EVER surpass Roxy but the appreciation of being able to listen to Magic and all the effort they have put in and the quality of their act I am very, very impressed.

40th Birthday Party Inverness - John O'Brien of www.vivaroxymusic.com

I managed to get some of the guys from Roxy Magic and with myself on guitar and a local friend on drums with only a one hour run through earlier in the afternoon it was 'tonight Mathew I am going to be Phil Manzanera'. All those years with a tennis racket in front of the mirror wasn't wasted after all. Complete with Targett McAdams Tartan kilt all I needed was bug eyes and it would have been complete.
Just when the weekend couldn't have got anymore surreal about 15 of us headed off to Loch Ness and down to the castle. With no sign of the monster Lee Sullivan attempted to charm him out of the water with a rendition of 'Tara' in one of those mad moments you treasure for ever.

Bristol The Prom - Chris Turner of www.roxyrama.com

I also attended the Roxy Magic gig last night (on my old student stamping ground of Gloucester Road, Bristol), and thought them excellent. The singer does a plausible imitation of BF, both visually and vocally (nice vibrato...) and the rest of the band provide faithful renditions of the songs we know and love, even being ambitious enough to attempt These Foolish Things. Our very own Sax man Mr Sullivan was particularly excellent. The place was absolutely jam-packed. Great fun.