The Garden of Unearthly Delights - The Vagabond. 21 Feb 2015
I'm highly attracted to The Magnets! After a few minutes into the opening number of six-part harmonies, I'm like, "OK, open the curtain and let's see the band...the bass guitar...the drum kit." No such thing. These six Brits do everything flapping their gums. A six-man mouth band. It's quite unbelievable. The audience was fresh-faced with delight at their virtuosity. There was an air of wonder and enchantment. These guys have a big resume of appearances on television and back-up work for the likes of Blonde, Tom Jones and Bryan Adams. There was a bit of testosterone on stage - the program of songs by Pharrell Williams, Mumford & Sons, Bruno Mars and such was punched out with extreme prejudice.
The Magnets are an eclectic bunch and their format leaves room for each member to shine. CG Fraser wowed the females with his supple gyrations and wooed all with his deep baritone simulations of bass guitar. Made the others look pretty straight. The show's sensation, though, was Andy Frost. Backing up the singers with simulated percussion was astounding enough - you could close your eyes and see the hardware. But his extended beat box solo left the audience breathless. Double bravo!
The Magnets take a cappella to an entirely new level. Others sound like a church choir or have a few clever vocal features. But these guys are consummate vocal musicians. Not to be missed.
David Grybowski
When: 13 Feb to 15 Mar
Where: The Garden of Unearthly Delights - The Vagabond
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
