The Magic Numbers Go For Broke

The Magic Numbers accompanied the long hot summer of 2005 with heart-warming melodies and classic guitar pop. With tunes that quickly became part of the soundtrack of the barrage of festivals they performed at, their debut album sat comfortably in the collections of young ‘uns and oldies alike. Their second album ‘Those The Brokes’ is yet another soulful yet cheery offering, but after life on the road and the pressures of fame, what the hell could they still be so happy about?

“A lot of the songs were written around the time of the first album but they’ve only really taken on their own personality throughout the past year,” multi-instrumentalist Angela explains. Running in the same vein as their debut, the usual themes of a difficult second album are discarded in favour of The Magic Number’s trademark of sunny tales about the rocky road of lurve. “We first started rehearsing them in January and then we went to the studio and they just took on a life of their own, so the ideas for them were always there at the beginning and now they’ve completely shocked us and surprised us.”

Without a break between albums, The Magic Numbers have used their time locked away in the studio and hitting the road on tour. We wait in anticipation to hear that their relentless touring had taken its toll on the squeaky clean group and that they turned to a life of drugs, inter group spats and threw televisions out of hotel rooms. But in fact, things are actually better than ever. “I guess we’ve got tighter as a band with touring so much, the live shows have got a bit more rocky, we go for it a little bit more,” Angela laughs as Gigwise press for news of major rifts between the two sets of siblings. “We’re kind of realising that we may have wanted a little break before doing the second album, but I guess we just wanted to get it out as soon as possible and just keep the ball rolling really.”

In this image obsessed world, it’s refreshing to see a band that prioritises their music above appearance. After walking out just before a Top of The Pops performance due to guest presenter Richard Bacon’s remarks about the collective weight of the group, The Magic Numbers are even more determined not to conform. “We’re a band that’s about the music and none of us have ever really been concerned about image. Its not exactly one of the things that make us go and get up in the morning. What makes us go and get up in the morning is because we’re doing music that we love and if people like it, then cool. It’s not about what we look like.”