It’s no surprise that Howard Devoto strikes an incongruous figure prowling the stage of the Manchester Academy on the final night of Magazine’s reunion tour of February 2009. That he does so with such riveting presence rather shocks, however, considering the tightly-contained severity of his image first time around. But that’s what this DVD, a complete film of the show, coupled with a CD of their London Forum gig a few days earlier, reveals.
Devoto enters approximating a Bond villain, only to de-jacket and spend most of the show in rolled shirt-sleeves, looking like a trade union leader but totally owning the venue. Fundamentally built around their debut album Real Life, it’s a majestic tour de force that sounds bang-on and contemporary, with absolutely no suggestion that these are songs written 30 years ago. Dave Formula’s rich keyboards and Barry Adamson’s brooding bass, coupled with Devoto solo-era guitarist Noko (who makes a very decent fist of covering the aching gap of the irreplaceable John McGeoch), deliver an immensely successful reformation. A shame they cut Great Beautician In The Sky short to segue it with The Honeymoon Killers, but that’s a trifle. This is a capture of genuine legends at the top of their game.
