Tony Clarkin talked to Rockpages.gr for an upcoming video interview during Magnum’s recent visit in Greece, and commented on the formation of Kingdom Of Madness by former keyboardist Mark Stanway featuring Micky Barker, RIchard Bailey, Laurence Archer, Mo Birch (all of them having played in Magnum in the past), Neil Murray, and Chris Ousey.

“It’s sort of annoying," says Clarkin. "But, he’s never written a song in his life, although he pretends he has written things. But, he has never written a song in his life. So, I don’t know what he would play if he didn’t play Magnum stuff.”

Asked if he thinks that he'll move legally against him, Tony responds: “Well, you can’t do anything about it. You can’t really do anything. I mean we do own all the logos and all that stuff you know... So, he can’t use any of that. But, really it doesn’t really mean much to me. There are a couple of people in the band who are good players. I know that. But, so why they don’t write their own songs? That’s what I think. It is a tribute band and there is no way around it really. He keeps trying to say 'it’s not a tribute band' and I am going 'what'?”

Magnum's Live At The Symphony Hall will be released via SPV/Steamhammer on January 18th as 2CD DigiPak, 3LP Gatefold, download and stream.

Every music lover knows that the closing concert of a long tour is always a very special event. For weeks in advance the audience has been able to read up on how much the band has been celebrated in their previous concerts evening after evening and they are all the more excited to see their heroes with their own eyes. After having played those numerous concerts, the band is in excellent shape, perfectly attuned to one another and of course they want to outdo themselves with this final show. One of those tour finales took place on April 19th, 2018 inside Birmingham's Symphony Hall. It was there that Magnum completed their Road To Eternity tour, which consisted of 42 concerts, and performed at the highest level.

"A truly magical evening", Tony Clarkin confirms, "especially seeing as the show was a sort of home game for us, since all of us are from around the area between Birmingham and Wolverhampton, although during the last 20 years we have performed in Birmingham only once. In this respect it was a special moment for Magnum in more than one way."

According to the occasion, band members Tony Clarkin, vocalist Bob Catley, bassist Al Barrow as well as their two newest members keyboarder Rick Benton and drummer Lee Morris confidently played their way through a well-chosen mix of classics and newer songs, which rather successfully join the ranks of the band's long tradition of atmospheric rock songs.

Star guest Tobias Sammet (Avantasia, Edguy), too, was swept along by this enthusiasm and the blazing interaction between the musicians and their Birmingham audience when he went on stage for "Lost On The Road To Eternity" to lend energetic support to vocalist Bob Catley just like he did for the track's studio recording.

All that's left to ask now is what makes Live At The Symphony Hall any different from former Magnum live recordings. "Bob and I have been in this band for quite a while now, but we've never lost our passion for Magnum", Clarkin elaborates. "We want to keep learning new things and are open to tips and advice. That's why we constantly revise our old songs, sometimes we play them a bit faster, sometimes a bit slower, we change a solo here and a part of the melody there. That way we not only keep our audience interested but also our own enjoyment in these pieces alive." There isn't a more fitting way to describe the magic that happens on Live At The Symphony Hall.

Tracklisting:

CD1
"When We Were Younger"
"Sacred Blood 'Divine' Lies"
"Lost on the Road to Eternity"
"Crazy Old Mothers"
"Without Love"
"Your Dreams Won't Die"
"Peaches and Cream"
"How Far Jerusalem"

CD2
"Les Morts Dansant"
"Show Me Your Hands"
"All England's Eyes"
"Vigilante"
"Don't Wake the Lion (Too Old to Die Young)"
"The Spirit"
"When the World Comes Down"

"Lost On The Road To Eternity" lyric video: