Like a lot of people in this dog eat dog world, we’ve felt the ice-blood flowing through our veins melting like a polar cap every time we hear the perfect boy-girl harmonies created by the Magic Numbers.
Like a lot of people in this dog eat dog world, we’ve felt the ice-blood flowing through our veins melting like a polar cap every time we hear the perfect boy-girl harmonies created by the Magic Numbers.
Two sets of brothers and sisters, making up four of the most unlikely looking pop stars to hit the big time, have produced a debut album that has effortlessly crafted the sound of this summer and indeed, probably that of many summers to come.
So when the chance came to stand up and be counted with the Magic Numbers in their hometown of London, Incendiary jumped to attention.
After an endless stream of emails to bag a date in his diary, we settled down with the band’s singer, guitarist and main song-writer, Romeo Stodart and found him to be every bit as nice and user-friendly as we had hoped…
IN: Just been looking at some of things you’ve got planned – you must be the busiest band in show business. How do you feel about it all, and what are you looking forward to most?
R: It’s great although I’ve just been looking at the schedule and we’ve got about three days off between now and Christmas. I’m especially looking forward to the Festivals. We’ve been going to Glastonbury for many years so to play there is insane. Going to Japan for Fuji Rock stands out but supporting Brian Wilson is the ultimate – that’s been my dream really. I saw the ad in the NME that said “Brian Wilson plus Special Guests The Magic Numbers.” That’s definitely being framed and I’m thinking of buying copies for everyone I know. (Answer breaks up into infectious chuckling)
IN: Talking of Brian Wilson leads us nicely into your influences. I’d guess you have a big 60s and 70s thing going on in your record collection – is that right?
R: Yes, I listen to a lot of country. A lot of soul music – loads of harmony groups. Folk music. To be honest I’ve been obsessed with music from an early age but in the past 6-7 years I’ve been more open-minded and that has influenced the band. There are loads of different things filtering into our sound. The band is heavily influenced by the great singer songwriters – Dylan, Fred Neil, Tom Waits, and Leonard Cohen – that whole school of song writing really.
IN: Are all of your tastes pretty similar or are you fairly diverse in your choice of music?
R: Yes – pretty similar even down to not so obvious bands. We’re all big Guns ‘n’ Roses fans.
IN: Really? I wouldn’t have got that from listening to your album.
R: Well, just the first album really. Appetite for Destruction is a classic.
IN: We saw you play a gig at the Bush Hall and you played “There is a Light That Never Goes Out” as an encore. I can also detect a bit of Johnny Marr style jangly guitar in your songs – are you big Smiths fans?
R: Definitely. The Smiths are one of the bands that I was obsessed with a few years. They ruled my teenage years. Those words alongside the melodies that Marr wrote. Don’t know what it is but there is just something about it all. He is a great influence on my guitar playing – he’s so accurate and melodic.
IN: Are they any news bands that you are into at the moment?
R: There is an amazing new band called The Absentees, who we had on our last tour. Really good – reminiscent of Lambchop, Lee Hazlewood and Velvet Underground. Sort of underground country – hard to define it but they sound great. Also The Concretes, Willy Mason and Hal – we had a great time on tour with them.
IN: To the casual observer it might look like you’ve appeared out of nowhere (the Magic Numbers headlined a sold out London Forum gig before they had even released a proper single). Do you regard yourselves as an overnight success?
R: It doesn’t feel overnight to us at all. We’ve been gigging together for two and a half years. It was a good year before record companies got involved and we had built up a following before Jeff Barrett from Heavenly came to see us. He’d heard about us and was impressed that we had a fan base already. When we first met with Heavenly, it was really important for us to keep playing as many shows as possible. That’s what we know best.
I don’t know – it feels organic to us. Now it’s crazy and lots of things are out of our hands. Before the past few months, if you wanted to hear us then you had to buy a ticket. Now people are being introduced through “Forever Lost” being on the radio and reviews and write-ups in the press. At the Forum there were so many people who knew our songs and had obviously followed us over the past 18 months. Incredible – still can’t believe we sold it out before “Forever Lost” was released. For us, it’s been a nice growing thing but who knows what will happen next?
IN: By our reckoning, for a fairly new band, you must have already played every venue in London…
R: That’s true – apart from Wembley Stadium. After this, I’ll be speaking to my agent about booking a couple of shows there. Romeo dissolves into laughter – think that means he was kidding)
IN: You’re bucking a trend in an industry dominated by 80s sharp suits and that whole punk/funk/synth pop thing. Do you feel like that?
R: Within the band, we’ve always felt a little bit on our own, whether that is at school or with the cool kids or whatever. We’re just doing our thing. I like some of those bands but I know we are doing the right thing. It’s the music that we make – guess it is quite strange to be out on a limb. But we’re having a great time.
IN: That’s really obvious when you’re playing live. You all have broad smiles and yet on vinyl the songs are all about love and loss with a bittersweet feel. How do you explain that?
R: The songs are mainly written by me, on an acoustic guitar, in that state of reflecting on my life, thinking about failed relationships or whatever. My sister, Michele, will be the first person I’ll play the song to and she will add some singing or whatever and it transcends into something different. It usually becomes something with a little more hope than it started out with. With the live shows we love being up there and playing for people. Again the songs become something different when we play to a crowd. I might see someone smiling and it lifts me up. I suppose my songs do come from a slightly darker place.
IN: I guess it’s that time. No Magic Numbers interview would be complete without a sibling question. Obviously you are spending a lot of time together now – does that lead to tension like the Gallagher or Reid brothers?
R: That’s right. We are always fighting and there is usually some bubbling tension. Sometimes I think, “I just don’t want to see you today” – but I have to!” But we are all really close so we can’t be mad for long. I think it’s been beneficial to the band without a doubt. We feed off each other, as we know each other so well. We can tell each other if we think something is crap. There is an openness, as we are ourselves 100% of the time.
IN: What about when there are groupies around after a show?
R: (Giggles shyly) Yes, there are moments when’s it’s not so good. It’s never good to have your sister watching when you’re thinking about that type of thing. (Wheels start to wobble on the whole interview as Romeo dissolves into a torrent of nervous laughter)
IN: Okay, we’ll gloss over that then. You’ve been keeping good company playing with Doves, Athlete, St Etienne and the Charlatans amongst others. Have you got any good rock ‘n’ roll stories for us?
R: Good rock n roll stories? Most of them would be from our little camp. Abetted by our tour manager, George, we’re usually the last band to leave. We’re big time drinkers. Guess the others have been doing it for a while – they probably just leave the fresh bands to get on with it.
We did go to Sarah Cracknell and Martin Kelly’s wedding (Martin is a Heavenly label boss). Tim Burgess, the Chemicals – everyone was there. I felt like a gatecrasher.
IN: Hope you didn’t disgrace yourselves?
R: Hmmm…well…no…I didn’t…no…hmmm…
(At best Romeo sounded unconvincing. Incendiary sensed it might be better to keep the machinery of this interview lubricated and pitched the next question)…
IN: you mentioned the Chemicals – how did the track you did on their album happen?
R: Ed saw us support the Concretes. He approached me and said he loved our set. Two days later he gave a track they’d been working on to Jeff at Heavenly. They’d had it for ages and didn’t know what to do with it. I sat with it for a couple of days and then thought of something and put into my 8 track. It was a huge worry – I was scared about sending it over and them hating it. But they liked it and we hit it off in the studio and we’re really pleased with the song. We got to play with them at the Brixton Academy. There have been so many little moments in the last year – things that I can’t believe we’ve actually done. Working with the Chemical Brothers is definitely one.
IN: Any other collaborations in the pipeline?
R: Well, I’d like to become mates with Brian Wilson and get to sing on something. I’m going to get all of the Beach Boys albums out and make us learn every single harmony just in case…
IN: Incendiary are big fans so we have to ask how was playing with Edwyn Collins?
R: Great – we’re really into his stuff too. He thought we were one of the best new bands he’d seen, which was hugely flattering. He’s really cool and I heard he is getting better now, which is great news.
IN: We’ve read that you have some new songs on the go? How are they – will they have a rockier G n R influence?
R: They’re shaping up well. We’re in at Christmas to record them. It’s difficult to tell at the minute, as they’re all quite different to each other. Still going to be harmony led – maybe a little crazier, yes.
IN: Perhaps you could cover “Sweet Child of Mine”?
R: Maybe I’ll think about that one. (Romeo coughs politely and sounds distinctly unconvinced, even a little uncomfortable – we decide to opt for a softer line…)
IN: We wanted to ask about the cartoon images of you. How did they come about?
R: Again Pete Fowler came to see us. We love the Super Furry Animals and their artwork is consistently brilliant. I really like the logo of the four of us. We got involved in the whole process – Michele even came up with the concept for our video.
IN: Any plans for a Jackson 5 or Archies style cartoon series?
R: Oh no, no I can’t see that happening. Maybe we’ll do that but just for us to look at! (Again a fit of giggles threatens to derail the whole thread of this Q and A session)
IN: Incendiary has a lot of Dutch readers so we wanted to ask you about your forthcoming trip to Holland.
R: We’re coming over for the Lowlands Festival in August and we’re looking forward to it. The one and only time I was in Amsterdam, I saw Tom Waits so really loved it. Can’t wait to go back there and make some new friends. Internationally, we’re doing okay in Europe and we’re playing Fuji Rock and touring with Bright Eyes in the US in November. He’s been to see us and liked what he saw. We might be putting out a 7” on his label over there.
IN: You know what, we could accuse you of name-dropping. You’ve certainly made some friends in high places in the music world.
R: We can’t believe it. So many people in bands we’ve admired over the years – for them to like your own band. It’s a great feeling – really flattering.
IN: We’ve tapped Magic Numbers into Google and so many things come up. Why did you choose that name? Are any of you mathematicians, financial investors, physicists or just De La Soul fans?
R: When we came up with the name, I just thought, “why has no-one else thought of this?” It’s timeless – a perfect band name which suited us as a four. I used to make lists of band names aged 10 onwards and it was definitely the best one I’ve ever thought of. Mind you it was up against Cannibal Corpse or whatever. (Chuckles furiously)
IN: So finally Romeo, we’ve warmed you up now. As a genuine sibling in a band, you should be able to spot a fake at 50 paces. How about Jack and Meg?
(Reading between the lines Romeo seems to be taken aback by hearing a brother and sister question he hadn’t encountered before)
R: Jack and Meg? That’s a new one – I’ve never been asked that before. I actually couldn’t believe it when I heard they weren’t related. I think that they should be brother and sister. I know it’s been proven that they’re not, but there is something too close about them. I’d like to think they are brother and sister, like us. Then they could join our band for a day. Maybe we could do a “Brothers and Sisters” tour together.
IN: How about the Kings of Leon?
R: Well it’s a great story but it doesn’t add up to me…
Sensing that in the wrong hands this conversation could go on for a very long time and perhaps fearing that the Ramones or the Beverly Sisters could be up for discussion next, Romeo politely drew proceedings to a close.
Before I could say “Free Design” Romeo told me he had a Heavenly event to attend and left us musing on some of life’s imponderables. How could a man who gives such a happy interview, punctuated throughout with chuckling, giggling and outright laughter, write such heart rendering songs? If Incendiary could have a magic number, what would it be? Can Axl Rose sing harmonies…?
The Magic Numbers are Romeo and Michele Stodard and Angela and Sean Gannon. The debut album “The Magic Numbers” is available now – and damn fine it is too. They are touring the whole world in the near future:
http://www.themagicnumbers.net/