Rich Robinson, Marc Ford & John Hogg of The Magpie Salute gave two intimate acoustic performances on the day their new album High Water 1 was released. An early show at Rough Trade East record store in London on August 10 was a great six song set giving fans a taste of the new songs with an opportunity to get autographs and a photograph with the guys after the set.
Robinson kicked it off with the dirty riff-based “Mary The Gypsy”, an anti-establishment rocker about those clowns in a position of power telling us how to run our lives. A notable song written by Hogg called “Sister Moon” really stood out with haunting lyrics and a great vibe. The set ended with the first single from the album, Send Me An Omen, a rock n roll song with Hogg’s strong vocal about a relationship gone wrong. Soulful harmonies in the chorus and the weaving guitars of Robinson and Ford shined throughout the song.
Those going to the main show had an hour to travel to the Oslo venue in Hackney. The gig sold out in a matter of minutes and it was a hot spot with fans from the front of the stage to entrance door. The surprise of the night was Magpie member Matt Slocum, who was here to add his keyboard skills.
“High Water” opened proceedings and having heard the original track off the new album – which is acoustic guitar driven, it felt like this song could have started this whole adventure. “Mary The Gypsy”, “Hand In Hand” and “Sister Moon” followed before Ford took vocal duties on his self-titled track “The Vulture” released with Marc Ford & The Neptune Blues Club. The audience was responsive all night and this song really exceeded their expectations. Robinson sang a cover of the Echo & The Bunnymen classic “The Killing Moon”, making for a totally unexpected but totally sublime moment.
I was now officially blown away by their version of Crosby, Stills and Nash’s “You Don’t Have To Cry” vocals, harmonies and musicianship that showcased how Robinson, Ford and Hogg are at the top of their craft. Robinson performed “I Remember” from his solo album The Ceaseless Sight before four tracks off the new album, one being “For The Wind”, a Robinson/Hogg composition that has all the ingredients to be a regular part of their set. The night ended with three tracks from the Black Crowes catalogue that Robinson loves to go back to – “Bad Luck Blues Eyes Goodbye”, “Cold Boy Smile” and “Wiser Time”. These musicians have a lot of history together, and it’s refreshing to see them riding a wave of something real and open-hearted that we can reach out to in these troubled times.
