British indie rock band The Magic Es are back with their brand new single ‘Nothing In Your Way’. The latest single from the trio comes after the mass critical success of their debut album ‘It Goes On‘ which dropped last year.
Here we speak exclusively to the Magic Es about their new music, tour plans, and more;
So,your new single ‘Nothing In Your Way’ is out now – can you talk us through the inspiration behind the track?
Pete wrote it about a friend of his several years ago; they were going through some tough times and he thought they could do with some words of encouragement. Being a songwriter it came easier to put that into a song. he recorded, at the time, a demo version but did nothing more with it. After a couple of years it was re-discovered and the band started jamming the riff at rehearsal. It didn’t take long, a few hours, for it to be transformed into the version that is today. We started adding it to our live set, it’s a little slower than most of our songs so we only tended to play it when we had longer sets. It went down well with the audiences and then the recording came out really well so we thought it would make a good ‘comeback’ single; although we’ve never really been away!
What do you hope listeners take from the single?
From the tune and lyrics – that you can be whoever you want to be, go wherever you want to go and achieve whatever you want to be. We all know the limitations that we, the media and in some circumstances friends, family and work colleagues place on us but you are in control of your own destiny…once you realise you have that control! From the Magic Es – That we have a softer side! There is plenty of emotion within all of our tracks but this sees a gentler side to our music. I think it shows the breadth and diversity of music that we can produce but all with that recognisable ‘Magic Es’ sound.
You’ve also released the video for the track, how much fun did you have filming that?
Lots of fun! We spent the day in an art studio and were fuelled with Noodles and coffee! Tom Rout directed and produced the film and he knew exactly what he wanted to get from us so he was a pleasure to work with. We filmed independently so each had to put up with each other pulling faces behind the camera as we worked our most moody looks!
What was the initial inspiration for the video concept?
Stu came up with the original idea of someone walking through our hometown (Norwich), passing some of the ancient buildings and finally ending up on a hill overlooking the town, giving a sense of breaking free from the constraints of daily ties. Filming practicalities meant that the actress shots moved to Ipswich (sorry Norwich!) and the focus of the film became on the individual finding some old technology (tape recorder) to be able to hear our words of wisdom, change her outlook and break down those mental barriers. It’s interspersed with shots of us playing and we think it really works as a concept. Thanks again to Tom Rout!
Can we expect an album from you this year?
We won’t be releasing an album in the traditional sense this year; there’ll be 3 singles and videos along with a special, limited edition CD – The Wishing Well EP – that we’ll be selling at gigs only. It contains bonus tracks; alternative versions of songs and some tracks that haven’t been on physical formats before; 9 songs in total. We recently did a live session for BBC radio, we may end up releasing that as a live EP later in the year.
So you have touring plans lined up?
Yes, our UK tour kicks off on the 23rd May at the New Cross Inn, London and we go to The Exchange, Keighley (24th May), The Lincoln Imp, Scunthorpe (25th May), The Shed, Leicester (26th May), The Cave & The Holly Tree, Addlestone (31st May), The Rock Avenue, Gillingham (1st June), Old Town House, Warrington (2nd June), Trillians Rock Bar, Newcastle (3rd June) and finished with a hometown gig at The Waterfront Studio, Norwich (29th June). We’re really excited to be doing our first tour, sharing our music with new audiences and our stage with lots of local bands.
How do you feel your sound has evolved since the release of your debut album last year?
One of our biggest friends and followers recently said they felt that we’re hitting our ‘musical stride’. Our sound has changed but we still keep the indie/Britpop/rock roots that brought us together. We became a three-piece in the last 6 months and feel that our sound has grown in the last year. We’re tighter than ever and are proud of our indie hooks – definitely tunes to dance and sing-along to .
What are your musical goals for this year?
Complete tour. Grow audiences. Grow our Spotify and social media following. Sell tunes. Play gigs. Have fun.
Make sure you follow The Magic Es on Twitter @wearemagicuk to keep up to date with all their latest music and tour news!
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