It was quite exciting, I've heard so much about them, from Ken of course (didn't know he was such a Magnets fan). It was with much anticipation that I stepped into Victoria Theatre. Must say I haven't been there for a while!

The start to the concert was rather interesting. They played a recorded message explaining what a cappella was and how they, The Magnets preferred to call themselves a "Vocals and Beats" group. I guess one will understand that when they hear The Magnets.

Extremely well rehearsed, the Magnets (Nic, James, Mike, Colin, Steve and Andy) were really fun to watch and extremely entertaining.

There is something to be said about percussionists. They are really the show-stoppers. Andy Frost did a drum-solo, made a great deal out of "tuning" the drum-set. I must say it was EXTREMELY good. Of course, kudos to the sound engineers, their timing was excellent as well.

Song selection included covers like Zombie Jamboree and a classic from the Jackson Five as well as some originals. For me, James was an incredibly smooth soloist and Steve very suited to the more "pop-ish" music. It was also very refreshing to hear the Bass - Colin take a solo as well.

A cappella as Gene would say is not really a genre of music. It is a method of delivery. This delivery is very much dependent on the group and essentially, like how a song writer would have certain "overlaps" in their music, the performance of covers or originals will bear the group's "mark".

As an a cappella singer, I think that is always important to have at the back of your mind. The audience listening on will possibly after a while become "tuned" to the sounds of the group. This can make a song or a concert become stagnant. It then falls on the percussionist to make variations to the sounds in terms of tempo modulations, complexity of rhythms or to even change the rhythm sequence within a song.

The Magnets I noticed were extremely good at manipulating the audience's emotions through rhythmic changes. Many of their songs used a variety of percussion sounds from heavy bassed laden kicks to simple high-hats. They also ensured segments where the beats drop off only to come in again later in the music. It is worthwhile to note that percussions really move the music.

I would say at this point that percussionists always have the most attention. Yes, Frost was completely swamped by the crowd when the Magnets emerged for autographs. And yes, there were a lot of screaming girls *grin*

If you have not caught The Magnets, you should. They have a great sense of humour and have very nicely choreographed sequences. I must say, Better than Westlife!

I'd definitely recommend catching them if they ever come to Singapore again. Well done Guys!

visit The Magnets at www.themagnets.com

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