The Magnificents were a Scottish electro rock band.

Biography

The group formed while its members attended the

Edinburgh College of Art Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) is one of eleven schools in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Tracing its history back to 1760, it provides higher education in art and design, architecture, histor ...

. After playing a supposed one-off gig of Northern Soul covers for a friend's birthday party they began to write their own material and settled into a lineup of Tommy Stuart (

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

synths A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...

), Steven McGregor (synths/vocals), Drew McFadyen (

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

/vocals) and Casey Miller (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

). Incorporating elements of

Krautrock Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments ...

, electro and

noise music Noise music is a genre of music that is characterised by the expressive use of noise within a musical context. This type of music tends to challenge the distinction that is made in conventional musical practices between musical and non-musical ...

they combine vintage

analogue synthesizer An analog (or analogue) synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog signals to generate sound electronically. The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s, such as the Trautonium, were built with a variety of ...

s with distorted guitar and the aggression of

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

creating a sound described by the

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

as, "a wonder to behold...

synth-punk Electronic rock is a music genre that involves a combination of rock music and electronic music, featuring instruments typically found within both genres. It originates from the late 1960s, when rock bands began incorporating electronic instrum ...

sass ''in excelsis''; a tangle of

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

and hysterical sloganeering that sounds, precisely, like Nobody Else Ever". They soon gained a reputation as both a riotously exciting and volatile live act. They recorded their first EP ''Kids Now'' at their own M-Bunker studio which was released on German label Erkrankung Durch Musique in 2001. This led to the group's first tour overseas visiting

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and a series of supports with established alternative bands visiting Scotland such as

Stereolab Stereolab are an Anglo- French avant-pop band formed in London in 1990. Led by the songwriting team of Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, the group's music combines influences from krautrock, lounge and 1960s pop music, often incorporating a repetit ...

Broadcast Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began ...

Trans Am Trans Am may refer to: * Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, an automobile model * Trans Am (band), an American post-rock band ** ''Trans Am'' (album), their 1996 debut album *** ''Trans Am'' (1996 song), their eponymous song from the eponymous album, see ...

and Enon. After the release of 2003's more

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

based ''4 Claws Of The Underground EP'' on Scandinavia Records, the band recorded their self titled debut album. Now recording for KFM Records the sessions took place at The Diving Bell Lounge Studio in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. Released in early 2004, the album was generally well received and gained airplay from the likes of

Vic Galloway Michael "Vic" Galloway (born 4 August 1972) is a DJ on BBC Radio Scotland. Galloway presents a self-titled show on Radio Scotland every Monday from 9pm to 11pm and also the BBC Introducing Scotland Thursday evenings/Friday mornings from 11pm to ...

Stuart Maconie Stuart Maconie (born 13 August 1961) is an English radio DJ and television presenter, writer, journalist, and critic working in the field of pop music and popular culture. He is currently a presenter on BBC Radio 6 Music where, alongside Mark ...

and the late

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

. That same year the band were invited to

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

to play at the

SXSW Music Festival South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...

and supported

The Beta Band The Beta Band were a Scottish musical group formed in 1996. Their style was described as being "folktronica", although it was mainly a blend of folk, psychedelia, electronica, experimental rock and trip hop, often involving stylistic experimen ...

on their final UK tour. The group have also recorded various live radio sessions, including for

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

BBC Radio Scotland BBC Radio Scotland is a Scottish radio network owned and operated by BBC Scotland, a division of the BBC. It broadcasts a wide variety of programmes. It replaced the Scottish BBC Radio 4 opt-out service of the same name from 23 November 197 ...

and featured on the

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

programme Mixing It about

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

in Scotland. In 2005 the band entered Metway Studio in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

and recorded three tracks with producer Damien Taylor which would eventually be on the band's second album ''

Year Of Explorers ''Year of Explorers'' is the second studio album by the Scottish electro rock band The Magnificents. Track listing ''All tracks written by The Magnificents.'' # "Ring Ring Oo Oo" – 4:57 # "Can't Explode" – 3:11 # "Get It Boy" – 3:22 # ...

''. In 2006 they went on their most extensive tour to date, supporting fellow Scots

Mogwai Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mogw ...

on their European tour. Following this, work was completed on ''Year Of Explorers'' at

Castle of Doom Studios Castle of Doom Studios, created in 2005 by record producer Tony Doogan and Mogwai, is a recording studio in Glasgow, Scotland. Overview It has been used by such artists as Mogwai, Malcolm Middleton, The Magnificents, Belle & Sebastian, Dirty P ...

with Mogwais' John Cummings producing. The album was preceded by the ''Ring Ring EP'' in May 2007 before its August release.

Trivia

* The song "Get It Boy" appeared on the soundtrack of ''

UEFA Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of European ...

'' game. * The song "Kids Now" featured in the Cartoon Network show '' Codename: Kids Next Door'' * The band designed their own merchandise, sleeve artwork and video projections used at concerts.

Discography

*''Kids Now EP'' - 2001 *"Digital Dirt" / "The Third Claw" (7" single) - 2003 *''4 Claws Of The Underground EP'' - 2003 *'' The Magnificents'' - 2004 *"Last Gasp Of Revenge"/ "White Lies" (7" single) - 2005 *"The Apollo Creed" (Download single) - 2005 *''Ring Ring EP'' - 2007 *''

Year of Explorers ''Year of Explorers'' is the second studio album by the Scottish electro rock band The Magnificents. Track listing ''All tracks written by The Magnificents.'' # "Ring Ring Oo Oo" – 4:57 # "Can't Explode" – 3:11 # "Get It Boy" – 3:22 # ...

'' (Album) - 2007 *"Get It Boy" (Download single) - 2007

References

External links

KFM Records Site

The Magnificents MySpace

The Magnificents at Discogs

KFM Records Video Channel

Mush Records Artist Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magnificents Scottish electronic music groups Scottish rock music groups Scottish post-punk music groups Scottish experimental rock groups