Sunday 13th of June saw The Magic Lantern performing their penultimate gig of their Shine A Light On Tour at Oxford’s club The Cellar. The gig was hosted by Oxford’s long running night the Sunday Roast. This meant that free cake, tea and craft workshops promised to add innocent delights to the enjoyment of one of my favourite new bands. However the friendly atmosphere unfortunately enticed irritating conversation from the audience and this combined with the usual nonchalance of the sound man did not create the inviting atmosphere i had hoped oxford would provide. Nonetheless the band played through and illuminated the space with their magic.

Despite the disinterest of part of the audience at the show, those who stopped to listen seemed entirely captivated, and this is one of the great skills of the band. I first came across them at Secret Garden Party last year when a few of the members played an impromptu gig to a miniature audience at 6am in one of the few tents still releasing sounds. Despite my inebriated state, searching for early morning scraps of a party, I and my companions were instantly transfixed by their sound.

The Magic Lantern fuse delicate folk flickerings with the depth a richness of a jazz timbre. Their open sound is extremely accessible, but in no way due to the following of common formulae. They are a five piece band who opt for a percussionist rather than drummer and feature a cellist and clarinet player. Their sounds combine to provide a refreshingly deep and mysterious atmosphere, full of imagery even before lead vocalist Jamie Doe has decorated the songs with his powerful lyrics.

Jamie has a voice which instantly invites you to listen due to its honest clarity. Not over-polished, but perfectly pitched, soft and full, Jamie’s voice is the perfect accompaniment to his poignant lyrics, musing about common emotions, and tackling subjects such as environmental change without falling into the trap of explicit deliberacy.

Despite the intricacy of The Magic Lanterns arrangements (and the issues with sound and audience attention!) the band still delivered a tight performance full of power and maturity.

Below is my favourite song of the moment, Somebody Told Me, off The Magic Lantern‘s forthcoming album Shine A Light On. Stay tuned for a full review, but for now enjoy!