Magic Shoppe
The Holloway, Norwich
twenty first Oct 2025
picture : Simon Wharton
Forex is greater than that which is asserted Fiat. There’s a mandatory belief which makes the tender acceptable. It appears to me that there is no such thing as a better badge of belief in music than the “Robb”. For causes that develop into obvious later, Magic Shoppe are doing few dates within the UK on their newest European tour and, criminally, none within the psyche hotbed that’s the North West. No Liverpool, no Manchester. So after all I’ve to take a step again a few centuries to journey cross nation on our fucking archaic practice system. Clearly with time to kill I maintain myself busy with some shit or different and for some cause that escapes me I find yourself message our Lord and Grasp, John Robb who within the alternate I inform that I’m off to see the band as above. “Say hello from me,” he says, “I performed with them in Boston years in the past”. In fact I’ll.
I get to Norwich, which can be mid Wild Paths competition although this gig is nothing to do with it the place I meet up with the Intercourse Hagrid that’s Oz, a really, very old style good friend who was the blissful dude of the depressing lot of our time within the Midlands. We eat, we drink, we go to the gig. It’s within the cellar of a fucking bookshop.
The Holloway is the cool as fuck bookshop you simply wish to go and chill in, which is precisely because it was conceived. Owned and run, I feel, by an enthralling chap known as Simon. He smiles lots and appears totally thrilled to have the ability to do no matter it he does. He does the bookshop as a result of he ought to and he can. Meant to return and get the biography by thingy from Spacemen Three. He tells me a incredible consuming rock n roll story about it. Will Carruthers. Go in and ask him about it and purchase one thing. A part of what he does is run a venue within the cellar, once more as a result of he ought to and he can. It’s totally fucking tiny. His eyes gentle up when he talks about. I hope he has an inheritance or one thing as a result of I don’t see how he could make sufficient cash to make this work however it’s merely joyful. I discuss the bollocks off him and scout the cellar. The sound man down there’s a chap known as Alfie who it appears us the drummer from Different Half who it seems are headlining one other venue the next evening. They have been ace. Dischord sort put up hardcore.
Which brings me again to foreign money and the speed of alternate. On the way in which again up the steps from the cellar I cross paths with Josiah, which IS Magic Shoppe in all respects. “Uh, you won’t bear in mind however you probably did a gig with a man known as John Robb a while in the past, I feel in Boston and he says hello”. His eyes gentle up in overwhelming pleasure advert real utter delight. Flustered nearly to a passionate tizzy, it seems he very a lot does bear in mind John and I’m given a fucking huge hug with strict directions to go it on to the Vegan Meat Mountain himself on the earliest alternative. It shall be carried out. As I write, I’m in Albania and I feel he’s in Dusseldorf however Manchester is our hub. Will probably be quickly sufficient.
To Magic Shoppe. There isn’t a stage. Our toes are nearly inches aside. Some gigs are private, different intimate, this nearly a mild attain round. Josiah weaves songs that attain deep into your id supplying you with little selection in regards to the journey you’re happening. Some music accompanies hallucinogenics, some others are the journey. That is the factor the Yanks achieve this effectively. There’s a vocal lilt that lends itself so effectively to the dream within the dream pop, the thousand yard stare within the shoe gaze. It’s drifting Americana laden with tales of basements and drums and spliff and time to kill making a World to flee to.
Cool as fuck. A band of employed (and totally beautiful) arms who do this casually horny cool. The informal not that informal hair; the killer lower of leather-based. Rattling, the simple panache. Delighted I haven’t introduced the spouse so my fragile ego isn’t bruised by different alternatives for her gaze. They usually perceive the enjoyment of sturdy tea. Positively feeling threatened. And but right here’s me barely tumescent Josiahs arrange. A Fender Jazz Grasp with the whammy bar in play however such a guttural fuzz layered in delay. Ooff.
It’s an appropriately transcendental setlist; groove locked in and elevating. They’ve acquired such a wealthy historical past of songs you would like you’d written so that you’re gutted that that specific music isn’t performed. Wither “Redhead”? And but “Whore”, “Excessive Goodbye”, “A Star Turns Blue”, “Patty Hearse”, “Stars Explode”. Man, that’s good. I might lean ahead just a bit and kiss Josiah on the cheek and I’m barely disenchanted I didn’t. “Journey Inside This Home” I hear you ask. In fact it’s the blissed out epic encore. Magnificent.
Everybody hangs out afterward. The band are beautiful. The viewers are beautiful. The whole lot is gorgeous. Pretty is the correct factor for this journey.
I’ll seen John quickly and provides him that hug, perhaps with just a bit grind in there.
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