Collecting all things glittering and strange, Mr Magpie turns them into skewed and colourful pop gewgaws. The four-piece band, led by songwriters Matt Alexander and L. A. Foster (Curlicues), create a unique brand of moon-spangled jangle music melding Beatlesque pop, twelve-string guitars and ‘60s psychedelia with the attitude and literate lyrics of 80s indie.
Mr Magpie seek musical adventures off the beaten track, playing gigs everywhere from forests and gardens to sheds and off-grid, abandoned churches. In 2019 they toured the North of England on bicycles, towing their guitars behind them, gigging and busking along the way. The tour inspired the songs and artwork for their firs album, ‘The Magical World of Mr Magpie’, released in late 2019.
After a hiatus, the band reconvened in 2023 with added members Daniel Wildey (bass and backing vocals) and Rob Kenning (drums and backing vocals). Debuting their newly electrified sound at Liverpool’s Cavern Club, the new line-up is now recording a sophomore album. A new single will drop in late summer, followed by a tour. Phase two of Mr Magpie is just beginning…
Reviews for ‘The Magical World of Mr Magpie’:
“ **** A vibrant collection, melodic counterpoints and acoustic 12-string drone allied to oblique and charming poeticism” – SHINDIG! magazine
“ Mixes folk leanings with all manner of jangly pysch-pop shivers. A lovely album with a definitive old school charm” – JANGLEPOPHUB
