Adelaide Fringe Review: The Magnets – Naked 80’s
Review – Geoff Jenke
Cappella vocal supergroup The Magnets are back in Adelaide to display their wonderful vocals, skills and sounds with us. The show is a mixed tape of 1980’s songs, after an online survey to pick people’s favourite musical decade. If there is a decade that lends itself to beatboxing, it certainly is the 80’s.
They started the show with what was probably the 80’s greatest power ballad, Whitesnake’s Here I Go Again and I was certain that the beat behind the men on stage was coming from pre-recorded tapes. Wrong, the sound was coming from the members on stage. But after such a powerful opening number, where could they go from there? Europe’s Final Countdown of course.
Not only can the boys sing and make great beat sounds, the choreography was exquisite. Each vocalist got the chance to display their talent via songs like Michael Jackson’s Dirty Diana, done with a Doo Wop flavour and Heart’s Alone, the powerful highlight of the evening.
Walk This Way (Aerosmith/Run DMC) was more Run DMC than Aerosmith, with the two singers taking on the roles of the rappers, complete with “the moves”, bowler hat and gold chains.
Beatbox Nick did a solo “beat” and then got the audience to participate, “teaching” them how to Beatbox with much laughter ensuring. With so many great 1980’s songs, a medley was required to fit in Duran Duran, Bowie, Proclaimers, B52’s and many more and had the audience dancing in the aisles.
The final song was one of Australia’s biggest 80’s song done to perfection. Which song? Go see the show to find out. Of course, there is an encore and as they explained “You cannot have an 80’s show without a Prince number”. The stage lights went purple and Purple Rain ensured a great ending to the show.
A very clever and entertaining evening of songs from everyone’s favourite musical decade.
Wonderland Spiegel tent – Gluttony – On Until March 17.
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