MAGENTA

Magenta is an unusual colour that isn’t found in the visible spectrum of light.

- LEO TRIMMING

Instead, our minds perceive it as a mixture of red and blue, with the absence of green. In short, it’s such a peculiar hue that our brains more or less have to fill in the gaps psychologically to make it up. Similarly, Magenta are extraordinary artists who paint intricate, beautiful sonic images beyond the range of most.

Their magic is woven into tonight’s semi-acoustic gig at The 1865, which doubles as a launch show for Tarot and a celebration of their 25th anniversary.

Magenta’s outstanding guitarist, Chris Fry and his brother Dan, open with a delightful acoustic set. Diablo 21 and Parachutes, from Chris’s debut solo album Composed, sparkle with delicate virtuosity that’s beautifully balanced between the pair. Chris leads but Dan is also a very talented guitarist and, as a result, Parachutes skips along with airy lightness. The bucolic Mynedd Maen is taken from Fry’s latest solo album, In Glorious Colour. Written about a hill near where Fry lives in Wales, musically it reflects the journey up and down its peak and flows with pastoral beauty. Back To The Garden, a followup to Secret Garden from Composed, trips along exquisitely, too, with the brothers skilfully playing off each other in an intuitive conversation in strings.