The post-punk era was a high-water mark in music, and bands like Magazine, Pere Ubu, PiL and Monochrome Set remain even cooler for never having achieved the widespread popular recognition that has been poured onto important "movements" in music, before or since. With Magazine, there's still this joy of discovery to be had. And what makes them simply one of the greatest rock bands of all time is that Howard Devoto's psychosexual angst has a humour and poetry that transcends that of any other lyricist in rock's darker streams(Besides Alan Vega) - take a few lines from the the track Permafrost "I will drug you and fuck you on the permafrost" - fucking excellent.
While Magazine's music still seems timeless, chunky riffs built around scratchy guitars, swirling keyboards and a solid backbeat. Devoto, McGeoch, Formula, Adamson... their Secondhand Daylight is music that is extremely dark and yet strangely uplifting.
and the good news is they reformed last year minus John McGeoch who died in 2004. At the moment it looks like a pretty small tour so far, dates in London's Forum, Benicassim and Electric Picnic have all been confirmed.
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