For this tour, they’ve taken the unconventional step of having a magician open for them every evening. So without further ado, meet Ben Taylor aka The Magic Mod. Hailing from the town of Crawley in Sussex, just a short drive away from Brighton. Taylor has already opened for acts such as The Libertines and Paul Weller so this tour hasn’t proved as daunting as many might expect. Indeed here, he has the audience in the palm of his hands within minutes. Charming, funny and actually a solid gold cardsmith. Interacting with and encouraging participation from the crowd, he invites a girl on stage called Lola to assist him perform a card trick that looks as painful to execute as the end result is beguiling. Nevertheless, the rapturous applause he receives at the end coupled with shouts of “We want more!” suggests he’ll be back, possibly as a headline act in the not too distant future.

CREDIT: DOM GOURLAY (WWW.UNDERTHERADARMAG.COM)