The Magick Heads One Out of the Hat

Rip It Up, Issue 213, 1 May 1995, Page 11

The Magick Heads One Out of the Hat

For Robert Scott of the Clean and the Bats, the records just keep coming — a Silverbeet here, a Modern Rock there, and now a brand new platter called Before We Go Under, made with the obviously Dunedinbased Magick Heads. The original Magick Heads core cast, that featured Davids Saunders and Mitchell of the 3Ds, first formed in late 91, when Scott and Saunders spotted singer Jane Sinnott fronting a local covers band.

“She came off stage and we said: ‘Do you want to be in a band?’ That's basically how we started. We formed because Jane has a really good voice and we wanted to provide a vehicle for it.”

A single, ‘Back Of Her Hand’, was released soon after, then Mitchell and Saunders waved goodbye when the 3Ds recording and touring commitments proved a clash of interests. Scott found himself in the same position with the Bats, so the Magick Heads have kept their collective heads down until now. Before We Go Under was recorded at Fish Street Studio, and is heavily painted with Scott’s trademark brand of catchy, charming pop; but this time it’s given a more enchanting feel, made possible by Sinnott’s dreamy vocals. Mind you, to the untrained ear, it can be hard to separate the Bat from the Head. "It is a very fine line obviously, the fact that I do the writing for those bands, but there’s just

something in the brain that makes me know if a song would be better for Jane to sing, whereas there might-be other songs that would receive good Bats treatment. I can see how people would say the songs are interchangeable, but it's all about how you approach them.” One major striking factor of the new record is its cover, a beautiful photograph of two yelloweyed penguins touching wings. Inside, the band have included an address for donations to help the endangered species. Nun bands don't have a much of a track record of pushing a cause do they?

“Yeah, it’s very radical isn't it? I’m probably one of the last people that people would expect to do that. I'm very wary of politicking and flag waving by bands like Midnight Oil, but with the Magick Heads it’s a bit more subtle and a bit more accidental in a way.” Scott will be back on the road this month, as the Magick Heads take to the cities and provinces to spread the word. He returns to Dunedin in June to begin making a new Bats album, and to oversee the completion of the next Clean record. Despite such a prolific output, he hasn't lost the thrill of seeing a new release in his hand.

"Luckily I do get excited. I think if I didn’t it would be time to stop. If you put a lot of effort into a recording, which you do, then it came out and you weren’t excited, then it’s time to not be doing it any more. Yeah, luckily I do.”

JOHN RUSSELL