2011 is certainly looking to be a fantastic year for Mike Marlin. Having kicked it off in style after being chosen for HMVs Next Big Thing then supporting both The Stranglers and Big Country on tour the Marlin deck looks set to keep turning up aces with latest single offering The Magician. Taken from no less than his second album this year, ‘Man on The Ground’, Mike explains the inspiration behind the song. ‘‘We know that magic is an illusion created by skill and trickery, but we agree to believe and applaud when the magician deceives us. The contract is unspoken but simple: "Lie to me, but don't let me down”. The song is about the unspoken agreements in all relationships, or at least in the ones that work.”

An invite to the single launch party was soon snapped up at Mudkiss HQ. The venue, Hoxton Hall, in London’s trendy Shoreditch. The welcome was warm and friendly and we moseyed on in to catch a backcombed magician warming up the crowd with the threat of an impaled hand. Luckily he was skilled enough to avoid such bloodshed. We wandered to the temporary bar and took a seat before the thunderous intro to The Magician summoned us back on a drum roll to the main hall with some urgency.

It was certainly a very big sound for a small venue. The last time I remember my hair vibrating to the bass was The Clash back in ’78 but I guess that isn’t too bad a comparison. Magicians now vanished I peered through the nicely crowded hall to catch a glimpse of a large backdrop….ah, those trademark spectacles and beard. Weaving through the crowd I finally got to see the man himself, black suit, hair unkempt, mic in hand. The warmth of the evening extended through the set as Mike shared his humour and clever, heartfelt lyrics to honest, classic melodies reminiscent of early Bowie and Lou Reed to more recent shades of Elbow with a dash of 80s nostalgia thrown in with tracks such as ‘This Town’. Finally enchanting us with the no holds barred  emotional punch of ‘Give It All’ I left feeling as if I had been privy to the highs and lows of Mike’s life in a engaging and intimate evening which made for a thoroughly enjoyable time, a perfect hand. The single is available now.