Review: Magic Sword @ Brighton Music Hall 4/27

Photo Credit: Derek Jones

Review by Logan Breen

Upon entering Brighton Music Hall, something at the merch table caught my eye: Magic Sword was selling actual “magic swords” in the form of light-up toy laser swords, which ended up playing a key role in their performance. This is somewhat of a microcosm for my experience with the band later that night: they emulate gimmicky theatrical fun with the genuine musical chops to back it up. The show itself was kind of a strange assortment of acts. Mega Ran, Starbenders, and Magic Sword seemed to have little in common, besides maybe a general “retro” aesthetic. But I like a varied show, and each performance brought something fun to the table.

Mega Ran took the stage first. A self-proclaimed “nerd rapper,” he raps about topics that, as he put it, are not typically rapped about. This includes pro wrestling, video games, and a variety of children’s music. While songs like “The Library Jawn” and “Gimme The Fruit,” initially threw me off, his infectious joy won me over. He was all about audience involvement, calling on us to sing along to the choruses and telling us various anecdotes from his life and career, such as his inclusion in the video game “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.” At one point during his performance, he came into the crowd and opened up the pit. He began rapping from the middle of the floor and urging us to “Jump! Jump!”. The crowd wasn’t really matching his energy (which is a shame!), but that didn’t seem to slow him down at all. He was overflowing with energy and seemed genuinely excited to be performing. The children’s music still strikes me as an odd choice, but overall he was a joy to watch.

After him, Starbenders took the stage. They’re a four-piece glam rock band, in a similar vein as Kiss. They were dripping with 80s flair, from their outfits and hair, to their music. Vocalist Kimi Shelter added some really neat harsh vocals to the songs, embellishing certain sections of songs with something close to black metal screeching. This was super cool to hear against the lighter glam rock instrumentals and, to my knowledge, is not something that features on their studio recordings. Guitarist Kriss Tokaji was another highlight. Every solo of his was extremely impressive. They had limited audience interaction compared to Mega Ran. Nonetheless, their energy was extremely fun, as it should be for a glam band. Before their last song, Kimi Shelter asked if the audience was ready to “Magic they Sword,” which was met with a cacophony of applause and screaming.

Magic Sword entered the room as three figures cloaked in black, each wearing a different colored light-up mask. Booming narration filled the venue, explaining the lore of the band: The three cloaked figures are The Keeper of the Sword (red mask, synth), The Seer (blue mask, guitar), and The Weaver (yellow mask, drums). They are three immortals in possession of an artifact, the titular Magic Sword, and they are fulfilling an ancient prophecy to search for the “chosen one” to vanquish evil once and for all. The music itself absolutely ripped. It ranged from proggy synthwave, to heavy synth-tinged rock even bordering on thrash metal, to stuff ripped straight out of a John Wick nightclub scene. What really sold me on them, though, was their showmanship.

After a few songs, The Keeper of the Sword reached beside his synth table and picked up the Magic Sword, a glowing toy sword, which he triumphantly raised above his head like a fantasy hero. This was met with a sea of merch table lightsabers in the crowd, illuminating the entire venue in a deep blue light. It was an incredible sight to see, to be honest. I’m a sucker for a good gimmick. The Keeper did this frequently throughout the set, imploring audience members to light up their swords and raise them in the air, or wave them around to the beat. This is a testament to their incredible stage presence. They didn’t speak a word, but they had the audience in the palms of their hands. Every soaring solo gave way to thunderous applause and cheers, every rhythmic thrash-y pulse was met with a sea of headbanging. Magic Sword’s incredible performance spoke to what I love most about live music: the theatricality, the showmanship, and the hype.