The Magnets singer on touring with Tom Jones

The Magnets on stage (James Fortune far left). Foto: tob

By Thomas Hochwarter

A cappella stars to perform in Vienna.
James Fortune on life on the road and Austrian audiences.

Vienna. Austrian live mu- sic enthusiasts are bracing themselves for an a cap- pella extravaganza as The Magnets get ready to rock the house.

The international six- piece will perform at the Metropol in Vienna tomor- row (Sunday) as part of this year’s "Voicemania” festival which brings a cappella musicians from across the world to the capital.

News on Austria spoke to Magnets member James Fortune about the potential highlights of their show, being on the road with Tom Jones and the true reason why the band was founded.

Fortune revealed it did not seem to be his destiny to become a member of the a cappella group which has been praised for being "slick and entertaining top-class vocalists with talent in abundance” by the music press.

James Fortune said The Magnets – founded by him with two friends at univer- sity in 1994 "when we were young and more beautiful” – were formed in a bid to date girls.

"It worked out quite well,” he said, laughing, be- fore adding: "The reactions to our shows were great too, so we held auditions for two more members."

The Magnets went on to create a fan base all over Europe by touring the conti- nent extensively. Fortune said especially Austrian and Swiss crowds were very open and responsive. But he also admitted the band had their ups and downs along the way.

"Early into our career, we were signed by a record company. They tried to turn us into the a cappella rivals of the chart-topping boy bands. A low point came when students at a school we performed at sprayed us with fire extinguishers be- cause they thought our songs were rubbish – they were right,” Fortune said.

But things turned out well eventually for the band who say they love being on the road for most of the year. A recent highlight was being asked to support legendary crooner Tom Jones. "Being on tour with Tom Jones was great,” the 35-year-old said.

"Some of his fans were a bit hard to impress since everyone seems slightly suspicious when they don’t know you from TV.”

But in the end The Mag- nets managed to entertain the singer’s fans, while enjoying life on the road with the "Tiger” as much as being on stage.

"I remember drinking ve- ry expensive whiskey with him (Jones) when a band member celebrated his birthday,” Fortune said, stressing that the Welsh star was "incredibly funny.”

Fortune is nothing less than open when it comes to revealing some of the more embarrassing moments life on the road brings.

"We had several power cuts during shows over the years. I always thought maybe God was trying to tell us something,” he said, laughing.

Speaking about what fans can expect from their performance, Fortune said: "I can promise an evening of songs people know and love performed in a very different, interesting and funny way. I can guarantee we will have everyone in the crowd up on their feet and dancing at the end of the show.”

Fortune said he and his fellow band members could not wait to hit the stage tomorrow night.

"We are getting older and being on the road has become a messy business. I hope the Austrian fans can cheer us up,” he said, laughing.

Printausgabe vom 27.11.2009