A SACRED HOUR IN THE KINGDOM OF MADNESS – AN INTERVIEW WITH MARK STANWAY
- Posted on 18-06-2025
In what has become a tradition of sorts, this scribe caught up with renowned keyboard player Mark Stanway who is primarily known for his magnificent work with such legendary acts as Magnum and Grand Slam. Since 2018 he has been occupied with a fabulous musical outfit known as Kingdom of Madness, and this talented ensemble performs classic Magnum material with a sense of class and style that is absolutely unbelievable. Stanway and I have spoken numerous times in the past and it is always a pleasure to catch up and learn more about his inspired work both past and present. As more than two years had passed since our last conversation, it was great to once again chat and discuss all things Kingdom of Madness. Make sure you catch one of their shows in 2025 if given the chance.
Hi Mark, how are you doing? It’s really good to talk to you again. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? The last time we spoke was shortly after your phenomenal performance at the WinterStorm festival in 2022. That was my first time seeing Kingdom of Madness live on stage and it was a real treat. How did you find the festival in Troon, and did you guys have a good time while there? I was thrilled to see that you will be back for this year’s edition of said festival.
Mark: Hi Jens, I’m well thank you and yes, it’s been a while since we last spoke. We all found the festival in Troon most enjoyable and very well organized, and it was great to be back in Scotland again, as Scottish audiences are amongst the best I have ever played to. Thinking all the way back to when we (Magnum) would play Barrowloads every year and the memories of the unbelievable reception the Scottish fans gave us sticks firmly in my memory to this day. Needless to say, we are all looking forward to playing WinterStorm once again and with a different selection of songs from the early Jet years (1978) right up to when Magnum split up in 1995 etc.
One of the many things I find interesting about KoM is that you have core members of the group who have been firmly in place since day one but at the same time the line-up has been a revolving one and some fine and noteworthy musicians have passed through the ranks over the years. Each line-up is obviously unique, and it makes for an interesting band history. Whenever one brings in a new member, does it feel inspiring, refreshing, or perhaps invigorating somehow? I can imagine that it changes the dynamic within the group and not necessarily in a negative way. Great players who all bring something different to the table, right?
Mark: Yes, the core members are: Micky Barker on drums (who played on six Magnum studio albums and numerous live releases, and in my opinion the best drummer Magnum ever had), Richard Bailey on keyboards (who played on the very first two Magnum studio albums and Marauder – Magnum’s first ever live release – and again on many compilation albums) on guitar, flute and vocals. Richard of course was Magnum’s original keyboard player and Mo Birch our other main vocalist who supplied backing vocals on the likes of Storyteller’s Night, namely on the track “Les Morts Dansant” and “Rock Art” as well as touring with Magnum live and also appearing on Magnum’s Live DVD recorded at Birmingham Town Hall back in 1992. Oh! and me of course (lol) some thirty-six years with Magnum from 1980 to 2016, eighteen studio albums and over forty-five various compilations and live releases. So, all in all, KoM collectively boast more than fifty years spent with Magnum! Alan Bell on guitar took over at very short notice when Laurence Archer left us in the lurch without warning! Alan has been with us ever since that happened and to his credit has taken on Tony Clarkin’s guitar parts very well indeed, which is no easy task for any guitarist. We also still have Brian Badhams on bass guitar and vocals who I was actually in my very first band with back in the 70’s called Rainmaker, giving KoM at last and once again a rhythm section that compares to the classic Magnum line-up of Micky Barker and Wally Lowe, something I personally missed ever since. Which leaves our latest member, Chris Dando on vocals who has slotted into the band like he had always been there. We knew of Chris (being a local singer) and he is also a Birmingham musician, so just like the original Magnum all KoM members are Brummies.
Speaking of line- up changes, I see that things have changed slightly since I last saw you in that Chris Dando (vocals) has joined the ranks. How and where did you meet and what were the first few rehearsals with the new line-up like?
Mark: Chris (as mentioned above) replaced Mark Pascall on vocals for no other reason than Mark lives almost abroad. Well, in Devon, which is as far away as abroad. Mark has a great voice, but the logistics were too much to handle when it came to the likes of rehearsals for example, which are all done in the Midlands, so sadly we couldn’t continue with Mark, and it was sad to have to let him go. When Chris came to our rehearsal studio for the first time, we were a little sceptical with such big shoes to fill, but he convinced us before we had finished the first song that he was perfect and more than capable of being KoM’s front man, and thankfully a consummate professional.
Do you still enjoy playing live these days and is it as exciting and thrilling as ever, and how do you guys feel about traveling in general?
Mark: Travelling is a pain for anyone I believe, unless you are going on holiday of course, but travelling is par for the course, so we make the most of it because playing a live show overcomes the effort of getting there instantly. We are always thrilled to play live being the essence of why we continue to do it.
Keeping those superbly crafted compositions of Magnum alive and visible out there is obviously important to you, but it also means that many of us who never experienced Magnum in its heyday now have the opportunity to hear the songs in a live setting by musicians who were actually a part of Magnum and the many tours and LPs and so on. In a sense, you are introducing this music to new generations also. What is your take on this, and do you intend to keep KoM going for years to come?
Mark: I want to keep playing live as long as I can as this is all I have ever known since a young age. Playing the Magnum songs like we do is special and whilst we don’t on purpose try to emulate the likes of Bob’s voice like a tribute band would, I am insistent that we are in every way musically possible to remain faithful to the songs both lyrically and instrumentally without using tricks like backing tapes and sequencers etc., which I personally think is cheating! Three of us in the band are playing parts that we all individually came up with originally, so I guess we are a tribute to ourselves and the songs of Tony Clarkin which we all helped to create and craft in the first place.
I have been meaning to ask you what your own favorite album by Magnum is and if there were one or two tours in particular that really stood out to you that fill you with a sense of warmth and nostalgia whenever you think about them nowadays?
Mark: Impossible to pick out one album from the eighteen or nineteen I played on, but each album carries a memory for different reasons. Obviously Chase the Dragon was immensely important for me being my first album recording with Magnum, Storyteller’s Night also a great album and a milestone for Magnum (seriously helped of course by (the sadly late) Kit Wolven’s production) and actually my first Gold Album (not that I was ever got given one!). Vigilante was also special what with Roger Taylor at the helm of that album and being stuck in a beautiful part of Switzerland in Queen’s own studio for nearly three months was delightful. I think my happiest album and recording memory was Rock Art, which was probably the last album which felt like a total band effort where we all had major input in the arrangements, our personal music parts and the sound production. After this album Tony sadly in my opinion starting using computers/Pro Tools at home, so a lot of our collective artistic input was taken away from us, so Rock Art is one of my favourites along with Keeping the Night Light Burning, which was from the same era and therefore satisfying as a band to record.
What songs in particular are you extra fond of playing live and why? My personal highlight from a fan’s perspective that night in Scotland was “On a Storyteller’s Night.”
Mark: Yes, “Storyteller’s Night”’” is a magical song and masterpiece both musically and of course lyrically and as a matter of interest Mo Birch sang additional vocals on this album, so I think it’s fitting that she sings the lead vocal live with KoM as well as “Les Morts Dansant”.
Going back to what I said about the gig in Scotland in 2022 being incredibly rewarding and memorable, have you given some thought to the idea of releasing a full KoM concert on physical media or even just as pro shot footage on YouTube?
Mark: I really don’t see the point of recording any Magnum material for a CD release as the original versions I feel are sacred. There is as you say plenty of footage of us playing on loads of YouTube clips and Kom’s show reel but only have the one song video with Chris Dando on vocals (you can find that easily on my YouTube channel, youtube.com/markstanway, along with plenty of rare and other interesting clips and also on Kom’s website, www.kingdomofmadness.co.uk).
When at home, do you still get that urge to compose and record music of your own?
Mark: Yes, always playing whenever time permits and have written the music for several songs over the years with varied styles.
What bands and artists were you into when you were a teenager and who informed and impacted your own playing?
Mark: Initially from the age of around fourteen I listened a lot to the likes of John Mayall as I could copy his bluesy piano style more for the fun of it at that time. Then I was influenced immensely by Focus and Camel (whom I was actually approached to join many years back), and by the time I was eighteen or nineteen I got well into jazz rock, and the 1973 album by Billy Cobham called Spectrum actually became the reason I wanted to start playing in a band – that album changed my life musically!
As you know, I am a huge fan of the Grand Slam material that you wrote with Laurence and Philip Lynott back in 1984. It seems to me that more and more people have discovered just how strong that material truly is these past few years, almost as if there has been a quiet renaissance with respect to that. That must be quite satisfying for you to see and experience.
Mark: Yes, it was, and I actually started writing with Phil and John Sykes for the idea of a new band that later became and was called Grand Slam. After John Sykes left to join Whitesnake, I introduced Laurence to Phil, and we all started writing together for the newly christened Grand Slam.
Did you by any chance listen to the recently released Acoustic Sessions by Thin Lizzy? If so, how did you find it? Phil’s voice was magnificent and incredibly warm, passionate, and almost soothing to listen to back in the early 70s, I find.
Mark: I loved Phil’s voice, and his timing and phrasing of lyrics was second to none. I like what I heard from that album so far.
What have your personal highlights with respect to KoM been? Any particular gigs or happenings that stand out to you for one or more reasons?
Mark: I guess the last time we played my hometown of Wolverhampton in 2024 at KK’s Steel Mill was one of the most special and was so surprised at the amount of people that came to see us.
You have collaborated with many talented and renowned musicians over the years, but which one(s) did you learn the most from?
Mark: That’s a very difficult one to answer as I think subconsciously one learns from playing different styles with different artists all the time. One of my proudest moments was playing keyboards for Manfred Mann’s Earth Band filling in for Manfred who couldn’t do one particular show in Germany with Toto. Obviously immensely proud to have worked with the legendary Mr. Plant and super thrilled to be guest soloist with the Sweden Rock Symphony Orchestra – an unbelievable experience and honour!
What’s on your to-do list that you haven’t ticked off yet?
Mark: There are many things I would still like to do but a personally important one is that I would love to one day rekindle my long-standing friendship with Bob Catley (especially as none of us are getting any younger).
What does 2025 hold for the band?
Mark: As much live work as we are possibly able to do.
Before I forget, I am curious as to which bands and records you have been listening to these past few months?
Mark: Again, so many different things but one constant is anything by Jeff Beck and Stevie Wonder.
How has music helped you deal with difficult times?
Mark: Ha, it’s been the cause of difficult times! But I understand what you are asking and yes, music is a divine gift and can therefore always have the ability and power to lift one out of the doldrums.
Thanks once again for this, Mark. It’s much appreciated.
Mark: Thank you, Jens, a pleasure as always.