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Magic Moments At Twilight Time
(c’86-’91) Mick “Magic” Lancaster (guitar / keyboards); Shona “Moments” Atkinson (vocals / spoken word); and Nik Morgan (guitar)

Lancaster started Magic Moments At Twilight Time (MMATT), which could be describe as more of a project than a band, in late ’86 early ’87; forming the name by combining the US and UK No.1’s on his birthday: The Platters’ “Twilight Time” and Perry Como’s “Magic Moments”. The “State of The Art” demo introduced us to the acts ‘psychotronic’ rock and was ready in March ’87 and available from The Rock Box, Camberley; which supported, cut free, many a local band this way.

Poster promoting MMATT “State of the Art” cassette. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic On 21 March ’87, Chris Carter played it over the PA before The Charles came on at Frimley Community Centre. It was the first time any MMATT music had ever been played in public. Shortly after MMATT secured a support slot with The Charles, on the basis of “State of The Art” opening track “Story X”, on 8 May – this gig didn’t happen however as The Charles’ manager John Pryor had not booked the venue. At the time MMATT were pretty much just husband and wife duo Lancaster and Atkinson, who did some spoken word. They roped in Nik Morgan (guitar) who was renting a room from them and found Anna Haigh (vocals), who left almost immediately to be replaced by Atkinson. Before the scheduled gig MMATT and The Charles’ vocalist Chris Carter collaborated on a 23 minute track that filled the A-side of “Mick & Chris on Acid” released in May ’87; the B’side carrying two MMATT tracks and three from The Charles. The Charles and MMATT collaboration would become known as The Grain, which was also the name of the fanzine they produced. By mid-May MMATT were a 4 piece: Magic, Moments, Jay “Time” Symons (bass) and Kate “Twilight” London (synth).

27 June ’87 gig poster. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic On 27 June ’87 MMATT eventually gigged with The Charles at Frimley Community Centre; a video of which may exist. In July, MMATT entered the studio for Earworm Records for a session, engineered and mixed by Fergus Anderson, that laid down “State of The Art” and “Zen Sequent”, to be published on a sampler cassette – which ultimately didn’t amount to much. On 26 July ’87 the band appeared at The White Hart, Frimley.
On 20 September ’87, the collaborative with the addition of Slack Bladder, Momento Mori, The Visionairies, Greed and Magic Moments, having divested ‘At Twilight Time’ to focus on experimental sound, put on the free The Grain Festival at Highland Farm, Frimley Green. Next was an Xmas Bash with Slack Bladder at Frimley Community Centre on 12 December before a trip to The Crypt, Deptford on 18 March ’88, were the band were supposed to support The Charles, but after that bands demise were on before The Pink Fairies.
In between the Frimley and Crypt gigs MMATT released “The Time Machine” in February ’88. By April ’88, Symons had quit the band, Lancaster and Atkinson’s marriage was falling apart and London decided to call it a day too. Lancaster, under the new Mick Tron monica, then established the Music & Elsewhere label, releasing the 90-minute Grain Aid cassette [MMATT 19] on 2 July. On 2 December ’88, Magic Moments, again dropping Twilight Time were at The Crypt supporting Here & Now. Somewhere in ’88, amongst all this, the group appeared at the Technical College, Farnborough.

Issue No1 of The MMATTrix, the Magic Moments at Twilight Time newsletter, from the Summer of ’91. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic Issue No1 of The MMATTrix, the Magic Moments at Twilight Time newsletter, was published in the Summer of ’91. Also released in ’91 was the live recording of the band’s 5th birthday gig, as broadcast on pirate radio station Overflow Radio, hosted by Garry Lee, as MMATT’s ‘White Hawk Atomic, Recorded Live on Alpha Nebuli IV’ CD. The MMATT for this show were; Lancaster (guitar, vocals, programming), Pete Program (synth FX) and Lulu (lead vocals).

MMaTT’s ‘White Hawk Atomic ,Recorded Live on Alpha Nebuli IV’ CD. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic Three tracks from February ’88’s “The Time Machine”, namely: “Womble Pudding”, “Marriage Of The Potato Masher” and “Teamushysomepour” were included on Stan Batcow’s Pumf Records “Designer Brain Damage” MMATT compilation in ’92. The band’s track “Spirit” was then included on Son of Farnborough Groove Vol.2 that same year, and the following year “Blitzkrieg!” appeared on Return of Farnborough Groove Vol.3.
London sadly lost her life in a Sunningdale road accident on 23 September ’99. In April 2020 the 14 minute 29 second long “Magic Moments At Twilight Time (2020 Remix)” was released.
Tracks:
Gallery:

Unused Magic Moments at Twilight Time band promo picture from early ’87. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic 
Album cover for 1998’s “CREVOLUTION” 
MMATT at The Crypt supporting Pink Fairies, March 18 1988. Source: Magic Moments At Twilight Time 
London fronting MMATT at The Crypt on 18th March 1988. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic 



This demo, released on 6 May ’87, carried the track “Mick & Chris On Acid” – The first collaboration MMATT did with The Charles. 
2 December 1988: Ad for The Crypt listing MMATT supporting Here & Now on 2 December 1988, from 3 Dec ’88 Sounds. Source: transpont.blogspot.com 
18 March 1988: Sounds Ad for The Crypt featuring the MMATT gig supporting The Pink Fairies. Source: transpont.blogspot.com 
Picture courtesy of Mick Magic 
MMATT’s Ford Escortron. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic 
Band promo picture from early ’87. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic 
Cover of MMATT’s Psychotron 0 from 1988. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic 
Cover of MMATT’s Psychotron 0 from 1988. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic 
MMATT June ’87 gig in Frimley. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic 
MMATT June ’87 gig in Frimley. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic 
MMATT June ’87 gig in Frimley. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic 
MMATT June ’87 gig in Frimley. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic 
Symons of MMATT at The White Hart, Frimley 26 July 1987. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic 
Lancaster of MMATT at The White Hart, Frimley 26 July 1987. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic 
Cover of issue 5 of The Grain fanzine. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic 
MMATT write up in The Hearld from 11 Sept ’87. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic 
MMATT write up by Adrian Creek in The News from 11 September ’87. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic 
Poster for 12 Dec ’87 Xmas Bash with Slack Bladder. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic 
Flyer for 12 Dec ’87 Xmas based with Slack Bladder. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic 
12 December 1987: MMATT play The Grain’s Xmash Bash at Frimley Community Centre. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic 
18 March 1988: The Crypt’s flyer featuring MMATT supporting The Charles. The Charles were replaced by The Pink Fairies. Picture courtesy of Mick Magic 
Local gig listing for Saturday 9 May 1987 from that weeks The News. The Charles / MMATT gig ran into some trouble… 
Clipping from The News of 27 May 1987 on The Charles / MMATT gig trouble… 
22 August 1987: The Charles and Magic Moment at Twilight Time were at Heaterside Community Centre. Picture courtesy of The Grain 
The band’s track “Blitzkrieg!” was included on Return of Farnborough Groove Vol.3 in 1993. Picture courtesy of Pete Cole 
The band’s track “Spirit” was included on Son of Farnborough Groove Vol.2 in 1992. Picture courtesy of Pete Cole 
MMATT at Farnborough Tech, 1988. Source: Steve McKeown via Farnborough (Hants) Nostalgia 
MMATT at Farnborough Tech, 1988. Source: Steve McKeown via Farnborough (Hants) Nostalgia 
MMATT at Farnborough Tech, 1988. Source: Steve McKeown via Farnborough (Hants) Nostalgia 
MMATT at Farnborough Tech, 1988. Source: Steve McKeown via Farnborough (Hants) Nostalgia 
The Gossville Arsonist fanzine’s one-line review of MMATT track from The Son of Farnborough Groove Vol.2 
Magic Moments at Twilight Time Anna Haigh, Camberley, Chris Carter, Community Centre, Deptford, Earworm Records, Farnborough Groove, Fergus Anderson, Frimley, Frimley Green, Gerry Lee, Greed, Here & Now, Highland Farm, Jay Symons, John Pryor, Kate London, Magic Moments, Magic Moments at Twilight Time, Mick Lancaster, Mick Tron, Momento Mori, Music & Elsewhere, Nik Morgan, Overflow Radio, Pumf Records, Shona Atkinson, Slack Bladder, Stan Batcow, The Charles, The Crypt, The Grain, The Grain Festival, The MMATTrix, The Pink Fairies, The Rock Box, The Visionaries, The White Hart -
Life Under One Sun
(c.’83) – Julian Jehu (vocals), Chris Potter (bass), Russ Good / Wilson (drums) and John “Hairdo” Atterbury (guitar)
Short lived Life Under One Sun split after a debut gig at The Royal, Guildford in April ’83. Atterbury received the “Hairdo” moniker after winning a Soundscene award for ‘most hairdos in a year’.
Good was in Planetarium and then 32:20, in which Atterbury was handling vocals, prior to Life Under One Sun, he’d go on to appear in Shooting at Strangers. Jehu, who’d previously been in White Colours, went on to join Polite Young Men before departing for America about ’84/85.
Gallery:

Soundscene piece from 26th April 1984, about Polite Young Men, mentions Life Under One Sun. -
The Choirboys
(c’81) ?
This Woking band opened for, News & Mail reporter, John Harlow’s Rock Night II, supporting The Mighty Strypes and M.I.5. at The Cotteridge Hotel, Woking; an event compered by Radio One writer John Tobler.
Gallery:

1981 -
East of Karma
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Pushmepullyou
(c’82-83) Cathy Lomax (vocals), Mark Charles (drums/percussion), Mark Turner (guitar / vocals), Denzil Daniels (percussion) and Richard Walker (flute/keyboards)
Lauded for their originality this band were experimental and free thinking; pushing some boundaries musically and politically. At some point they disappeared into a studio and recorded a few tracks, including a cover of ‘Money Make The World Go Round’ from the musical Caberet, which was produced by Steve Smith of The Vapors. The band gigged all over local scene and supported The Jam at their second to last ever show at the Civic Hall, Guildford on 9 December ’82.
Lomax, Charles, who’d been in UBz previously, and Daniels left Pushmepullyou and joined Smith in Shoot! Dispute.
Gallery:

Soundscene 17 February 1983. Picture courtesy of William de Kock































































































































































Human beings takes me back to 1981. Followed them all over the Surrey reading area for a year a great band and 3 good guys playing well written songs of the era. I wish john Tim and steve well what ever they are doing now. Should reform for a few shows just like Oasis but do the wooden bridge.
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