Abracadabra! The Magic Mod Pulls Rock ’n’ Roll Out of His Hat

All Music Magazine UK – Desh Kapur - Interview With The Magic Mod

In the ever-evolving landscape of live music, where lights, sound, and spectacle compete for your senses, one man is redefining the experience: The Magic Mod. Blending the sharp style and rebellious spirit of Mod culture with the timeless wonder of illusion, he has carved out a unique space performing magic at gigs, festivals, and shows alongside some of the UK’s biggest bands. From illusion to atmosphere, this mysterious figure weaves fleeting moments of wonder into the setlists of touring bands — conjuring card tricks in the smoke, bending perception between songs, and leaving crowds in baffled awe. I’m Desh Kapur of All Music Magazine UK, and today I’m delving behind the curtain with The Magic Mod to uncover how he blends sleight of hand with stagecraft, and why this secret artist has become a vital companion to modern live performances.

All Music Magazine UK: How are you doing?

Magic Mod: I'm all good, mate. Yourself?

All Music Magazine UK: Yeah, not too bad. My name's Desh, from All Music Magazine UK, and obviously you're Ben Taylor — The Magic Mod.

Magic Mod: The one and only, mate. The one and only Magic Mod. And thank God for that, the world couldn’t handle two of us at the same time.

All Music Magazine UK: Well yeah, I mean, it is a combination — a magician and a Mod. What came first?

Magic Mod: I think it changes all the time when I get asked this, but I still think it was the magician, to be honest. It started when I was six years old with a magic set. I don’t think until you’re seven or eight you really understand anything about music and style. So I still think it was the magic first, and then I sort of fell into the Mod subculture. They just went hand in hand, mate — both of your loves together, and out comes The Magic Mod.

All Music Magazine UK: I’m a Mod myself — a ’70s Mod, so a bit older than you. Obviously Weller and The Jam, and whatever Weller dictates, you fall in love with. So how much of Mod culture affects what you do on stage as a magician? I’ve seen you, I know how you dress.

Magic Mod: Yeah, yeah. I mean, it’s everything, mate. From the get-go — from the shoes all the way up to the head. Being a Mod is something I grew into and it’s never left me. As time progressed, the subculture developed into all sorts of different angles: the casual look, the indie look, and all that — all of it came from the Mod movement. But for me, I’ve always just loved the classic Mod: parka, suit, a pair of loafers or desert boots. And it comes across in abundance in the shows I do. As soon as I walk on, a lot of people — especially when I’m on tour with bands — think I’m going to start singing. But then I start making decks of cards appear and they’re like, “Oh, what’s going on here?”

All Music Magazine UK: So is it Paul Daniels or Paul Weller?

Magic Mod: Both of them. I absolutely adore Paul Weller, and I’m very proud to say he’s a friend of mine. To say you’ve got a relationship with your hero is the stuff of dreams. He loves what I do, and of course I love what he does. The first bit of music I really understood was The Jam – All Mod Cons. I got that album when I was about eight, in a shop in Devon. As soon as I saw it, I thought, “Oh my God, this is unbelievable,” and it pushed me into finding out more about the Mod movement.

Paul Daniels, though — he’s the reason I’m a magician. Same with Tommy Cooper. If it weren’t for them, I don’t think I’d be doing what I do. For a young lad of six or seven to be watching Paul Daniels and Tommy Cooper videos, while other kids were watching Bill and Ben or the Teletubbies, it was a bit unusual. But I was hooked. I was also watching Norman Wisdom, Laurel and Hardy, that kind of stuff. I loved it — that slapstick comedy, pure genius.

All Music Magazine UK: I was actually watching Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s On First” the other night. That baseball sketch — just comedy genius.

Magic Mod: Exactly, mate. I love Norman Wisdom too. Most of his stunts — jumping off pianos, off horses — he did them all himself. He was really fit, had been in the army and was a boxer. His biography is brilliant. That kind of comedy — it’s stupid but funny, and it’ll never die. Same with the Carry On films. The classic Carry On Camping scene with Barbara Windsor and the bra — absolute gold.

All Music Magazine UK: In this day and age, it’s nice to be daft when everything’s a bit too serious.

Magic Mod: Definitely, mate. People take themselves far too seriously these days. Comedy like that — you know what’s coming, but you still laugh when it happens. I’ve got a bit of that in my act too. Tommy Cooper especially — he was way ahead of his time. What he did was so hard: he knew how to do the trick properly, but then had to make it look like it had gone wrong, which is even harder. And the thing is, when other magicians mess up, nobody laughs. But with Tommy, you just couldn’t help it. That’s a rare gift.

All Music Magazine UK: So how do you find it? Because it’s unusual, isn’t it — going to a gig where people are there for live music, then you walk on in full Mod style and say, “I’m going to show you some tricks.”

Magic Mod: At first, it was nerve-racking — of course it was. I put myself in situations no other magician would. Back in 2023, I did a full UK and Ireland tour with the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Anyone who knows them knows if you mess up, you’re binned straight away. Their fans are cult-like and brutally honest. But I love that challenge — other magicians tell me I’m mad, but I get a buzz out of it.

I think Dynamo did one date with Ian Brown, but it didn’t go down great. He’s an incredible magician, but he’s not the type to shut down hecklers. Whereas me, I’m quick with the comebacks — it almost feels like a comedy act sometimes. And because I’m such a big fan of music myself, it works. Audiences see me as one of them, not just some random magician.

All Music Magazine UK: Well, stay away from AC/DC and Def Leppard then, yeah?

Magic Mod: Oh yeah, man. Definitely.

All Music Magazine UK: Your style is quite fast and in-your-face. Is that deliberate, or did it just develop that way?

Magic Mod: Honestly, I didn’t plan it. It just happened. I can walk out on stage and read the vibe of the room straight away now, but when I started, it took time. Maybe it comes from throwing myself into those situations most magicians avoid.

I’ll admit, in the past I used to just smash out the show quickly so I could go drinking after. But I’ve been sober for three and a half years now, and I do it for the right reasons. Back then, it was about showing off that I’d toured with The Libertines. Now it’s about giving the best show possible.

I cram as much magic as I can into a set — people pay good money, and I don’t want to shortchange them. Some tricks take 20 seconds, others a few minutes. My shows build up — slow at the start, big in the middle, and then boom-boom-boom at the end. It keeps me on my toes. Solo shows are very different to band tours, where I might only have 20–30 minutes. With Pete Doherty, it was 15–20 minutes. With Brian Jonestown, 25–30. But even then, you can pack in a lot.

All Music Magazine UK: So you’re doing magic, you’re dressed as a Mod, and then suddenly you’re on stage at gigs. How did that even start?

Magic Mod: It’s funny, because until last year, everything I did was off my own back — no manager, no agent. I’d just email people and blag my way in. I remember being at a Stone Roses gig at Finsbury Park, between the last support act and the Roses coming on, I pulled out a deck of cards. Within minutes, I had 20–30 people gathered around me taking photos. That’s when I thought, “There’s something here — performing for music crowds.”

From there, I started doing local band gigs in London, Brighton, Cardiff — everywhere. Then Steve Craddock followed me on Twitter, we got chatting, and hit it off. Later, someone passed my card to Paul Weller. One Friday night, I got a text from him. I thought it was a wind-up — I was five pints deep. Then the phone rang, and it really was him. He said, “I’ve heard about you, I want to see what you do.” That was it — we hit it off.

Since then, I’ve done shows with Weller at Hammersmith Apollo, plus Carl Barât and Pete Doherty. I’ll never forget my first show with Pete at Parr Hall, Warrington. They told me I was going on stage — I thought they were joking. Ten minutes before, I scribbled together a stage routine. And it worked. Nobody left, nobody threw a drink — that was a win!

After that, I did shows with Reverend and The Makers, then Pete again, then Brian Jonestown. It just snowballed.

All Music Magazine UK: If you could do a trick for one of your legends — even though you’ve probably done tricks for most of them — who would it be?

Magic Mod: Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey. I’ve written to Roger. That would be incredible.

All Music Magazine UK: So what’s next?

Magic Mod: I’ve got a tour in October I’m buzzing for. I’ve now got management, working with Pete and Peasy — the guys who look after Echo & the Bunnymen, Peter Hook, The Farm. They’ve put their faith in me, and I want to deliver. The tour starts in Manchester and ends in Belfast — where I’m based now, actually.

All Music Magazine UK: Oh, you live in Belfast?

Magic Mod: Yeah, I got kidnapped, and that was it basically!

The Magic Mod has announced a UK tour for the autumn as follows:

OCTOBER

Sun 19 MANCHESTER 53TWO

Mon 20 BIRMINGHAM Glee Club

Tue 21 LONDON Camden Dingwalls

Wed 22 CAMBRIDGE Portland Arms

Sat 25 LIVERPOOL Blackstock Market

Sun 26 NEWCASTLE The Stand Comedy Club

Mon 27 GLASGOW The Stand Comedy Club

Tickets available from: https://www.seetickets.com

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