Review of KMG Meeting 28th October.
KMG doing it for themselves, and what a fun night it was.
We had 8 members perform, and I think they provided an excellent window to our ever expanding and exciting club.
Mark Wood opened the show, I have known Mark for years… when I first met Mark, Long John Silver had two real legs, and an egg perched on his shoulder.
In all that time, this is the first time I have seen him do a stand up routine, and boy, he did not disappoint !
Mark performed his lovely rope routine, which has many climaxes, each one building up into a brilliant finish.
He then went on to very generously explain his routine, going into great detail, not only with the moves, but also talking about where he got this rope from,
( Daryl ).
An excellent performance, I’m looking forward to seeing more of Marks work in the future.
Next up was the one and only Terry Herbert, ably assisted by the lovely Dave Andrews.
Terry did his Himber Ring routine, followed up with his Ring Flight.
A flawless routine, performed brilliantly as always, with funny lines and quips… we all love Terrys performances, a proper legend.
Olivia Post was up next, with a very nice Voodoo Drawing effect.
I am loving Olivias character, Claire Voyant, and watching how the act is developing and growing.
Olivia is able to draw on her acting skills, and her comedy skills, to provide beautiful performance. Very professional as always.
Roy charmed us all with his many effects he managed to get in… so many I cant remember them all, but the ones that stand out were his knowing the days of the week members birthdays would fall on next year.. A lovely system which he explained, and his book test.
Roy then did some credit card size effects, all mentalism work, then finished off with explaining the very clever book test.
As always, Roy puts a massive amount of fun into everything he does.
Brian Lloyd, always a member we can rely on to perform, went next, and did his routine for the Worlds Most Dangerous Card Trick.
Brian certainly brings his own special touches to this very funny routine, encompassing not one, but two very dangerous looking swords.
A great routine, I always enjoy Brians performances.
I was up next, with a very nice Just Chance routine, invented and soon to be marketed by Reg Martin.
Reg has always had a great inventive mind, having worked with Ali Bongo on the Paul Daniels Show.
This was a very well put together idea, getting members to whistle to decide which of 5 bags they would have.
All the bags had messages in, only one had a £10 note in, which surprise surprise was the one I was left with.
Nigel Roberts then performed a very old Arthur Setterington routine, called Pounds, Shillings and P’s…. I hope I got that right.
A lovely effect with a devilishly clever yet simple method.
A pound note ends up in a sealed up glass covered with a can, then the surprise appearance of a can of peas.
As we have come to expect from Nigel, a very professional and fun performance.
Steve Garrett closed the evening, and impressed us all with a 3 x prediction of colour separation… no idea how that worked, but each stage of the routine increased in amazement.
He then performed a Smash and Stab effect with map pins… again, one I had not seen before.
What I really enjoyed about Steves performance was his style, he came across as someone who appeared very relaxed, like a friend showing a friend an effect.
Very friendly, and treated his assistant with the greatest of respect.
Really nice performance, looking forward to seeing more from Steve.
Many thanks to all who performed, you all helped to make this a fabulous evening.
Also, as always, a massive thank you to David Akhurst, for his excellent master of ceremony role. David always bring our meeting to life.
Just a quick note to end, the lovely Denise had a fall in the car park, laughed it off, but she has been diagnosed with a broken elbow… what a trooper.
Any thoughts and good wishes to Denise would, I am sure, be very much appreciated.
Next meeting is the Christmas Buffet, so please bring some wonderful magic along to make it another evening to remember.
Many thanks
David Croucher Lecture Review 30th September 2025
Well I have to admit, I am running out of superlatives for all the great lectures we are getting at the KMG !
David Croucher gave us an unforgettable lecture, and not a single card trick in sight.
Excellent visual magic, something for everyone, with plenty of humour thrown in.
There was much in his lecture, I fear I will leave something out, but here goes…
David opened with a very lovely vanishing silk sequence, the silks being found one at a time on a bottle of wine… very simple, yet very baffling.. He finished with the last silk being pushed through his hand, with all three of the silks used being tied together… very straightforward, but just lovely.
Then a fabulous rainbow streamer vanish, ending up with a rainbow coloured wig on his head, while looking for where the rainbow went… kids would LOVE this effect. Very funny.
Next came a rope effect, kind of based on David Williamsons routine, but with some lovely surprises, culminating in a Professors Nightmare routine, but with some very nice original moves.
Silk to egg, very well executed and explained, and I don’t think anyone saw the switch of the egg. I certainly didn’t.
Then an excellent and hilarious sight gag, with a pad and a colour prediction… and a third hand…. again, very funny.
David then presented and very generously explained his fabulous version of the Torn and Restored Newspaper.
He has obviously put a lot of time and thought into this, the end result being a perfect version of this classic.
If you do the T/R paper. or are thinking of doing it, then Davids version is the one to study… perform totally surrounded, and finish so clean..
A lovely silk on reel effect, using a very cheap bill snatcher… it worked perfectly, and I was left wondering why I had paid @ £50 for a reel producing the same effect.. 
Bouquet from sleeve, with a nod towards Pat Page, was just a beautiful production, leaving, I’m sure, with lay people not having a clue where it appeared from. Lovely work..
Then came another funny effect, sponge balls, four different colours, are taken out of a bag without David seeing, he was able to name each colour correctly.. Such an amazingly easy effect to make up, and with a excellent expose at the end… this is one I will be making up.
David wrapped up the lecture with his very easy to make up Mutilated Parasol, using a folding umbrella… packs small plays big, with a change bag that was just a carrier bag. All very natural looking props, another simple umbrella switch, and job done.
As a bonus, David performed a very nice and beautifully crafted Rabbit in hat picture effect, which changes to other animals when put behind the back.. David was unhappy with that presentation, so came up with his own, which didn’t involve putting the frame behind him.. Very visual, and as a children’s entertainer myself of 50 years standing, I could see the massive improvement of doing it this way.
So there it is… another top top lecture with loads of workable ideas. This is what the KMG is all about, I recommend if you are not currently a member, that you come along and see the level of lecturers we are getting here.
A lovely moment at the end, when Mike Alan presented David with a framed poster of Lynn Thomas, a close personal friend of Davids, who sadly passed away in lockdown.
I have had so much positive feedback from this lecture, I would thoroughly recommend him to other clubs, if you want a first class lecture.
Many thanks to all who attended, and also to all the guests that turned up from The Surrey Society of Magicians, The Medway Magical Society, and the South London Magic Society. The KMG is becoming the club of choice.
I am seeking out top lectures for next year, thanks already for the recommendations, please keep them coming… we are going to have another exciting year next year.
That’s all from me for now, have a great month, next meeting is an in house affair, whereby two members will share the evening giving a mini lecture each… more info to follow.
Cheers
Mike Ingham
Proud to be President of the Kent Magicians Guild
Wayne Fox Tutorial Lecture 26th August 2025 Review
Wayne Fox returned to the Kent Magicians Guild to present his Tutorials lecture.
The evening started off with Wayne presenting the KMG Stage Trophy to Nigel Roberts, for winning last months stage and parlour competition.
This was a hands-on lecture, with members and guests sitting round tables, four to a table, while Wayne presented his routines and ideas, which he then explained with detailed analysis so that we could practice the moves and sleights under his expert supervision.
Wayne is an excellent performer and lecturer, and also a very good teacher.
The routines he talked about and detailed were all very commercial, and, if I may say so, vey do-able by the average magician.
First off was a multi sequenced card routine, incorporating a top change, a one handed card fold and a very cheeky switch of a card frog for a previously chosen card .. the effect involved a spectator, Sophie, flipping a card frog around the table to land on her chosen card.
Loads of laughter with Waynes comedic reactions and ad libs, but the overall effect was brilliant… you really did need to be there to appreciate the depth of thinking and the overall strength of the routine.
Wayne then presented his card under box routine.. Again a beautiful routine with multiple climaxes…. culminating with the whole pack being found underneath the card box… I think I can safely say no-one spotted the move.
Great presentation, and mainly made possible by the top change, which is a lot easier than you might think.
In the words of Nike… Just do it. Be casual, dont make a move of it…
Then Waynes coin routine… another lovely sequence of moves incorporating sleights we probably already knew but never used.. Wayne went through about five vanishes and productions, then handed out dollar size discs so we could all try the moves out… he went from table to table to show the moves close up.
An invaluable lesson in coin work.
He detailed his amazing card flick effect, whereby a card is just flicked off the deck under his other hand… this move is incredible, as no matter how close you are, or whatever angle, the move is invisible… Sophie was crouching down right next to him, burning his hand, and saw nothing… pure genius !!!
His commercial routine, the Light and Heavy pen was next, which was available to buy, along with some of Waynes other items.
Im sure there were lots of other effects, which I was unable to write down, as I was attempting to make a cardboard frog, or practising a coin or card move.
There were three QR codes, which detailed the moves from his lecture, which was a great idea as they downloaded straight to your phone or laptop… its the future.
Thanks to Sophie for selling the raffle tickets, a top job as always.
It was another fabulous night, as we have come to expect from the KMG… a good turnout, three new members, and some very welcome guests.
If you know any magicians who are not members of our fabulous club, please invite them along… we would really like to get the membership up to above 30 members.
Thanks to all who attended, Im sure everyone learned a great deal from the amazing Wayne Fox.
Next meeting is another great lecture by David Croucher, please put it in your diary, it will be some very practical and workable magic… more to follow.
Cheers
Mike
The Kent Magicians Guild Buffet and Stage / Parlour Competition July 29th 2025
An amazing evening showcasing the talents of some of our Kent Magicians Guild members.
Before I review that, I just want to say a massive thank you to Colin and Gloria for bringing along the buffet… it was a brilliant spread, which was heartily consumed by all.
Now on to the competition… members were competing for the Stage / Parlour Magician of the year, the winner to receive the Tony Branson Memorial Trophy.
Mick Turrell started the evening off in style….Vanishing deck of cards, a Just Chance effect with a padlocked £10.00 note with 5 different keys, in which spectators were allowed to chose a key… sadly for them none of the keys unlocked the cash, but the key that was left, Micks key, did the job.
This was followed by ring vanish into packet hula hoops then into padlocked box. As always with Mick, a nicely polished act with some lovely effects.
Olivia Post was up next, and what a joy it was to watch her… her comedic background enabled her to make a psychic act into a top performance…. including water to wine… candle and flash paper brilliantly acted out without flame ( you had to be there ) a very nice tarot cards prediction with her alter ego Claire Voyant ( get it ??? ) and a final card effect where a part of a chosen card was found inside a sweet, chosen from a packet by a spectator. A lovely act with what I feel has great potential in the corporate field.
Mike Mcintyre is an excellent magician and entertainer, and it shows… his stage presence is enough to tell you that… but his magic is top notch too… a very nice version of Boo and Cheer Cards, ( apologies I don’t know the name of this effect), followed by a very clean Torn and Restored Newspaper, then a lovely version of Confabulation where Michael had members of the audience choose a destination, length of stay and the cost, which he then revealed as a prediction inside a sealed envelope in his wallet… just stunning, and really well presented.
Dave Andrews is another brilliant performer, with a lovely comedy style. Dave performed a self lighting candle, rose from flash string, both very nicely performed… as was a giant card prediction with changing large card.
However, the trick for me, which in my opinion was the trick of the night, was a colouring in prediction, with a bit of a sucker finish, where Dave shuffled through an envelope of possible predictions, only to reveal they were all the same, and matched the chosen colours that Gloria had filled in… as if that wasn’t enough, Dave then removed his shirt, dropped his trousers to reveal he was wearing the same coloured shirt, tie, braces and shorts as Gloria had coloured in… just fabulous !
Then a break, where the buffet was hungrily consumed, and Denise did a great job of selling raffle tickets.
The second half was opened with Colin, performing the very beautiful Sympathetic 10 card effect by Jorg Alexander. Colin is another performer who has a lovely and very amusing performing style, he is always a pleasure to watch.
For those unfamiliar with the effect, a new pack of cards are opened, the Spades are taken out in new pack order, then placed in a glass. The Hearts are then removed and shuffled by a spectator, and put in another glass, with one card chosen at random and turned face out. The Spades are momentarily covered, then revealed to show they have shuffled themselves into the same order as the Hearts, with even the face out card matching and in the same position. A breath taking piece of magic.
Stephen (Rocky) entertained us all with a hilarious puppet routine, incorporating magic, impressions and some great lines, all done with a lovely fox puppet and a carrier bag.
I have to admire Stephen’s character, he is a very good performer with a creative mind. A very enjoyable act !
Matthew was up next, performing on stage for what I believe was his first time, and certainly the first time at the KMG.
Matthew performed a baffling Glass of Ribena in Newspaper, effect, which I think is based on an Egg Pan routine. He followed this up with a lovely cut and restored rope.
Matthews performing style is very nice and laid back, as if the magic is happening around him… I think we will be seeing a lot more of Matthew as he develops as a magician.
Nigel Roberts closed the evening, with the walking thro postcard effect, followed by Starcle, by Dan Harlan, then rope with 4 ends, and a lovely version of coin thru chiffon scarf.
Nigel finished with a fabulous Sidewalk Shuffle type of card effect, with a king and 3 2″s. Very clean and very entertaining.
While the Judges Mark, our lay judge, and Ricardo, our magic judge deliberated, the raffle was held.
The award for the Stage / Parlour Magician of the year was presented to Nigel Roberts, a very worthy winner.
Many thanks to Mark for coming down again to judge our competition, and to his friend, whose name, Im ashamed to say, escapes me, who took photos, which Im sure will follow shortly.
All in all, another great night, with excellent performances from all.
Thanks to all for coming and supporting our club, thanks also to Mark Wood and Steve for travelling up from Maidstone, and all the guests who came along.
Photos courtest of Ricardo Morilla
Cheers
Mike
Sent from Outlook for Android
John Hotowka Review 24th June 2025.
John has a very engaging personality, which, accompanied by his excellent magic skills, combined to create a very special magical memory for the KMG.
First effect, and what a brilliant opening … Cardboard Ballooooooooonology
( apologies to John if I didn’t use the correct number of o’s ) .. A simple but memorable effect where a line on a card becomes inflated when blown on, giving the representation of an inflated modelling balloon.. When he gave to his assistant ( the very lovely Sophie ) a couple of squeaks as he apparently twisted the card, and the straight balloon became a picture of a sausage dog… what a fabulous giveaway for your business card.
Next up was the Crystal Ball Vanishing Deck, a lovely card effect with the amazing disappearance of the deck, while both of Johns hands were held by his two helpers, Sophie, and the equally lovely Mark.
The real secret to this effect was the deck vanish, which was stunning, and caught everyone out.. Even after explaining it in great detail, when he did it again, we were still so fooled.
Next up was Johns version of the Silver Brass Copper Routine, and here we had an insight into his deep thinking when putting routines together… a fabulous effect with loads of climaxes… again, he fooled us all.
Ring and String followed, with influence from Mark Leveridge, with the climax of the ring changing to a key, and the key found on his key ring.. A truly beautifully routine.
Then the Jardine / Ellis ring routine, which John explained he found in Bruce Elliots book, ” Magic, 100 New Tricks ” under the title Thumb Fun.
I have always shied away from this gimmick, but seeing John perform a lovely effect with it, I had to buy one…
Then, he blew us right out the room, with The Automatic Miracle Deck by Bodie Blake… this was for me, an absolute miracle… I wont go into the detail of the effect, but I will say… BUY IT. It is incredible, and not a difficult effect to do. I bought it, and I had been through the instructions and worked the mechanics of it in about 10 minutes.. Not to performance standard, but I will definitely be putting this into my close up act.
Then, a nice angle on Roy Johnsons Snap routine, incorporating the sponsors name, which Im sure any sponsor of John would be very proud of.
Finally, Ding Ding Honk, a 2 envelope transposition designed for Trade Shows, and seeing John perform this, you know exactly why he is a top Trade Show Entertainer… not a lot of work, so entertainment value was what it was about, bells, alarms, and a very well structured patter line that trade show bookers would love.
All in all, I would say this is one of the KMGs best lectures, John knows his craft, and was very clear and concise in his explanations.
In a word… INCREDIBLE.
Thanks to all those who attended, and a special thanks to Mark, Steve and all those who travelled up from The Medway Magical Society… you are always very welcome. Also very pleased that mark and Steve have now joined our club.
Next meeting will be the Parlour and Stage competition.. So please get your act together and support this great fun event… there will be a Summer Buffet to, so light snacks and soft drinks will be supplied.
See you then,
Mike
Jamie Daws lecture
Review of Jamie Daws lecture 27th May 2025.
Can I start off by saying I am sorry to any members who missed Jamies lecture last night.
I am sorry because you missed a real gem of a lecture from one of the best Bizarre Magicians around.
Jamie started off by setting the scene with a story… background music intensified as he told of when he was a boy and had a sleepover… plenty of jumps and shocks, accompanied by a torch… he really set the scene for a fab night.
I didn’t take notes, as I was so wrapped up in what he was saying, so if I miss anything out or get the order of effects wrong, I apologise.
Jamie started off with a very workable Haunted Deck, with no gimmicks, just a tear in a joker… brilliant effect and so simple.. Loved it.
Then he had another lovely effect with 3 cards, and a story of how he used to take a card out of packs of cards, and scribble over them or tear them up… Denise had to choose which order she liked the cards, then a prediction was shown to match… such a simple effect, but the story made it.. fabulous.
He then showed what a clever DIY man he is, as he demonstrated a doll whose head could spin round 180 degrees… what an amazing prop for this type of show.. It must look terrifying with Jamies dark showmanship.
He then showed us a lovely peek envelope… just genius, and again, so simple.. But able to peek writing on a card to predict a name, or number, or anything at all… genius !!!
His Tarot book is another work of genius… very cleverly designed, with the help of Peter Nardi, the book does all the work… but you do have to be there. Jamie was able to predict my birthday, Month and day, plus my tarot card… This is really a brilliant effect, well worth checking out.
Then a cocktail shaker routine with a poisoned cherry… so blooming simple, but wow, what a tremendous effect…. full marks must go to Olivia Post for creating the most incredible death throes… you had to be there… again, sorry if you weren’t, what a night !!!
Another lovely effect with Polaroid photos, with another great story…. Jamie crammed so much into this lecture, and very generously explained all the effects.
Then came a fab routine with PK Touch, and a bit of D’Angelos Touch routine thrown in… a very masterful routine.. Again, I personally loved it, as did everyone there, Im sure.
Finally, his show stopper, what he closes his show with… a living and dead test which must leave his audiences stunned… again fabulous work.
All in all, I think this was a lecture up there with the best we’ve had.. All the effects were easily achievable, if you can get the presentation right, as Jamie did, then they are all top routines.
Thanks also to Denise for doing the raffle. 🙂
Next month we have another top lecture, John Hotowka…more details to follow.
I really hope we get good support for this one… the committee are working hard to bring you some excellent lecturers down to Kent, so please support our endeavours.
Thanks again to Jamie Daws for a brilliant evening.
Cheers
Mike
Wayne Fox Review 25th March 2025
Well, what can I say… Wayne Fox is a fabulous entertainer and very skilled magician.
He very kindly stepped in at the last minute, and absolutely blew the audience away.
His nuggets of wisdom included doing 10 minutes of practise a day… Any more is unnecessary, 10 minutes a day, at the end of the week you will have learnt whatever it is you are trying to learn.
Thumb tips… Wayne was saying don’t be afraid of using them, then fooled us badly by fanning a pack of cards with the tip in plain sight… No one saw it.
Switching props…just do it… One prop for example chop cup goes into the pocket as the other hand puts a different prop on the table… So simple, and reading that back it sounds ridiculous… But he fooled us all twice with 2 different routines…
With regard to effects, Wayne treated us to a card trick with the aid of a pillar box, which changed into a telephone bos, with the chosen card inside… Just a lovely routine.
Card switches, advice on the top switch, which he does beautifully, and a stunning card flick which leaves a card from the top of the pack under his other hand… Totally invisible. An absolute joy to watch.
Wayne demonstrated his Chop Cup, which he is marketing very soon… Watch out for this, its a lovely cup with a stunning finish….
In the second half, Wayne demonstrated some of his releases… All stunning effects, well thought out, and within the skill range of everyone.
Here is the link to his site… Seriously do have a look.
All in all a top night, many thanks to Mark Wood and Steve for joining us from Medway, and its always good to see Mike Sullivan and Robert Pound, who were also there.
Another big Thanks to Wayne for a fabulous evening.
Only the one photo Im afraid, as our photographer, Ricardo, was coming back from Argentina.
Cheers
Mike
TRIO OF TRICKS NIGHT
25th February 2025
Review
What a fun night, with members doing it for themselves, to paraphrase the Eurythmics ….
Not the best of turnouts for some reason, in fact a little disappointing compared to our usual numbers, but I guess that’s the way it goes sometimes.
Those that did come along were treated to a fun evening, with 5 members and 1 new member providing the entertainment.
First up was Colin, who performed the Chequers off Rope effect… 4 large chequers were tied onto a rope, then behind Daves back,( the volunteer helper ), any coloured chequer called for was magically released… This was followed by a lovely 4 cards to pocket effect… As always with Colin, funny lines were included free of charge, which had the audience laughing.
Next was Terry Herbert, who’s performing style needs no introduction… Always a professional performance, Terry performed a very nice card trick, a Jim Steinmeyer effect, which is self working, ( but you still have to be there) . Its a lovely effect which is well worth learning.
Next he performed the Harry Potter Coin Routine… Ive seen Terry perform this before, and it is a lovely effect, with Terrys dead pan expressions and comedy lines, he really makes this into a great trick. On this occaison there was a small technical hitch, but I don’t think that really detracted from the overall effect.
Terry finished with a Just Chance type of envelope trick, which looked like he was stating the obvious, but ended up with a beautiful and very correct prediction…. Again all brought to life by Terrys natural comedy way.
Terry was followed by Janet Clare, who performed Pop Eyed Pips, I think that is the name, but happy to be corrected…. Its a moving and multiplying pips routine on a large card. Very nice. This was followed by the Conway Rope Routine, which in Janets hands is just a stunning effect. She concluded her act with a Sucker Silk Routine, again excellent handling, and lovely patter… Always a joy to watch !!!
I followed up with a card effect, a Bob Swadling Coin Box Routine, and a vanishing sponge ball effect. Many thanks to Annie for being there to assist me in my routine, she is the perfect helper,,, 🙂
Next up was Mick Turrell, such a fabulous performer… Mick is another one who has developed a lovely style, with jokes and little asides that make him very entertaining.
He performed a vanishing Can of Coke, beautifully handled… A real mystery in Micks hands.
Then a Card in Mousetrap effect with Sophie, who is the perfect helper… Her reactions are always funny, and a springing Mouse trap going off in her hand elicited the perfect response.
Mick finished with a coin in box type of effect, again with loads of comedy… loved it !!!
The Final act was a new member, Michael McIntyre, who showed what a brilliant performer he is.
Michael took total control of the stage, he performed three fabulous effects… A card effect where the chosen card was the only one in the deck with Go Crazy on the back… All the rest had Boo on the back… A great effect that suits the stage really well.
He followed that with a Gypsy Thread routine, with dental floss… Again Michael lifted it to a stage routine… Very nice.
He finished with a Heads or Tails Coin Routine, involving the whole audience, finishing it with a very detailed prediction of Colin, who he had predicted would win the heads and Tails competition, what he was wearing , what he looked like etc… But all in a sealed envelope that was given to Annie to hold before it started….
Really top act, and we welcome Michael to the KMG, I think we will all benefit from his performance style.
As always, a big thank you to David for his compering skills, he always brings the acts on with great enthusiasm and funny one liners..
The prizes, ( yes, there were prizes of £10 Marks and Spencer’s vouchers ), were won by
Terry… Best Mentalism Trick
Janet… Best Rope Trick
Mick Turrell … Best Card Trick
Michael Mcintyre…. Best Coin Trick.
With thanks to Sophie for helping me to tot up the votes.
Photographer was Ricardo, who always does a great job.. I will post them up on facebook and our webpage shortly.
All in all another great night,
Mike Ingham
Mandy Muden Lecture 28th January 2025
Well, what another great night at the KMG.
Mandy Muden is fabulous… a very funny performer with a lovely way about her.
She started of showing her Britains Got Talent semi final, which was a very worthy entry.
Her suggestive style is very funny, and I think the BGT judges totally understood her. Especially Simon Cowell……
A fabulous act.
She then very bravely showed us the Americas Got Talent video.. I say bravely because although it looked very good, there were things about her performance, ( outside of her control ) which Mandy was not happy about.
I was impressed that Mandy was able to talk about her positive and negative experiences… but overall she told us it was the best thing she did in terms of getting more work… it rather sounded like she had too much work on, which in this day and age is a major triumph !
The second half, and Mandy performed and talked through some of her favourite routines….
After a nice warm up involving the whole audience., she then performed Codys Comedy Book Test.. a lovely effect which Mandy maxed out with comedy.. her words, her expressions, her timing all went to make this effect into a showstopper…
Then she did a lovely card effect… unfortunately I didn’t get the name of the effect, but it involves a volunteer, David Andrews on this occasion, and 2 sets of cards.. one set is shown to be all the 5 Spades for example… the other set are all different. David selects one card form the different card set, and Mandy puts down one of the 5 of Spades. When David revealed he had chosen the 8 of Hearts, Mandy’s card was shown to have changed to match it.
Its a nice effect because it kind of suckers the whole audience, with a kicker finish. Again Mandy performed it very well.
She finished off with the Kristal Card Stab by Bob Swadling… a perfect closer involving a dagger, some flash paper and a chosen card.
Again, Mandy made this into a top comedy item with some excellent double entendres … bringing comedy to what is a dramatic effect. Another faultless performance.
KMG members were very happy to give Mandy a standing ovation for providing such an interesting and fun night.
Many thanks again to David Akhurst for mc- ing the evening.. a sterling job as always.
Also thanks to Ricardo for photographing the evening, ( pictures to follow,) and to Michael Flegg for sorting out the technical issues.
A big thank you to all the guests who came along, to make this evening the success it was. You are always welcome at the KMG.
Mike
Christmas Buffet 26th November 2024
What a lovely night at the KMG.
We had a great turn out for one of our most popular evenings, many thanks to all those who bought guests to watch our show, the feedback from them was excellent.
A massive thank you first to Colin and Gloria, for supplying and bringing along all the food… it was a lovely spread of a mixture of hot and cold eats, complete with soft drinks… I think everybody eat their fill.
Also, before I get into the acts, a special thank you to the lovely Sophie, for another sterling night of raffle ticket selling… Sophie is always very happy (I hope 
) to take on the task of selling the tickets, and I have to say she is very successful at it… so a big thanks to you Sophie.
Another pre show thank you to Ricardo, from Hayes ( you had to be there ), for always being willing to take the photos… they are an important record of the evening, and also of our clubs history, So many thanks Ricardo, it is very much appreciated.
On with the show, and what a show it was… we had a very good range of acts, I will try to describe them, but I wont be able to do them the justice they deserve.
After the buffet, David ( Akardo ) warmed the crowd up with various site gags, and a lovely home made pop gun… I think David is a naturally funny compere, he keeps the evening rolling along with plenty of humour along the way.
First up was Michael Turrell, who opened the show with a medley of Christmas effects, mainly from his childrens show… a fabulous appearing cane from silk, to the Ghostbusters theme tune, which had everyone clapping and singing along. He followed this with a funny routine with Sophie, where small Christmas stockings eventually became a massive one. Michael finished with the appearing cane vanishing leaving some tinsel between his hands… always lovely to see Michael perform, he is a very natural performer.
I was up next, with some nonsense and chain through body….
Then Terry Herbert, doing his lovely routine Grandmas Laces from his first DVD, Children’s Magic the Herbert Way… a lovely routine with Terry’s inimitable manner, complete with child’s voice… as always, Terry went down a storm.
Nigel performed a very classy and professional Chop cup routine, which was executed in such a lovely manner. It contained so many elements, including the very visual ball through silk into glass…. I know I say this every time, but it really is a joy to watch Nigel work..
Then the Raffle, which raised some lovely funds for us, ( thanks again Sophie, )followed by David introducing us to Squeakee the Balloon Dog… a hilarious animatronic which literally stole the show…. Very funny, made even funnier by Denise’s reaction… priceless.
Miki Travis… what can I say about Miki… give him a piece of rope, and he will get 10 minutes of top comedy out of it… which he did last night…. Excellent interaction with his volunteers, he had the whole room in hysterics… a throwaway card trick involving about 5 people in the audience, then a slop shuffle routine, followed by the Worlds Quickest Card Trick, card to pocket type of effect.
As always, a big hit.
Colin blew the audience away with a Spotted Can routine, complete with his trademark hilarious gags… everyone was laughing… always an absolute pleasure to watch Colin perform, you know he’s going to be excellent.
Finally up was Brian, who managed to reduce his 20 minute act to @ 10 minute, due to time restrictions.
Brian is always an interesting act to watch, and last night he performed a card sword gag, followed by his hilarious Rat Trap card effect. As always, he went down very well.
My only disappointment of the evening was Steve Day, who again due to time, had to jettison his act… I love Steve’s work, he is always professional and funny, and I was so sorry he was not able to perform.
Top marks to Steve for bowing out so graciously.
All in all, it was another amazing KMG night, so many thanks to you all for coming and supporting this very popular evening.
Great news is we picked up 2 new members, Matthew, and David Wilde. Welcome to you both to our fabulous club.
May I take this opportunity to wish you all, and your families, a very Happy Christmas.
See you all in 2025
Mike
Proud to be President of the KMG
Photos courtesy of Ricardo Morelli
11Mike Alan, Michael Maxted and 9 others
Review of Stag Show 1st November 2024.
Another amazing show at the Stag theatre, so many many thanks to all who took part.
The arriving audience were treated to some lovely close up magic by Terry Herbert and Geoff Partner, both excellent exponents of our craft. I could hear the gasps of amazement as they worked the crowd.
The show started, and David did a fab job, as always, of compering the show and ensuring it all ran along smoothly and on time.
His antics with the Clapometer, and his hat juggling effects started the show in great comedic style.
First on was Nigel and Billy Badger, a fabulous routine which had the adults and the children in hysterics.. such an amazingly funny relationship between Nigel and Billy… I love this act.
David continued the animal theme here with the Spider in the Hat routine that he does so well.
I went up next with the Silver Sceptre , and my balloon routine.
Next up was Olivia, with a new and innovative act centred around the Repair Shop… loads of comedy, a lovely style about her, and two very funny routines, the Mutilated Parasol, and restoring Rocky Raccoon to life, both very cleverly worked around the Magic Repair Shop… very nice !
David closed the first half with his decapitated rabbit, tying it in with the Magic Repair Shop theme.
Then a break, with more close up magic, with Uncle Mac and Miki the Clown joining in to the delight of the crowd.
Then the show reopened with Miki’s plate spinning act, including the balance on the chin of the 10ft pole… very funny.
Mrs Back to Front was up next, with her amazing Punch and Judy Show… a 15 minute spot, which was shorter than her normal routine, but I have to say, the way she got all the children laughing and joining in was truly magical… I was looking at the childrens faces and they were totally involved and loving it… a beautiful set up and a brilliant Punch operator… Cheers Den.
Next up was Uncle Mac, who performed a lovely Wally Boyce Routine… all very nicely done to gales of laughter form the audience.
He finished his act with another lovely effect, Patriotic Ropes, which he has very cleverly changed into a road safety message… at the climax of the routine, the girl volunteers face was a picture of amazement… top work from Roy..
Closing the show was Miki the Clown, with the Professors Nightmare performed with 3 different sized knitted magic wands, which I think might have been another Wally Boyce effect, Miki obviously making it a very funny routine .
He finished with a lovely Run Ghostie Run routine, with the unexpected twist at the end of the Ghost skydiving…. you had to be there !!!
David assembled all the performers on stage for the roll call, and the Stag Theatre audience gave us all a magnificent round of applause.
One of our best shows to date, a big thank you from the KMG to all the performers.
All of these shows are paying off, which means 2025 will be a bumper year for us, with some top lectures already booked and more to follow.
This is an exciting time in the history of our club, and I am hoping our membership will continue to grow next year… more news to follow, but please tell your magical friends how well the KMG is developing.
Photos courtesy of Geoff Partner
Many thanks to all
Review of the October meeting
“ This is Your Life “
The meeting on the 29th October was a very special event for the Kent Magicians Guild.
We were able to celebrate the magical lives of two of our senior members, Janet Clare, and Terry Herbert.
The evening was expertly and professionally put together by David and Cora Akhurst, and I have to say, they did a wonderful job.
Janet was up first, and we learnt about how she got into magic at the early age of 6, having seen a magician at the church Christmas party, and deciding there and then that that was what she wanted to be.
Janet was told by the family that the magician she witnessed at that early age was ‘Fingers Flood’, who was a member of the Magic Circle and that she would never be able to do what he did because it was all sleight of hand and very difficult. Janet proved them wrong.
Janet joined the LSM, and told us some lovely stories about her time there.
Her early life working in a bank, as secretary to the director, didn’t check all her boxes, so when she was made redundant from the bank, magic beckoned, and Janet Clare Secretary became Janet Clare International Magician.
David also talked about Janet’s momentous struggle with the Magic Circle, over allowing women magicians into the then male dominated enclave… through determination and perseverance, Janet finally made them see sense, and the Magic Circle had to open their doors to the growing number of female magicians.
Janet talked about her mentors, the great Ken Brooke, and Roy Johnson being but two of them… it was the late 1960’s / early 70’s, and the magic greats were all around, so Janet had many names to learn from.
We saw some fabulous publicity shots, we heard about her achievements, including her FISM act, with the vanish of a Lear Jet, a parody of the David Copperfield effect.
After herFISM Act, the American magicians present said to Janet…
‘ Your country has the iron lady, you are the cool lady!’
Janet spoke of the time she performed her close up magic to Princess Dianne, and the time she was flown over to Spain to perform for a family of millionaires.
Janet recently performed at a fund raising event for her church, details were In a earlier post, suffice to say, this was described as a triumph.
Such a fascinating life, and all the details, many of which I have missed out Im sure, were expertly researched by David and Cora, to whom we owe a massive debt of gratitude for all their hard work.
Sadly, technical glitches prevented Janets videos from being played on the night, but we are working on getting them onto Youtube, which I will the forward the link so we can all see her performences.
Thank you Janet, for all you have done for magic generally, and for women in magic in particular.
Next up was Terry Herbert, and David and Cora did an equally professional review of his time in magic too.
Where to start with Terry….
His awards and Honours include:
1982 FISM Comedy Magic Award
1986 British Magic Comedy Champion
1987 Las Vegas Comedy Magic Award
1988 Senator Crandall Award
2010 The Maskelyne Award by The Magic Circle
It all started for Terry at the tender age of eleven, when his father showed him the Snapper Trick… after repeated attempts, he finally cracked open the cunning secret to this little device, and also opened up his life long love of magic.
He developed his skills with the Ernest Sewell box of Magic, the Marvin’s Magic of the day, and performed his first dhow aged fourteen, joining a total of 4 concert parties, mainly doing shows for charity.
He was a member of the Boys Magicians Club, where due to his name constantly being in the local paper, he won lots of five shilling vouchers, which he spent on magic tricks.
His real work of learning the entertainment business started at Butlins, as a Redcoat in 1956… he finished there as Entertainment manager in 1965, but not before meeting his very lovely wife to be, Avril.
He then went on to work as the publicity and promotions manager at Streatham Ice Rink, then moved on as Sales manager at Meccano, and Mattel Toys.
In 1976, at the age of 41, he took the plunge, with Avril’s support, and turned professional as a magician.
Highlights of Terrys magical career are too many to mention here, but suffice to say numerous TV appearances, the creation of the silent comedy act, The Great Fiasco, the release of the definitive video on Childrens Entertainment, ‘ Childrens Magic the Herbert Way’, and the later release of ‘ Childrens Magic for under 5’s ‘, have all helped to create the legend that is Terry Herbert.
I have tried to precis the loads of work done by David and Cora, but inevitably I have missed some points out, so apologies to all involved.
What I wanted to do here was to try to bring an understanding of what our two most senior members have achieved for the world of Magic….
The magic world really does owe Janet Clare and Terry Herbert an enormous debt of gratitude, and I am immensely proud to have them both as members of the Kent Magicians Guild.
Many thanks to Ricardo for the photos.
Mike
Paul Gordon Lecture Review
Yet another excellent night at the KMG !!!
Last night we were entertained by the extremely competent Paul Gordon, close up magician, author, entertainer and lecturer, who brought along his many years of experience of inventing and performing card magic.
Please dont think Paul is just a card magician… his lecture was peppered with excellent one liners, funny stories, some made up, some factual, but all very amusing.
Paul has spent the last @ 50 years of his life developing routines that dont need loads of sleights… it might have been Dai Vernon, ( but Im happy to be corrected ), who said he spent years developing card sleights, then spent years trying to work out ways of eliminating those sleights.
So what we got with Paul was a collection of his card effects, all very much audience tested, all very entertaining, and most importantly, all within the reach of anyone who can hold a pack of cards.
Pauls delights included Shocked Aces, Old Wine new Bottles, Killer Mystery Card, a lovely routine well worth learning, Easy Ace Estimation, which the lovely Sophie helped with, and easily cut to an Ace, showing how effective the routine is, The Return of the Muleshoe Gambler, a very nice gambling routine with a captivating and funny story, Smack in the Face, Killer OMG, Matching your Drinks, and the lovely and very popular, Corner of Piccadilly.
All these effects are either in book form, or available as downloads or packet effects from his website, http://www.paulgordon.net/shop
He also explained the jog shuffle, a beautiful way of controlling a card to the top, while apparently giving the deck a good shuffle… also, his method of sighting the bottom card of the deck was extremely clean.
They were the effects, but that is not the magic of Paul Gordon… the real magic is his performance style, the timing of his lines, his misdirection, the simplicity of his work, and those small points which make him stand out as a top international card worker.
I would totally recommend the Paul Gordon lecture to all magic clubs.. this was a top performance by a top card entertainer.
Paul was accompanied on the night by his lovely wife Judy, who as well as providing the glamour to the evening, was there to assist Paul in setting up and setting down.
Many thanks Paul and Judy for another top night at the KMG
Photos kindness of Ricardo Morilla
Terry Herberts Swan Song Lecture.
Let this be a lesson to all…. age is not a barrier to performance.
Last night at the KMG we witnessed on of the best nights at the Kent Magicians Guild… certainly the busiest.
An audience of over 50 came along to watch the amazing Terry Herbert, and he did not disappoint.
His name was enough to bring in some top names… James Freedman, Edward Hilsum, David Wilde, Paul Abbey, Mike Cassidy, Janette Page, Ian Thom, Mike Sullivan, Robert Pound… the list goes on.
Apologies from Marvin Berglas ( President of the Magic Circle ) and Philip Partridge, ( President of the IBM ) both of whom would have liked to have been there, but were unable to attend.
Joe Pasquale rang up during the lecture to wish Terry all the best.
Thanks also to the Medway Magic Society, and the Bexley Magic Club, for coming out to support this amazing lecture.
Terry performed his close up magic, those effects that he does so well…
The card trick I know as Fred, a name a card effect, very nice, not often seen now, and I have no idea why… its a great card trick and very mystifying to the lay people.
Then he borrowed a £10 note, which vanished… loads of laughter as he moved into the Chop Cup, a simple to follow routine culminating in the production of a lime and a tomato… still no sign of the borrowed £10 note.
Then a very workable Chase the Ace routine, which Terry has streamlined to make it easier to follow… still no £10 note, and by now I think Jim, who lent Terry the note, was starting to think he would never see it again.
Into the Egg Bag, another classic that Terry does so well, with all kinds of funny lines, then a beautiful card effect using a blank deck… its based on an Aldo Colombini effect, but again Terry has given it his magic touch to turn it into a miracle… loads of excellent audience response to this, after which Terry very generously shared the workings with us, the first time he had ever explained it.
Finally, Terry produced a Waffle shaker, ( Pepper Pot ) and inside the pepper pot , much to Jim’s relief… was the £10 note.
Terry’s handling of the effects was masterful, full of perfectly timed jokes and one liners.
The second half was a brief explanation of the effects, his philosophy behind his thinking, then a question and answer session. Again very entertaining, the audience hung on his every word.
He explained his thoughts behind making magic entertaining, how to capture an audience round table for example, and get them interested and involved from the start of his performance.
It must be noted that throughout the first half, about 35 minutes, Terry stood the whole time… and amazing achievement for him with his aches and pains.
Sadly, the evening had to finish, but not before Terry received a very long and very well deserved standing ovation… the first time I think I had seen this at our club.
This was billed as his swan song lecture, but Im not convinced… all the time Terry Herbert is able to entertain at this level, he will always have an audience.
Many thanks Terry Herbert, you are a blooming marvel.
Special thanks to Miki Travis for videoing the lecture.
Photos to follow
Mike Ingham
Proud to be President of the Kent Magicians Guild
Review of the KMG Summer Buffet meeting.
When the KMG has a at home night, the members always step up, and last night was no exception.
A varied and fun night, kicked off by David, opening with his hilarious sight gags, you are always going to laugh when David is on.
About 8 ( I lost count to be honest ) visual gags which started the evening off perfectly… these were followed with Davids Dingle Dangle Chinese stick routine… a very funny routine which David manages to elecit loads of audience participation… you had to be there, but a room full of adults shouting Dingle, or Dangle became funnier as it went on… very good.
Following David was Carl Sterba, a new member who I think is going to be an excellent member.
He specialises in a Chinese act, think Jeff Mcbride, ( who is Carls mentor ), and last night he treated us to a very nice act.
Various silk effects, a very nice cut and restored rope routine, and an intriguing spinning dice zombie routine which I think no one had seen before, as it is a very unusual prop…. good use of the stage, lovely set up, all in all very nice. Welcome Carl to the KMG.
Up next was Nigel, another performer the KMG is lucky to have.
He opened with the Cords on Tube, a mystifying effect with a cardboard tube and a length of rope. Knots were tied around the tube then they disappeared. He then did the repeat with a Perspex tube, when he found the knots. Then knots on rope, with a coiled rope.
Nigel finished his routine with the Whole Hole Card, which I think was a Darryl effect… a very funny routine with loads of surprises… lovely !!!
Terry Herbert had the crowd rolling with his Pyschokenisis effect… a lovely effect whereby a card is chosen from a regular deck, then by thought alone, the duplicate card rises from a jumbo deck…. needless to say, Terry had us all laughing through the routine.
Then a break when we had a lovely buffet with various drinks, alcohol and soft drinks, all arranged by Colin and Gloria… a lovely spread which all members enjoyed.
Colin opened the 2nd half, with the Dream bag, with the funniest routine I have seen done with it… brilliant routine, great audience participation, it really was an excellent effect. He finished his act with a pateo force Just Chance, starring the amazing Cora… this was another very funny routine that Colin worked to perfection. I think Cora was very upset not to win a night out with Colin… 
Mick Turrel was up next, I always say this, I really like Micks presentations. Last night he hit the mark again,
Getting Lilly up ( one of Davids daughters), he performed a lovely door key release effect, which I hadn’t seen before. The key came of the key ring, and finished up on a piece of cord in his pocket.. very nice.
Mick finished his act with a very nice card revelation…. all very good stuff.
Closing the night was Steve Day, another brilliant performer, and another brilliant performance.
A very funny Rocky Racoon effect, with the help of Emily, ( Davids other daughter ), Rocky found her chosen card… by smell alone !!!
Then a lovely Chinese Ring Routine, with Emily performing it as well… a bit like Pop Haydns routine… excellent.
Steve finished with a finger ring ( Emilys ) vanish with the revelation in a nest of boxes… again a very well put together routine..
Thanks to all the performers, and thanks to all the guests who came along…. I think they all had a fabulous night.
Great fun, a great night, and a great magic club.
Photos to follow.
Cheers
Review 25th June 2024
Tag Night
Another excellent night last night, this one organised by Geoff Partner.
It was a Magic Tag Night, with performers from each table moving around to perform at other tables, then swapping around.
What this produced was more members than ever before performing magic.. I didn’t get to see all the amazing magic being performed, there was just too much.
From memory, and please forgive me if I miss anyone out, the performers were :
Colin and Gloria Perrotton, David Akhurst, Geoff Partner, Terry Herbert, Janet Clare, Steve Day, Dave Andrews, Michael Flegg, Chris Batten, Ricardo Morillo, Mick Turrell, Nigel Roberts, Mike Ingham, Brian Lloyd, Chris.
I was lucky enough to see David perform his sight gags and the deck round neck effect, which I think was a Lynn Thomas effect, but I might be wrong. David always goes down very well at the club.
Also Dave Andrews doing phone magic, which blew me away… amazing effects on the phone.Ask to see his effect with the mind reader revealing a number… UNBELEIVABLE !!!
Gloria performed the Dice – integration effect, whereby a large dice suddenly breaks into loads of small dice, then Zig Zag Card… both effects very nicely performed.
Michael Flegg showed me a gorgeous sandwich effect, with my chosen card appearing between two aces… excellent handling, I saw no dodgy moves, but the moves were there… again excellent work.
Chris Batten joined the club @ year ago (?)… he has really come on with his magic, and performed two lovely card effects from the Royal Road to card Magic… and he performed them with his own spin on them, which were both excellent… cant believe how Chris is developing.
Terry performed the Corner of Piccadilly, a lovely Paul Gorden effect… Terry performed with his usual professionalism and humour.. always great to watch. Just a reminder that Paul Gordon is lecturing for us in September, please dont miss that, it will be a very entertaining evening.
Brian performed a very mystifying card effect, I have no idea how he did it, but it was very entertaining.
I had an over the shoulder view of Mick performing a card on silk revelation, which went down very well, I also saw a video of Mick performing on Opportunity Knocks with Bob Monkhouse… do check this out if its on youtube, it is a very slick act.
I think that was all the acts I caught, but the buzz round the room was excellent… so many amazing performances.. a really successful night, many thanks to Geoff for organising it.
As a start to the evening, I was proud to present Janet Clare with the trophy for the Parlour Magic Competition, which was held last month… Janet was a very worthy winner.
Ricardo photographed the moment, so I will post that photo, along with others that Ricardo took last night of the performers.
A brilliant night, loads of fun and magic… my perfect evening.
Thank you to you all who make this club what it is.
Cheers
St Thomas’s School PTA Show 15th June 2024
A massive thank you to our members, David, Colin, Nigel, Geoff and Janet for doing the KMG proud at St Thomas’s School last Saturday.
Despite the rain, our intrepid quintet entertained the folks at the school annual fair… a great fundraiser for St Thomas’s, and for us too.
Thanks to their generous gift of time and skills, the KMG earned enough money to pay for more top lectures in 2025… details to follow. Its going to be an exciting year.
Thanks to all who were able to take part, the school were very happy with what you did.
Thanks to Nigel for taking the photos.
Cheers
Mike
Review of May meeting.. The Parlour Magic Competition
Another fab night at the KMG, this month it was the Parlour Magic Competition, and we were lucky to have some excellent performers.
First up was Janet Clare, performing some lovely effects, including the Spot Card, Egg bag, Colour Changing Silks and the Chinese Sticks.
Janet has a very nice performing style, with carefully considered routines to accompany the effects. There were quite a few funny lines in there too… Janet attributes her success as a performer to the late great Ken Brooke, who taught her many of the routines.
All in all, Janet is an excellent performer, and we were all delighted when the judges awarded her the winners trophy.
Next up was Mick Turrell…… always a top performer, Mick started off with a lovely spike through spoon effect, which then turns into a fork.. Ive not seen this effect before, and Mick presented it with his usual gentlemanly approach, peppered with some lovely conversational laughter lines… This was followed by an excellent sponge ball routine, which Mick does so well… I was burning his hands for the fake transfers, but I couldn’t see anything that gave it away… another great performance from this lovely man.
Steve Day is a funny and very competent performer, another one of the KMGs star performers. Steve started off with a lovely standing ovation gag, which was new to me…. he followed this with a fabulous bottle production, then a very unusual routine involving broken glass, a pair of thumb cuffs, and a very dangerous card location… the card ended up in Steves wallet…. it was a very nicely routined effect, finishing off with a flash cash type of effect, whereby a pad of one liner jokes turns into a pile of money.
I was on next, and performed a business card printing effect, followed by coins to glass, a quick Chuckle Brothers card trick gag, finishing with Flux, a card effect where the ink on a card moves about.
Next up was Geoff Partner, who opened with a great opening gag, then produced a bottle of beer… very nicely linking the two effects together… he then performed the cards through hanky effect, which I love.. Geoff managed to get three cards to penetrate the hanky, one at a time. Then a different card effect to finish…. Geoff is another performer who has a lovely style about him… He is fairly new to magic, and I have to say he is developing into a very good performer.
Dave Andrews won the runner up position… Dave is another great magician, with such a lovely style about him… he is instantly likeable when he performs, with a funny and very heart warming approach.
He opened with Silk to Rose, which tied in with his gardening background. This was followed by a very nice cut and restored ribbon in a flash… just really lovely magic.
He then produced a goldfish into a glass of water, followed by a self cutting deck card revelation, which matched another card chosen by someone else… very clever.
The climax to Dave’s act was the production of a magnificent card castle, with one card falling away… it was the same card as had been chosen.
A really great act, more than worthy of the runners up position.
Finally came Steve Clark, who performed with his usual enthusiasm and mind boggling effects… Steve is a very fast performer, and he fooled me with a lovely coins through table effect, then a very nice sponge ball effect, followed by a cups and balls routine.
Its always good to see Steve perform, he loves performing, and it shows through with every performance.
Many thanks to David Akhurst, who compared the show and performed the master of ceremony role… there is no one better at doing this role, David is a natural, with his funny lines and very quick ad libs, he kept the evening moving along nicely.
Finally, a big thank you to our judges, the one and only Mike Bonfield, and our lay judge Mark, who I think made the right decision in awarding the trophy to Janet, in the face of some very strong acts.
Also thanks to Ricardo for taking photos, which I will post on Facebook and the website, www.kentmagiciansguild.co.uk as soon as I get them.
Next months meeting is a Tag Magic Evening, organised by Geoff… more details to follow.
Finally, can I just say how proud I am of the KMG… I feel we are a very friendly and talented group of performers with a common purpose… to ensure magic and friendship go hand in hand as we take the club forwards..
Many thanks to you all
Mike Ingham
Next Meeting 28th May 2024
The next meeting will be the KMG Parlour Magic Competition… its not too late to enter if you would like to have a go.
Entrants to date are :
Janet Clare
Mick Turrell
Steve Day
Mike Ingham
Geoff Partner
Dave Andrews
Rocky Steve Clark
Its shaping up to be a very exciting competition.
See you there Mike
Graham Jolley’s review from last night.
Graham Jolley’s comedic mentalism at the Kent Magicians Club was a riotous delight. With Al Koran’s influence evident, Graham’s performance seamlessly blended mind-bending feats with uproarious humour. His masterful control over the audience’s thoughts left us spellbound and chuckling in equal measure.
A true gem in the world of magic.
Graham played to a packed room, I dont remember having such a large crowd at the KMG….. many thanks to all the guests who turned up to support the night, too numerous to name, but I hope you all had an enjoyable evening.
A nice final touch for Graham was the presentation, by Janet Clare, of an unopened box of Al Koran playing cards, given to her 50 years ago by Ken Brooke, on the proviso she never opened them… she kept to her word, and was able to pass the deck over to Graham, who greatly appreciated them.
Big thanks to David Akhurst for performing the master of ceremony roll, to Sophie the Ninja raffle ticket salesperson, and to all our members who continue to make our club great.
Here’s a couple of photos of the great man, one with Colin Perrotton as a volunteer, and the second one showing Graham Jolley being presented with the Al Koran deck by Janet Clare.
Next month is the Parlour Magic Competition, open to all our members……. more details to follow.
Cheers
Mike Ingham
Photos courtesy of Ricardo Morillo
Next Meeting 30th April 2024
The amazing Graham Jolley.
This is going to be another mega evening… please let everyone know, Graham Jolley is lecturing at the Kent magicians Guild on the 30th April….
This will be another top lecture, definitely not to be missed.
See you there
Mike Ingham
Last nights Auction Night.
March 26th 2024
Terry Herbert and Miki Travis for doing sterling work as the auctioneers. You kept the evening moving along, with jokes and laughs along the way.
Thanks to Ken Francis, John Horn, Sarah Campbell from South London Magic Society, and Rick ( sorry, didn’t get your surname Rick ) for coming along and supporting our ever growing club. Please do come along more often, its always fab to see new people.
Also always good to see Graham Lee, thanks for supporting this night.
Also thanks to all our members who bought items along to sell, and to everyone who took part in the bidding of the items.
A good fun night.
Cheers
Last Meeting review 27th February 2024
Fab meeting last night, many thanks to all who performed… 9 performers in total… brilliant !!!
Its good that we now have the funds to get some top lecturers in, thanks to all the Stag Theatre Show entertainers who give up their time to support the club.. the KMG owes you all a massive debt of gratitude.
My favourite evenings tho, are those like last night, with members doing it for themselves.
The magic, the jokes, the banter all go to make it a totally fun evening, and last night was one the best.
Terry Herbert opened the show, with his variations on the invisible deck… very nice routine, only bettered in my opinion by his second effect, which allowed for loads of comedy and byplay.
He had a real invisible deck, which he handed out, loads of jokes re shuffling , take the cards out of the box first, all great comedy. Then he handed out an invisible marker, more comedy, then asked the volunteer to write an invisible cross on the invisible card with the invisible marker…. finally having the invisible cards thrown back and caught in a net bag, where they suddenly become a real pack.
Chosen card is found in the pack with a cross on it… very nice !!!
As always with Terry, a very comedic routine for a relatively easy effect.
Next up was Stephen Clark, or Rocky to his friends… Steve did a lovely swapping pen routine, which he explained was an old trick he had gone back to.
This was followed by ropes through neck… not his neck, but the lovely Pams’ neck… very nicely done.
Nigel Roberts followed, with a mystifying knot in rope routine, using 3 volunteers all trying to sneeze knots into various pieces of rope… you had to be there… . A lovely effect which Nigel attributed to the late great Daryl. Finally he sneezed onto another piece of rope. and the middle vanished… just the rope dangling down with no middle… all very nice and very workable for all ages.
David Akhurst ( Akardo ), then entertained us all with his latest additions to his absolutely amazing Flea Circus… all created from Davids weird mind, we saw fleas perform barrel rolling, tight rope walking, ten pin bowling, ball balancing, and various ways of walking a tightrope with umbrellas, ladders, bar bells and I’m sure loads more that I dont recall…..
David finished with a lovely nut and bolt release, all done by fleas of course…
He puts so much thought and enthusiasm behind everything he does… just brilliant !!!
Then the interval, when we celebrated Glorias birthday with cakes… 
Then the second half, opened by Colin, who performed a finger ring on rope escape, finally ending up on a wand while being held by 2 volunteers.. ( the rope and wand, not Colin… ).
Colin finished off his section with a similar card effect to Terrys, but with a card chosen from a sealed deck, which when opened was the only card with his signature on…. really nice effect. Always a crowd pleaser is Colin.
Young Mick ( Terry ), ,was up next… Mick Turrell, who is a brilliant member, did a lovely sponge ball routine, with a very nice coin production built into it…
His fake transfer of a sponge ball is just lovely, and I have to say it fooled me more than once…..
Denise then performed her Rubik’s Cube Die box routine, which is a very entertaining routine with a fabulously deceptive cube… the prop itself is beautiful, but as with all our equipment, its nothing without the right presentation, and Denise’s routine was absolutely fantastic…. a great lesson in entertaining older children and adults.
Steve Day next, performing a very baffling card effect, a dual card control and revelation including a lovely vanish of a torn card… a great trick, handling was very smooth by Steve… here is another member who the club is lucky to have…
Last up was Brian Lloyd, who performed an interesting card trick, with his normal style… then he showed us the bargain of the century, 28 packs of cards, presumably gimmicked pack, that he picked up for… £10.
Regrettably, I forgot to take any photos, so caught up was I in the evening, so my apologies to all present.
A mega thank you again to all our members and performers, its you that make our club great.
Many thanks
Mike
KMG Stag Show 17th February 2024 Report
Well, what an amazing show the KMG put on for the good folk of Sevenoaks.
It was a complete sell out, which obviously generates revenue to spend on top lectures and keeps the club financially very stable, so an enormous thank you to all who took part.
Mrs Back to Front opened, and what a brilliant opening act…. in her beautiful costume, she took to the stage in her bubbly manner, performing the Mouse House and getting gales of laughter for her Mismade Flag routine, complete with all the comedy bits and pieces… always a fantastic act.
Next up was Nigel and Billy Badger… just a brilliant puppet routine which Nigel absolutely nails, with his comedy timing, expressions and lovely way with the very naughty Billy… adults and children were laughing and very much enjoying Nigels act…. one of my favourite acts.
David closed the first half with the Toilet Paper game… but that says little to how much David contributed to the show… he was there to help organise the event, he compared, with comedy effects between each act, he was there to help move props about, he is such an important element of all our events. His costume is lovely, I have to say I think David thrives when in this role, and Im not sure if we could do the shows without him.
Half time interval, and Geoff Partner and Michael Flegg did a great job during this time, and at the start, of entertaining the crowds with walk about close up magic… it is a lovely way to engage the audience, and I could see they were going down really well. A special thanks to Mike, as this was his first time performing.
Second half, I opened with my Bee hat, a routine Im putting together, and the Top Hat Bunny Routine.
Next up was Colin, and he was perfect, as his effects delighted the children and adults. Colin performed his lovely lights routine, which is always a crowd pleaser, then finished with Kovaris Passing Water… Colin brought this routine to life, with so many comedy lines I lost count… everyone was laughing, and he had the ideal volunteer who joined in the fun… just brilliant.!!!
To close the show, the finale, Miki the Clown. Miki was another stalwart, performing his plate spinning routine at the very start of the show, as people were arriving, and he really did not stop entertaining all the time we were there.
His finale act was bright, funny, enthusiastic, everything you expect from a professional entertainer… funny for the adults too, and Mikis quick wit and constant lines are just amazing… his handling of the children for his silk routine was hysterical… then quickly made balloon animals for his volunteers.
All in all, it was a brilliant show, so a massive thank you to all who gave up their time to put on this feast of magic and entertainment.
Big thank you to Gloria too, for manning the merchandise stall, and taking pictures and videos. Always lovely to see Gloria.
Cheers for now, next meeting 27th Feb, in the upstairs foyer, it going to be a Show and Tell evening, so please bring something along.
See you then,
Mike
Review of our January 2024 Club night
Review of last nights meeting… Chris Frost
Well, what an amazing evening.
Chris Frost really knows his business… he is a good singer, an excellent ventriloquist and a very good magician to boot.
I think its fair to say that everyone in the room enjoyed Chris’s style of performance… he had some lovely effects of his own making. The Wizard of Oz book test has got to be the simplest and cheapest book test around. I was also impressed with his magic spell book, but he didn’t bring any of those to sell, otherwise I would have had one of those too !!!
Chris opened with the aforementioned book test, then performed the spell book…. then his performance really took of with a very funny Pom Pom Stick routine… very well worked, very fast and very very good.
Then a bit about his days as a salesman then trainer of magicians at Hamleys, with a sponge ball pitch that would work really well on the street…. fabulous work.
Next a torn and restored stuffed rabbit, with a super size change bag… lovely routine.
Chris followed this with a sponge ball in balloon idea… I used to do this years ago with a silk in balloon, but the sponge ball worked really well.
The first half finished with the 21stCentury Phantom cut out, a nice routine culminating in a very precise cut out of Bugs Bunny.
Chris uses music throughout his act, and he has very well chosen tracks, which definitely enhance his style of performance.
The second half Chris showed some of his close up magic, again very good. A lovely popcorn mental effect, and a fabulous variation of the invisible deck, called Point Blank.
Then Chris entertained us with his top vent act, featuring his puppet, the Cheese Monster… excellent vent work and a very funny routine. He then vented singing a really fast song… just perfect technique.
Finally he sang a couple of songs… and he sang them really well…… a true professional.
All in all, an incredible evening to start the year off with, many thanks to Chris, and to all members who were there last night. For those who couldn’t make it, you really missed a treat.
Cheers
Mike
Review of our November club night
What a fabulous night it was again at the KMG.
It was the traditional Christmas in November party, as we dont meet in December.
A night full of magic, music, comedy, impressions and total mirth. A massive thank you to all who contributed, in fact to everyone who attended this special night.
First a big thanks to Denise and Gloria for the lovely spread of food… it was a great selection and all very tasty.
David Akardo, stated off the nights fun with an array of musical treats… his home made drum machine created lots of interest, and it was put to good use for pretty much the whole evening.
He delighted the audience with a few opening melodies from well known songs, which we had to guess…. no difficulty there as David is also an accomplished musician.
He then involved the audience by handing out song sheets and percussion instruments, and we all joined in the music… I think his only mistake was putting me in charge of the washboard….. me, a man with no rhythm. Still, it was a great time , and with his very funny sight gags and one liners, David started the evening off in style.
Next up was Steve ( Rocky ) with the lovely Pam, and Steve surprised us all by doing impressions of famous people… Cilla Black, Frank Spencer and many others, while Pam did some juggling and danced around the stage. Excellent work from them both.
Miki Travis was next up, telling jokes and performing a couple of magic tricks, including a very funny card effect he once made up on the spot while performing for a group of health workers ( I think ), who demanded he carry on performing.
Miki has such a lovely way with any audience, he had us laughing from the start to the finish of his act.
A proper seasoned pro, and it shows.
Then a break for the buffet. And the lovely Sophie got busy selling the raffle tickets. Sophie is the number one raffle seller, who can resist her charms with a book of numbers in her fair hand. Thank you Sophie for all the work you do throughout he year.
Colin opened up the second half, with a lovely card effect, and a very mystifying rope routine… it is always great to see Colin work, another stalwart of the KMG. Thanks Colin for everything you do.
Next up was Mick Turrell… Mick has a lovely style about him, and he did a very nice streamer in hand effect, followed by a very festive Christmas Cracker Just Chance effect, complete with corny jokes… he went down very well.
I performed the street version of the cups and balls routine, which seemed to go down well… sadly in my enthusiasm I managed to break my wand…. Hey ho !!!
Last up was one of my favourites, Nigel and Billy badger.
Always a crowd pleaser, Nigel’s interaction with Billy is just magical… A hilarious routine with Billy sticking his head where he wasn’t supposed to and getting it chopped off…. all worked out well in the end tho, and Billy lives to create more havoc in the future.
The chopper Nigel put into that act was first class… a lovely piece.
Terry Herbert was there doing close up magic, although it was such a packed evening he sadly didn’t have very much time to perform… my wife Hev said he did some in the early evening, and he was as ever, brilliant… not my words, but the words Hev.
Thanks to Ricardo for all the work he does photographing our evenings …. photos of last night to follow.
Many thanks to all who attended, and brought their friends and relatives… I counted just over 40 people there, so that was a great turnout.
Next meeting is January 30th 2024…
See you then,
Have a great one
Mike
RIP David Berglas
On hearing the sad news of the passing of former Magic Circle President David Berglas, Reg Martin, out Honorary Life President, found this certificate from David thanking us for our contribution to the Magic Circle Fundraising Appeal in 1993.
We thought it would be nice for our members to see it.
Review of our October Club Night
Well what another fabulous evening…
I feel desperately sorry for those who are missing out on our club nights… we offer magic of all sorts at every level.
In the past year, we have had lectures by David Penn, Bertie Pearce, Ian Keable, Terry Herbert, Robert Pound, Mike Sullivan, and Andrew Smith… all top names who have very generously shared their knowledge and expertise.
The last meeting was no exception… not 1 but 2 star acts, came along to talk about their lives and show us the magic they have made their names with.
First up was Janet Clare… Janet is probably the most important woman in magic…. She campaigned tirelessly to get the Magic Circle to allow women to join, she is Member of Inner Magic Circle with Gold Star and recently awarded Honorary Membership of The Magic Circle.
December 1992 Janet performed Close up at the English National Ballet Nutcracker Ball at the Foreign Office working the top table headed by Princess Diana.
Janet was also an entrant to FISM in 1988, where she received a commendation for her act, which included the much talked about vanish of a Lear jet !!!
On Tuesday, she spoke about how lay people are interested in our magic lives, and spoke about her life to us… it was very interesting.
She finished her half with some of her favourite effects, including the Professors Nightmare, Egg Bag, Chinese Sticks, and the Spot card .
All fun effects, carried out perfectly.
Next up was Mike Alan… Mike is now a street performer, having run his agency, Hey Presto, for many years.
Mike was a professional Clown, performing virtually everywhere in the UK and around the world, with his clown partner Matto… together they were the Eurpoa Clowns, and extremely successful they were too.
Mike shared some very important tips and techniques for working on the street, something he has done very successfully for over 10 years…
He had memories of some of the greats of Street Magic, Gazzo, Cellini, Johnny Hawks, Jimmy Haviland…
He then showed us some of his working effects, including his spin on the Tossed Out Deck, Comedy Card to Wallet, and finishing with his beautifully worked Balls and Hat.
Mike was also very well received by a very good crowd of KMG members.
A big thank you to both out lecturers for yet another top night.
Mike Ingham
Photos courtesy of Ricardo Morilla
Review of September Club Night
What a great turnout last night for yet another fabulous evening at the KMG.
We were very lucky to have Andrew Paul Smith as our lecturer, ( business manager at Alakazam Magic ), and he certainly did us proud.
Starting with a beutiful card revelation and a changing card effect, from the first moment he started, we knew this was a quality lecture.
Andrew spoke about the importance of the opening trick when approaching tables, and this one effect certainly hit the spot… very visual, and a lovely change… audiences must wonder whats hit them.
Andrew followed this up with a lovely 4 ace revelation, including a very nice false cut… simple but as long as the misdirection is right, this is a beautiful move.
Another 4 ace production, this one in 4 spectators hands… I think he said it was called A Cut Above, definitely worth checking out.
A few novelty items followed, including a flash thumb, a silicon ear and a ketchup bottle… all nice gags.
Then came a brilliant 1 ahead mental effect, but so well covered it would be impossible for a lay person to work it out…
Then for me the best of the best… a beautiful 3 coin effect whereby the coins just vanished one by one… Andrews own handling, but a real joy to behold.
Finally he demmed Mark Pauls Pin …. a lovely effect to round off a top quality lecture.
I would not hesitate to recommend this lecture to other clubs… as well as being an excellent performer, Andrew is full of really useful advice re practise, and about knowing who you are, which is important in developing your own style.
A really top evening which was enjoyed by all,
Many thanks to Andrew for coming along.
Cheers
Photos courtesy of Ricardo Morilla. Thanks Ricardo.
Review of the August Club Night
Oh What a Night……
Thanks to all members for last night.. it was an amazing night at the KMG.
An excellent turnout, with over 30 people there, and a total of 11 performers… I cant remember such a busy evening.
David Akhurst compered the show, as brilliantly as ever, he then performed a very funny decapitation of his favourite rabbit toy… you had to be there !!! He then showed a couple of gimmicks he had made up for spinning a ball and a top hat on his fingertip, all very good.
Next up was Rocky, ably assisted by the lovely Pam, with a variety of effects he had created himself.. Rocky’s enthusiasm is a joy to behold, and he certainly had some foolers in there.
Nigel next, with a very entertaining and baffling mental effect… always great to see Nigel work.
He was followed by Janet Clare, who performed the Egg bag, based on a Ken Brooke routine…taught to her by ken brook himself. Its always good to see the classics performed in such a professional manner… a short but entertaining routine.
Closing the first half was Terry Herbert, always a legend. This time Terry performed a card to wallet, very nicely done, I didnt see the method… and as always with Terry, he had a lovely story, about when he performed that effect for the King of Monaco…
A break for the raffle, then back into the action…
Colin opened the second half, with a walking knot effect… easy to do but very nice.. I might be putting that into my act.
Chris Batten, a fairly new member, performed a lovely Titanic effect, whereby two volunteers ( myself and Mick , ) choose from a bulk of pictures of people based on whether or not we were attracted to them… at the end, all the ones I chose had survived the sinking of the Titanic, all the cards Mick chose had sadly drowned… a fab effect that totally mystified me…
Geoff Partner performed an excellent nut of string routine, again very mystifying… its always good to see Geoff perform, he has a lovely laid back manner.
David Andrews was up next, with a very convincing vanishing bottle of wine, from which he had previously poured a glass of wine from.. ( and drank !!! 
), followed by a jumbo invisible deck.. lovely.
Mick Turrell performed a 3 card selection, revealing them through a series of paper cuts in a piece of newspaper… a lovely effect, presented in that lovely manner that Mick has.
I closed the evening with a professors nightmare routine .
All in all a brilliant night, thanks again to all the performers, you really made it a night to remember.
Cheers
Photos courtesy of Ricardo Morillo
August 29th Club Night
Next meeting is coming up fast… as the summer months are quieter, due to holidays etc, we tend to have more members nights…
True to form, this next meeting will be another members performing for other members night… I think these are great fun, and also allow people to try out some new or not so often used effects.
I will be performing a couple of rope effects and a very nice mental routine… well, I like it anyway… Terry is bringing something along, I wont tell you what it is , but you know if its Terry, its going to be fabulous.
Colin is going to do his walking knot routine, Rocky has a new miracle he cant wait to show us… Im also hoping Denise will be doing a little something too…
Please bring something along.. you know we are all magic fans, and love to see anything performed.. help make the evening memorable.
September meeting, we have an excellent lecturer…. more news to follow on that one, but please keep your diary free on the 26th… I promise you wont be disappointed.
See you Tuesday,
Cheers
Mike
KMG July 2023
A massive thank you to Roy Mackenzie, Uncle Mac, for filling in at the last minute as Colin was going to be unavailable for a mini lecture. As it happened, Colin was able to get there, due to his holiday destination being in the middle of the enormous forest fires in Rhodes.
Roy did a sterling job, entertaining in his usual inimitable style… I always like to see Roy perform, he is a no nonsense type of performer who uses his humour to bring all his effects to life.
After a few words of wisdom, only learnt from working professionally, like always play to the whole audience, and when choosing a name, check the web address is available and that no one else is using that name, Roy went on to impress the audience with some lovely bits of magic.
He showed us the leftie deck, a pack of cards printed with indices on the right, useful if you are a left handed magician.. interestingly he had the cards examined, and no one spotted what was different about them.
Then a nice routine with a miniature change bag.. lovely because it fits in your pocket, and very useful for vanishing silks or other small items.
A lovely 8 ball effect with a very brazen ball steal.. very nice and very easy.
The best mental log type of effect I have seen, one of only two made by the Wood Wizard in Staffordshire… a fabulous effect which shows the performer as a master mathematician…. Once you know the secret it is stunningly simple, but Roy sold it very well.
The second half was me, showing some of my favourite gambling routines… The 3 Shell Game, Find the Lady 3 card trick, and some smaller card effects. Thanks to all who were there, I think we all had a good time.
Many thanks again to Ricardo for the photos.
Last meeting Coins, Banknotes and Balls… June 27th
I’m really enjoying the club nights, where the members perform and entertain other members.
We have some excellent performers, with big personalities, who are able to make their routines enjoyable to all.
This week was coin, banknote or ball trick, and we had 6 members up and performing.
First up was Jonathan… Jonathan was a member from the old Bat and Ball days, and it is so good to have him back again.
He performed a lovely coin effect, which started out as a copper and silver routine, but he kept removing coins, which mysteriously kept returning to his hand. A lovely presentation, with a great kicker ending.. . Later on Jonathan also showed a very nice linking card effect, with a fabulous gag…
Next up was Nigel, who showed some lovely effects, including coin to ball, a nice twist on the silver copper routine. This was followed by a very nice coin through silk routine, finishing his act with a bank note penetration, which he showed the workings of… brilliantly simple but so effective.
Next up was Colin, a stalwart of the club.. he performed a beautiful coin deck effect, with the coin finding a chosen card in a deck… lovely trick… Colin finished with a pen through coin routine, including a sliding hole… just visually stunning.
After the break, Steve ( Rocky ) Clarke was up, and performed with his lovely assistant Pam. Steve opened up with a coin purse gag, then Pam blew some bubbles and Steve produced a coin from them. His act finished with the Bermuda Triangle coin vanish… well done Steve, very nice work as always.
Brian Lloyd performed his banknote switch, always nice to see Brian work, good humour and nice cover for this effect.
Last up was Mick Turrell, a performer I really enjoy watching.
Mick did a lovely Just Chance effect, which was very clean and had me baffled…. he followed this up with a lovely coin effect. Excellent work, Mick is such a natural performer, with a great stage presence.
All in all a really fun night, many thanks to all who turned up, and a special thank you to all the performers.
Next meeting July 25th.
Cheers Mike
REPORT OF KMG PTA SHOW AT ST THOMAS CATHOLIC SCHOOL, SEVENOAKS. 17TH JUNE 2023
Well what can I say… ? An amazing event which the KMG was happy to support.
Many thanks to those who took part in the School Summer Fete with me. Colin , David, Nigel, Geoff, Ricardo and Janet Clare.
Colin, Geoff, David, Ricardo and myself performed close up walkabout magic, whilst Janet and Nigel did an amazing job of selling and demming the merchandise. Total sales were £72.50…
David, Nigel and myself finished off by performing a 40 minute show..
David compered and performed a juggling act, Nigel brought the house down with his Billy Badger routine, starring the very naughty Billy Badger. I finished off with a mixed magic act .
So another big thank you to all involved.
Another special thank you to Ricardo for taking the photos…
May 30th Meeting.
It sounds like I missed a really good night of KMG members doing it for themselves. I know these are always fun nights, plus it gives members a chance to perform in front of a live audience, so always very useful.
These notes are a bit vague, as I wasn’t there to make any proper notes, but many thanks to David for running the evening and talking me through who did what.
First up was David, the king of the sight gags, showing what you could make up for under a couple of pounds.
From the frog in the mouth gag ( literally !!! ), to the watch winder, he had his mothers eyes, and the old Tomato ketchup/ string joke, to filling in his CV, loads of visual humour Im sure everyone was able to take something away… David finished with the sponge ball out of purse frame.
Next up was Denise, giving a brief history of Punch and Judy. From what I hear, this was well received, with Denise bringing her puppets along, and even giving people lessons on how to use a swazzle…
Rocky was up next, with his usual array of corny jokes, and also performing one of my favourite effects, the Professors Nightmare.
Then Roy, who amazed and amused in his normal way…. a card effect called Lucky Cards… a number is chosen then the card is the only one in the deck that is the losing card… fun all the way with Roy, borrowing a £20 note off Brian then mis to £10 right down to a couple of pounds naming it from £15..as always with Roy, loads of entertainment.
Next up was Mick Turrell, a new member, but from all accounts a very polished and funny performer. Opening with vanishing pack of cards, then he did his sponge ball routine, following with spoon to fork, finishing with silk rainbow streamer from a twenty pound note. A very well received act.
Then Steve Day, who amazed with a twisted arm routine ( not sure what it is called). linking rings, and he also did the watch steal to watch in locked box, which a few people have said was very impressive.
Terry Herbert, brilliant as always… A triumph card effect, then his lovely effect with Jokers, which he did show me a while back… A very commercial effect which I dont think is available any more…. then a jumbo card prediction with a light switch on the back to help change the wrong prediction to the right one… Im sure I have done that no justice at all, so my apologies to Terry…
Penultimate act was Olivia, showing a brand new effect about a poisoned Cherry… 4 chrome cocktail shakers, one has the poisoned cherry in it, which I’m guessing Olivia is able to divine…..sounds perfect for Olivia’s style and presentation, I was very sorry to miss this one.
Last but by no means least, Colin with a very clever chosen card prediction to sealed deck… no doubt done with his usual top class humour.
Many thanks to Ricardo Morilla for taking these amazing photos.
Next meeting Tuesday 30th May.
Next meeting is a club night, the theme being The Committee and Guests entertain.
I will be away for this one I’m sorry to say, but I know it will be a fun packed night.
If you would like to contribute to the evening with a trick or an act, please let me know.
Many thanks
Mike
Bertie Pearce Evening Review
What another brilliant night.
After a shaky start due to our room being hired out to another group, we managed to re convene in the upstairs foyer, so major crisis averted.
We were entertained ( massive understatement) by the irrepressable Bertie Pearce.
He really is an amazing performer… he spoke about the history of magic, while performing some very top level magic in a very humorous manner.
Bertie opened with the Torn and Restored newspaper, a lovely version from the Gene Anderson book… lovely visual magic.. this was followed by the colour changing silks with sucker finish.. again very visual and very funny due to Berties style of delivery.
Cups and balls next, followed a demonstration of 4 by 4 ( yes 4 ) arm choppers .
After a break he came back with the Egg Bag, ring and rope, , ambitious card and also Alan Shaxons Confablation… all brilliantly presented…
Everyone agreed this was one of the best lectures in recent times at the KMG,
Many thanks Bertie for making it a top evening.
Photos courtesy of Ricardo Morilla
April 25th Meeting.
We are very exited to reveal that Bertie Pearce has very kindly agreed to come and give us his lecture.
Bertie is widely sought after for close up magic and cabarets for private parties and fundraisers. In 2003 he was awarded the Carlton Comedy Award by the Magic Circle and twice won the award for Originality from The International Brotherhood of Magicians which won’t surprise anyone who has seen his act.
This is going to be another top lecture…. Bertie is an excellent all rounder.. from Close up to Stage and Childrens magic… there is going to be something for everyone.
Janet Clares Mini lecture and Magic from the Pocket.
Club Night Report by Colin Perratton
As I was unable to be there, Colin has very kindly written up the evenings review… sounds like I missed a very special evening…
Another great evening at the KMG with David A’s incomparable compering.
Kicking off with Janet Clares delightful account of her FISM competition she entered.
Janet showed a video of the entire act with interesting anecdotes and stories. The FISM competition showed what a great magician Janet was with her confident and well-presented routine. She received great applause from members who appreciated a great start to the evening.
Tricks From the Pocket was the title for the rest of the evening.
First up was Stephen (Rocky) Clark; with a flash produced glass effect followed by an unusual card across effect where the cards crossed from one packet to another and ended up in the card box. Its nice to have Stephen back in the club with his enthusiasm and inimitable style.
Sophie followed with a very considered Chop Cup routine; Sophie is magic comedy gold and should be performing much more than she does.
Colin followed with Joe Ryding’s I’ll Teach U How routine, assisted by the effervescent Sophie adding her usual energy.
Terry showed us a Paddle Stick routine; as usual beautify presented with a story of collaborating with Ken Brook to produce the trick. He followed with an amusing pocket card trick; always a delight seeing the master at work.
After a short interval David updated members on the Halloween show that the KMG is putting at the Stag in October. He then showed us two effects that he has produce for the show; one combining his vast engineering and Biology skills to produce a Spider Race game. This fun game was demonstrated by Nigel and Rocky who had the club on the edge of their seats for a nail-biting finish.
After recovering: Nigel showed us a very interesting mind reading effect followed by a note penetration that was clean and undetectable; a nice couple of items.
Steve was up next demonstrating a lovely coin effect and an entertaining gambling routine which he generously explained afterward to those gathering around.
Mike finished with a flawless Burnt and Restored Hanky trick; Good to see new members strutting their stuff. The club is building nicely with some good performers showing how much talent we now have.
Thanks to David for running a splendid evening, all those who took part and Sophie for selling the raffle tickets.
Many thanks to Ricardo for the photos.. the KMG are very grateful to you Ricky.
NEXT MEETING 28TH MARCH
A SHORT TALK BY JANET CLARE WITH FILM OF HER FISM ACT, FOLLOWED BY MAGIC FROM YOUR POCKET.
Janet Clare will be giving a short talk about her FISM act from 1988.
Janet entered the competition at a time before women were allowed into the Magic Circle, so there were a few raised eyebrows that she would enter FISM.
Janet was expertly coached by Roy Johnson, and received a standing ovation for her excellent act.
Janet will be detailing her experiences, and showing a film of the act… this is a very important part of magical history and is not to be missed.
After that, we will be having Magic from your Pocket.
The tricks you do when you hear those immortal words.. ‘ youre a magician, show us a trick.
Please bring a trick along to show.
Should be a fun night, looking forward to seeing you there,
Childrens Showtime Show at The Stag Theatre 17th February 2023
KMG sell out show at Sevenoaks
Well what can I say… the KMG have done it again.
A complete sell out of the Childrens Showtime Show at the Stag….
…..and what a show it was !!!
Sadly I was unable to be there as I had contracted Covid, which I was really disappointed about… but theres always the next one.
Big thank you to all who took part, David Akhurst, Olivia Post, Terry Herbert Nigel Roberts, Miki Travis, Colin Perrotton, and Roy Mackenzie for delivering a massively well received show.
Also thanks to Gloria Perrotton and Sophie Merrill for on the day support.
Extra big thanks to Colin and David for helping to make it happen…
Cheers
On the 5th February the KMG performed our show for the St Thomas Catholic School Sevenoaks..
This from The St Thomas Catholic School, Sevenoaks…
Dear Mike
We would like to thank you and the Kent Magician’s guild for a fantastic show at St Thomas’ yesterday. The children absolutely loved it and it was great to raise funds for our PTA charity at the same time! End.
What an amazing time we had… Terry, Colin, Roy, Simon, David (Professor Akardo and his amazing Circus of Fleas ) and myself performed for the above school… and it was a brilliant show.
We raised a goodly amount of money, split between the PTA and ourselves….
All in all a great success…. thanks to all who performed, and a special thanks to Brian for coming along to help with backstage work, first aid (thankfully not needed, ) , and being responsible for selling over £50 of merchandise.
Here are some photos… sadly none of me or David, although Im hoping the teachers or parents might have a few they can send over.
Proud to be President of the KMG
Next Meeting 28th February 2023
Ian Keable Lectures.
Very excited to announce we have booked Ian Keable for our next meeting.
Ian Keable has been a professional magician for over 30 years, specialising in comedy magic. He is the author of Stand-Up: A Professional Guide to Comedy Magic. In more recent years he has concentrated on historical writing and research, producing Charles Dickens Magician: Conjuring in Life, Letters & Literature; and The Century of Deception: The Birth of the Hoax in 18th Century England. He gives talks on both these subjects to organisations and societies. In this lecture he will be performing and explaining tricks from his repertoire of close-up, stand-up and magic related talks.
I have seen Ian perform on a few occasions, and I saw him lecture about 10 years ago, so I know this is going to be fab.
Guests are welcome at £5 per ticket, which will be taken off the membership fee if they decide to join.
Please mention it to all your magic friends, it would be great if we could get a big turnout.
Next meeting 31st January 2023
Starting off the New Year with a members night… all are welcome to come along and perform, we have Terry, Brian, Colin, Stephen Clark and myself performing so far.
Anyone else is more than welcome to bring something along.
See you there
Mike
2022…. what a year that was !!!
Good to see so many guests last night, including John Derris, Guy Wade, Parry, Vincent, Ken Francis, Steve ( Rocky ) Clark , Marcella Bakker, and all the others I have failed to mention.
Also fabulous to see Janet Clare, and Robert Pound, thank you both so much.
What a year its been… we have had lectures from Marc Paul, Terry Herbert, Robert Pound, Miki Travis, David Akhurst, and David Penn, we have had a Close up and Stage competition, ( take a bow Terry Herbert Close up winner, and Nigel Roberts, Stage Competition winner ).
Wev’e had the Committee entertains evening, plus various in house entertainment.
A massive thank you to Colin Perrotton for his help and guidance in running the KMG, to Denise Pettitt for her input and sorting out refreshments, and to Sophie for her dynamic raffle ticket sales, and to all members of the committee who have put time and effort into developing and helping to keep the club going through difficult times.
Also a big thanks to Bruce Graham, who did an excellent job as president of the KMG for over 7 years.
Please spend a few moments remembering David Blyth, who passed away this year. Sadly missed.
So thats it for 2022….. 2023 beckons, we need to try to trump this year, so please let me have any suggestions for lectures, or evenings you feel would be good for the members.
Please recommend our club to any magic friends, we need to start increasing our membership to ensure the KMG is around for another 50 years.
Cheers
Mike Ingham
Proud to be President of the Kent Magicians Club.
29th November 2022.
David Penn storms it...
Despite a certain football match, the KMG had its best turnout this year… all keen to witness the David Penn Lecture.
We were not disappointed, what an amazing lecture, without doubt one of the best Ive seen.
David blew us away with astounding effects, which were available to buy at an amazing ‘deal’ price… he very generously shared his routines, his ideas, and his advice on approaching tables. We were able to see the reactions he gets in the real world, via a video of him performing his bending glass routine, Refraction.
Trust me, this was the highlight of my magic year, a view shared with many of the members.
Thank you David Penn.
KMG 2022 Close up and
Stage Competitions.
What an amazing night with some excellent magic and loads of laughter.
A good crowd turned out to watch the 2022 Stage and Close up competitions, which included a fine array of performers.
In the Close up section, contestants were Ricardo Morilla, performing a lovely coffee cup and sugar lump routine, followed by phone to bottle. Very nicely performed, Ricardo is going to be a name to watch out for at the Kent Magicians Club.
Next up was Brother Louie, from our affiliated club the Orpington Magic Club. Louie is a great close up magician, and for the competition he performed an amazing coin routine, where coins appeared and disappeared within his hands. First part was done to music, a top routine. he then performed an okito box routine which was flawless. Beautiful work.
Finally Terry Herbert, still at the top of his game… He performed card effects and a chop cup routine, all with his inimitable humour. Always a very popular performer, Terry won the Close up trophy.
The stage competition was run on the same night, and we had some excellent performers for this section too.
Opening the second half were David Akhurst and Mike Ingham, with a comedy spoof magic act… loads of funny lines but rather light on magic… the act was well received but needed more magic. All good fun thought.
Following that came Nigel Roberts, with a fabulous rope routine, where the ends appeared, disappeared, jumped from one end to the other and then finished up as one long piece of rope… very nice !!! He then performed a comedy mentalist act with a mindreading rat. Nigel won the Stage section trophy ( again ).
Colin Perrotton was next up, with some very funny lines and a lovely cards up sleeves routine. Signed cards disappeared one at a time and produced inside his jacket. An excellent routine well received by the audience.
Final act was Brian Lloyd, performing a jaw dropping routine where items disappeared mysteriously against a vertical close up mat… I have not seen this routine before, very nice magic.
Special thanks to Miki Travis and Mark Davey for judging the competition.
Silence of the Hams
Broken Wand
David Blyth
It was very sad to hear of the passing on of our long term member, friend to many and stalwart of the Kent Magicians Guild, David Blyth.
He was an absolute gentleman as well as being a top performer.
I remember his wonderful vent routines with numerous characters, his lovely soft manor when performing magic, and that ever present twinkle in his eye.
He was a very special person, and I know will be sadly missed by us all.
Here is a link to some fabulous photos of David taken by Mark Hesketh Jennings. We are very grateful to Mark for giving us permission to use the link.
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fflic.kr%2Fs%2FaHsjvBm1dQ%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1e-HV8IZ7z1sW-OAAU3-uBUOElxL6FUSmbIAG2dh-WHdZEhrHHHfzR3TQ&h=AT0Ut48jZU30Ro-rlT2rW67R7HajIfHvNTo_KNtx6-QTJrQIqIqM9uZLikQvrwpZkgB4DOYktn3eMXWYexuDivzRDoN7jPXMye8LrqwSG7z5DYn5GCXddxwRYZZ5GHFHzVb9X2thxkh5imc-yw&tn=H-R&c[0]=AT3yrwH_0FNn-X5_u7-XzwIU2cKriZKeY-oCz-cFKNat7RdeI6WHDrNZrrqxtFRPmg4XwIZOmFAs_FfXMhBJnJV03izlUFSBLlc1AEz3I_Usc3-ICracb6uCmxlan8861cBAgDIbVnrqYC03s6oc9QyGaCwl8QkeZXoe4U6U
KMG Childrens Show at the Stag Sevenoaks.
What a success… our first theatre show was a complete sellout.
With big thanks to Terry Herbert, Colin Perroton, David Akhurst and his AMAZING Flea Circus, Denise Pettitt, Simon Hall and Billy Banana and yours truly, Micky the Magician, for giving up their time to put on a fundraising show to raise money for the KMG.
Special thanks also to Michael Maxted who acted as Stage Manager, and the first class sound and Lights Techie, Amanda Vickers.
Thanks to Gloria Perroton who did a great job of selling raffle tickets… all monies raised in the raffle are going Sevenoaks Lions and Demelza House.
All in all a great success, we are already starting to think about the next one.
Change to Christmas Dinner Event
Due to lack of response and concerns over costs, the Chinese Meal on the 14th December has been cancelled.
Instead the KMG will have its last meeting of the year on the 30th November, which will be celebrated with a buffet and show at the usual meeting room, in The Stag Theatre.
This will be open to members, friends and guests, so please support your club. We have decided not to put a fee for attending, but any contributions to the club funds will be very much appreciated.
ur members always put on a marvellous show for these type of events. If you would like to perform on this very auspicious night please let me know.
Its a double !!!
Magic Circle Award Winners
The Kent Magicians Guild has not one, but two.. yes two winners of the Magic Circle Awards.
As seen in an earlier post, Reg Martin, KMG Honorary Life President and Founder was awarded the Cecil Lyle Award… a massive honour and great testament to his inventiveness.
We now hear that Janet Clare has also won a very prestigious award for outstanding services to The Magic Circle.
A silver wand was a most fitting award for Janet, who as well as being a top magician, is also credited with being the driving force towards getting the Magic Circle to allow women into this world renowned club.
Well Done to Reg and Janet, we are very proud to have you as members.
Zoom Shows to re start
Many thanks to our hard working publicity officer Mike Maxted who has kindly agreed to take over the running of the KMG Zoom nights.
They will be running on Wednesday nights, and will be joining up with the Orpington Magic Club, so they are going to be busy and fun nights.
Mike will be sending the links out, please let myself or Mike Maxted know if you would like to be added to the list.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR REG…
Fabulous news…our Founder and Honorary Life President Reg Martin has won the Magic Circles Cecil Lyle Award, presented annually to the author of the best trick published in the Magic Circular.Our heartfelt congratulations to Reg who is a brilliant Magic inventor, with many tricks and ideas in print and in production. We are honoured to have him as Honorary President of our club.
Terry Herbert Show and Tel 27th July 2021
What a brilliant night…Terry Herbert was on top form regaling us with stories and anecdotes of his magical life…. a very funny night. He also managed to fit in some of his amazing and quite rare clockwork and battery automatons, plus a hilarious 3 little pigs routine which showed us why he has been top in his field for so long…the voices of the pigs and the change to the wolf was incredible…then back to the piggy voice…. absolutely masterful. Second half and he was selling some of his props…I think he sold quite a lot I’m pleased to say.. some people got real bargains and many people asked him to sign the props.. what a wonderful mark of respect to one of the best. Many thanks Terry.
The KMG re-opening show 29th June 2021
Review
Follow this link to see highlights of the KMG opening night
https://youtu.be/u4KdNCHFLSU
Oh what a night…. capacity turn out, excellent acts, lovely guests, food, drink and loads of laughter.
Our President Bruce Graham opened proceedings, welcoming guests and saying how happy he was that we were meeting up again, something I know Bruce was very keen to do.
Dave Akhurst did an excellent job as compere, filling in the gaps with funny one line gags and playing the ukulele and singing.
First act he introduced was Terry Herbert, who opened the show.. and what an opening… a beautiful opening effect made by Reg Martin over 30 years ago, and still being used. Funniest opening effect I have seen. This was followed by the Egg Bag, then Terrys Note to Sausage routine which is very well constructed and extremely funny…
Next up was Graham Lee, with his original and clever balloon act… some lovely bits of magic using balloons as props… again a very funny and innovative act.
Next up was our founder, Reg Martin, who travelled down from Bicester to be at the re-opening.
Reg amazed and amused us with his mind reading Canary, an original idea of his which is a brilliant comedic effect.
Then the interval where sandwiches, cakes and drinks were available, giving everyone a chance to chat and catch up on the last 18 months. Many thanks to Denise for her help, and also to Sophie for selling raffle tickets.
Opening the second half was Dave Tawney. Dave is a lovely man and an excellent performer… he did Whos Who at the Zoo, to a roomful of adults, and he carried it off wonderfully. This was followed by his Troublewit routine, which is a very clever display of paper folding… Dave is an expert at this unique and seldom seen form of entertainment, the audience loved it.
Top of the bill was Colin Perrotton, with the guest appearance of his lovely wife Gloria… they performed a very funny dove in balloon routine, which deliberately went horribly wrong… Colin then finished up with a colour Monte routine.
The evening was over too quickly, but it was so nice to see so many members, and quite a few new members… we are always looking for new members, so if you know anyone who might like to join the friendliest magic and performance arts club in Kent, please let them know about the Kent Magicians Guild.
One last thing, the Stag Theatre is our new venue, and the staff were so helpful, I would like to thank them all for their help.
Next Meeting Tuesday 27th July 2021… please come along, we are arranging a very special night…more details to follow.
Re opening show Tuesday 29th June
Exciting reopening of the KMG after lockdown.
Double exciting as it will be happening in our new premises, the Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks.
Meet the members and enjoy a members show….
Those appearing are:
Graham lee
Dave Tawney
Colin Perrotton
Simon Darnley
A special guest appearance by honorary life president Reg Martin
and the incomparable Terry Herbert.
Your compere for the night is Dave Akhurst……
This is going to be a special and emotional night so please come along to support your magic club.
Tonight is the night…. 3rd June 2021
Dont forget David Jonathans free Zoom lecture tonight…email or message me for the Zoom link. mdimagic@outlook.com or message me (Micky ) on 07724273157.
Important…New Premises
The KMG and the Kent Entertainers Guild of Performing Arts are very excited to inform you that we are moving to the Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks Town Centre as from 29th June 2021.
This is an amazing venue for us, so please come along and support our opening night…a warm. and fun evening awaits you. Free parking and full disability access.
Kent Magicians Guild and Orpington Magic Club are linking up…
The Kent Magicians Club is thrilled to be linking up with the Orpington Magic Club…more to follow…..
Check out Orpington magic Club here https://www.facebook.com/OrpingtonMagicSociety/
David Jonathan lecture free to KMG members
We are very pleased to announce on the 3rd June 2021 we are teaming up with Orpington Magic Club to bring a very exciting zoom lecture to your screens.
“For this two hour lecture, I have handpicked some of my favorite creations to teach, and I’ll also pull back the curtain on the creative process to share my tips creating magic. You will also get a first look at some incredible unpublished effects!“
Everything you will learn is practical, workable material that is easy to do. The majority of the effects involve cards of sorts, but also photographs, dice, symbols, books and even UNO cards. The first half of the lecture is focused on magic, while the second half is all mentalism routines.
With thanks to Mike Maxted for arranging this very special night.
Kentmagiciansguild.co.uk 