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Table magician in action...

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2007-07-12T12:50:29+01:00

Hers are some photos of me performing at a recent wedding in Cirencester, I think you'll agree that everyone seems to be enjoying the magic!

Notice how in photo one I am 'mid-trick' with everyone watching very closely. Then as I finish the trick (in photo two) the entire table bursts into cheers and applause... Sounds like you should get me along to your wedding, party or any event really doesn't it?!

The chap on the left looks rather impressed doesn't he...

Back from the holidays...

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2007-07-12T12:36:18+01:00

It's rare that I take a holiday in summer, after all that is prime wedding magic season, but this year I flew off to mexico for a sly break before getting back down to a long summer of magic. A couple of days after I got back I was working with a magician called Bruce Munton at a corporate dinner in Lincolnshire. It's Bruce's territory up there but it was nice to get out of London and work with another award winning magician.

Other mildly interesting events involved a trip to the Belfry where I love performing (see photo) as I usually get to chill out in the spa before the magic! The event was really good fun and the audience was really cool, I have some photos to follow. They also had a murder mystery party which was great fun and the host for the evening comes highly recommended. Get in touch if you want a murder mystery party and I can send you in the right direction.

A Night in the Museum and welcome to wedding season...

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2007-06-15T17:56:00+01:00

It's a rare day when I do a public show- 99% of my close up magic work is private parties, VIP events, weddings and corporate events. However, this month I was asked to go along to 'The Late Shows' which was an event hosted by the museums in Newcastle http://www.thelateshows.org.uk. Basically I performed walkaround magic while people looked around the Discovery Museum in Newcastle late at night; keeping in theme with the evening they also screened the film 'A Night at the Museum' with Ben Stiller, not a classic but certainly a fairly decent family comedy. So that was fun.

A few days later it was back to London for table magic at a corporate dinner in Kensington. The evening was a great success and the client was especially happy to be involved in a trick which they was able to show to their whole table; very much interactive magic. In fact, the client was so pleased that the directors of the company and I went out for drinks late into the night in Soho; a definite perk of the job I think.

Later in the week I was over in Cirencester for a wedding. The venue was not exactly easy to find, but it was a cracker. Very quaint. This was the first true 'summer' wedding of the season and I am now running all over the country performing at weddings from London to Leeds in the next few weeks.

The week was topped off by a wedding in scorching heat in York and then a university graduation ball in Newcastle. The student gigs are always fun, the venue in this occasion was left pretty tidy though as Gordon Brown was giving a speech the next day. I wonder if there were any drunk students still lingering around the next morning to witness GB's speech on terror laws? Hummm...

P.S This month I also got to go and watch the England cricket test match at Headingly in Leeds, great fun and a win for England. Even if you don't like cricket you should go and check out a match for the fantastic atmosphere.

Magician in Pole Position...

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2007-06-04T08:02:31+01:00

It's been a little while since my last post so this is the first of a few entries so you can once again get your fix of the world famous Tom Rose Magician Blog. Hummm...

So, I had a bit of a nightmare at the start of the month. I had a corporate gig in Chester, the kind of event where there is lots of table magic and mix and mingle close up magic during the drinks reception, but before I had even left London some crazy fool crashed into my car meaning I had to hire a car at the last minute to get to the show. The problems didn't stop there as the motorway was shut in not one, but two places meaning I was stuck in traffic most of the day. Why tell you this I hear you say? Well, as a professional magician I always allow plenty of time for problems like this which means I always arrive on time- I've heard plenty of horror stories about entertainers not turning up with bad excuses such as this.

Anyway, on with the show review. The event was excellent; all the guests loved my brand of contemporary close-up magic and they also had the joy of other entertainment too. The event was a Grand Prix theme so there were video games, a massive scalectrix, life size Formula 1 cars to race in, motorbikes to ride on, and, one of the more interesting features; the pit girls! See below for a couple of photos of me showing the lovely ladies a trick or two. Marvelous. (PHOTO COMING SOON!)

Corporate Magic in London

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2007-04-27T20:55:00+01:00

Hello to all the regular readers. What’s new I hear you say? Well, the last couple of weeks have seen more corporate work and a light sprinkling of private parties.

At the start of the week I was working as what the client called a “corporate entertainer”- sounds posh doesn’t it. It was another ‘team magic’ affair with myself, and magicians Noel Qualter and Sav. The event was held at an exclusive London private members club in the West End. Not only was it a private members bar, but we were also performing in the VIP area towards the back of the venue. Snazzy. Apart from the dark lighting; I think Sav mentioned people would need a torch to see the magic at one point! the event was great fun and all the clients left with a smile on their face.

Another evening of corporate entertainment was seen at the Waldorf Hilton in the theatre district of London. I was working for Pricewaterhouse Coopers at a partnership event they were holding with Unilever (check out the wikipedia link as I was performing for the top man Rudy Markham as seen on the company information page). The event was a great success, which brings me to the question; as a client how do you book a professional corporate entertainer ?

Many performers state they are the top corporate entertainer, but you need to be sure the magician will provide an excellent service; after all, your clients deserve the best. The most important thing is to speak to the entertainer, make sure they have a long client list and strong positive feedback from other companies. I am proud to say I have a huge list of satisfied customers and I even have a snazzy brochure (wowza). If I can’t make an event because I am already booked, I am always happy to recommend another top magician. There is nothing worse than a poor performer at a crucial client hospitality event.

Until next time….

Some corporate magic news....

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2007-04-09T16:57:54+01:00

Its been an interesting time in the corporate entertainment world. I recently had a call from a snazzy banking client who wanted a handful of magicians to perform table magic at an event in London, and then events across the UK and Ireland. Unfortunately I was already booked up, but being the nice man I am I managed to book a veritable A-list of close-up magicians for the events (clearly it wasn't perfect because I wasn't there, but hey). The team consisted of Jon Allen, James Brown, Don Moses and Brendan Patricks. You could almost call it Team Magic. Because we did such a great job, I have been asked to get another team of magicians together for the next event.... So, if you ever have a large event where you need more than one magician, give me a call and I will be happy to help.

And I would drive 500 miles...

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2007-03-21T16:06:31+00:00

At the end of March I did a massive amount of miles with magic gigs all over the UK. A good example of where my travels have taken me is performing table magic in the Lake District followed by magic at a corporate event in London and then back up north for walk around magic at 50th birthday party in Sunderland, all in the space of a weekend. So, with the massive amount of miles I did that weekend, and back by popular demand (you know who you are) its the return of 'Rate the Service Station' feature.

This weeks choice is Corley Welcome Break (photo above left).
+Plus points Based on the M6 these services are a great British 'wee stop'. Outside there were two old gents collecting for the local Round Table and there was a good selection of motorway eats (KFC, Welcome Break Cafe and even a half decent Starbucks). Unlike the last service station review, there were no crazy people which is always a plus point.

-Down points However, there was evidence of the favourite past time of kids these days, theft and vandalism. I found it mildly amusing that the police signs asking motorists to keep their valuables safe and secure was placed next to the large service station sign which had clearly been stolen by the local yobs (hard to see, but the photo is below right). Also, if you ever go to these services watch out for the huge metal bollards at the entrance to the car park. When you are flying off the motorway at 70mph its not ideal to have a tiny narrow entrance with bollards in which you must perform a Jenson Button style maneuver to avoid. Apparently a few motorists haven't heard to Jenson Button and so have driven straight into them. Great stuff.

Magicians have holidays too...

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2007-03-07T15:59:26+00:00

February is the quiet month for magicians, after the christmas party rush and before the wedding season so I went on holiday. Cork was the first stop, for anyone who hasn't been it's well worth a visit. Nice people and a great night out. On the night out mention, I saw an amusing magic related kebab shop on the high street, as it had a magic connection I thought it worthy of inclusion here ('Abrakebabra' kebab shop- Brilliant. see left).

After Cork there was New York. What a great city. There is so much to see and do its just mind boggling (the same as some of my tricks then). I didn't get to see any magic when I was out there, but some highlights include Ellis Island and Grand Central Terminal- both are a must see. If you like shopping, Abercrombie and Fitch is interesting, full of 'live models' which are certainly very interesting. I also spent some time in my native Yorkshire and the Lake District. Us magicians don't get time off in the summer, its just too busy, altogether now.... awww....

I'm famous. Well kind of.

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2007-02-22T16:29:39+00:00

It's been released! That's right you can now see my smiling face sprawlled across 3 pages of the UK's leading wedding magazine "For The Bride". Wowza. This is the second time in a year a major national magazine has picked up on my status as the UK's leading wedding magician; very few if any magicians have actually been interviewed by a major national magazine, so to have this twice in a year is a real achivement. By the way, there are a few shrewd magicians who pay for adverts in magazines, but hey, mine was free! They just wanted to interview me. Marvellous.

More news next week...

Front page of "For the Bride" wedding magazine and the 3-page interview feature with Tom Rose.

Magic all over the UK!

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2007-02-01T19:28:57+00:00

It has been a while hasn't it? Well, I've travelled to some really cool places all the UK over since my last post. OK, I haven't been to the Middle East for example, but I'm working out in New York at the end of February- how exciting- surely thats more impressive?

So, its been the usual array of corporate gigs and weddings since December, here are some photos of where I have been:

Here's the list: 1. Table magician at a wedding in London (Drapers Hall). 2. Drinks mix and mingle magic then table magic at corporate event with a James Bond 007 theme in Birmingham (Crown Plaza Hotel)

3. Close-up magic in Chelsea at a corporate after show party (The Kensington Bar) 4. Then I was a Wedding Magician in Yorkshire during the reception (at very classy Rudding Park hotel and country club)

5. Magician in London as above (Drapers Hall 2) 6. I was also performing as a wedding magician in Cumbria (Linthwaite House Hotel)

7...and finally I was doing some more wedding magic, this time in County Durham (Bannatyne Hotel)

So there are just a few places I have been. The most exciting news I have at the moment is my forthcoming interview in a national wedding magazine. In fact, here is a sneak preview of the story in this months issue (first bullet point- main story for next month). I am also going out to perform close up magic in New York at the end of the month, although more of this in the next blog post. I wouldn't want to get all you 'magic bunnies' too excited just yet.

As a final note, I often get asked why I recently moved to London. Well the answer is simple- its not the exciting and varied work I now get, its not for the trendy night life or London attractions either. The answer is for the kind of experience I had today. I met a world class, A-list top of the shop celebrity couple. That's right, I sat next to Chantelle and Preston at lunch in Selfridges on Oxford Street- it was special.

How exciting some famous people...

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2006-12-20T22:05:25+00:00

When I look at other magicians websites, I just get so jealous, they have quotes from famous celebrity type people like Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen, Dean Gafney and Trisha. Well now I can add a quote too. Colin Jackson, the world record holder for the hurdles and more recently of Strictly Come Dancing fame. Colin said my magic was "Fantastic- what the...how?!!". Seriously though, he was a great chap and he really loved the magic. At the event there was also a front bench MP and lots of people with CBEs, MBEs and and other letters behind their names. I was on my best behaviour.

Other noteworthy news was a gig I performed at with magicians Don Moses and Pete Firman, together we really were the A-Team of magicians and the guests were lucky to have such professional, famous and generally top magicians at their event. People always comment on my modesty you know.

Oh, almost forgot, as a random side note, when I was in Piccadilly Circus last weekend, I saw hundreds and hundreds of people dressed as Santa rollerblading down the street. I thought it was quite amusing so I made a quick video on my mobile, which you can see here.

Christmas Crackers...

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2006-12-15T21:45:40+00:00

So, its Christmas time, mistletoe and wine...etc etc etc.

I have been super super busy over the last few weeks, the usual corporate christmas parties and even a few winter weddings. Highlights include performing at the Sony Ericsson Christmas bash over in Newbury- this was the party for the big boys and what an event. Set in a massive teepee I was part of very impressive entertainment list; including a platinum record selling band, two famous DJ's and did I mention me?

The very next evening I was back in London, performing table top magic at a huge dinner on Park Lane. A rather rubbish photo is to the right. A great night was had by all and my magic was complemented by a comedy performance supplied by Jongleurs, Stephen K Amos was very funny indeed.

Then, the next night I was in Chiddingford in Surrey, performing at a fantastic wedding. The bride and groom really were a fantastic couple and I know there are some great photos from the wedding I'll be adding soon. How exciting?!

Well, then the next night... OK OK, if I go on like this I'll just be regurgitating my diary, which isn't terribly exciting so I best be off for now...

Where is the mistletoe?

Magic Geekery...

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2006-11-30T21:14:04+00:00

So, last week I was at the International Magic Convention, basically this is an event for magicians to hang out and talk about magic. How cool is that? No?- OK, its not cool, but its great to get together with other magicians and it was nice to see some pals again. A few you may have spotted my pals on such sites as corporatemagicians.com and your favourite search engine, some name dropping...Noel Qualter, Alan Hudson, Rob James, Don Moses and Pete Firman to name but a few.

The magic was great and there was lots of socialising too, which is all the more difficult when you are suffering from extreme man flu- man flu I hear some of you say? Yes it really does exist according to a new poll for Nuts magazine. If the readers of that magazine says it exists, well, heck they must be right.

I also popped down to the Comedy Store in Central London, not only were there a load of magicians there, (the magicians in London do seem to get around a lot!) but there was some great comedy on offer- Andrew Maxwell was simply superb, so so funny. Pure genius, you must go and see him.

A Mini Magic Adventure...

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2006-11-18T22:11:32+00:00

So, its been a while and my fans have been e-mailing in their droves to ask when the next blog is online (you know who you are), so here is issue 1 of a few posts this week. The biggest and most exciting news of last month was being asked to be a major part of the launch of the new Mini. I was asked to go along to the official launch of the new model of the BMW Mini which was heavily advertised in the press. It was a great evening with a select invitation list of VIPs, Mini enthusiasts and the Press. The magic went down well and I even managed to get a few Mini related tricks into the show. So, I guess that I am truly one of the very few magicians in the UK to be part of a major car launch. "Table magician", "Close-up Magician" and "London magician" have all been used to describe me in the past, but I suppose I can add "Mini Magician" now!

The next day I had to rush up North to a wedding in Durham, once again the magic went down a storm and some of the guests actually recorded a video on their mobiles- not something I really like as no doubt it will be on YouTube in the future, but what a great party it was. Here is what the bride and groom thought:

"What can I say I knew I was right to book you. What a night, truly amazing then you turn up with your magic kiwi fruit! We have had nothing but praise and astonishment at your excellent performance at our wedding. We have had comments ranging from 'He's absolutely mint!' (Katie 8) to 'F@"k me somethings not right with him' (Bert 28 3/4). We still have the card which you produced for us and will treasure it as a fabulous momento of the best day of our lives.
Would we recommend you? No! We would insist that people must book you for their event be it wedding, divorce or bar mitzvah (one vanish I'm sure even you can't do!)
To finish from both of us do we get a discount for a second booking as can't wait to see some more of you skill"

I guess that's a happy customer then!?! Here is an amusing photo of me (the magician!), the chocolate fountain chap and the DJ- us entertainers do like to stick together!!

Top Class Corporate Magician...

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2006-11-05T16:55:50+00:00

This week has seen a selection of super-duper snazzy gigs. Some of the highlights included some table magic at a fantastic 20th wedding aniversary all the way up in Perthshire, Scotland. Set on a stunning Scotish estate, the marquee was one of the best decorated I have seen, so well done Alex and Simon. Desipte the Scotish winds trying to blow the marqueee away, the magic went down a storm (see what I did there?!- oh dear). Notes have to go to the band, "Crazy Ape", who were great and are well worth a look if you are arranging a party, and the fantasic B&B which is well worth a visit! See photo (right) for the great view.

Later in the week I was back performing magic in central London working at en exclusive party for Universal Pictures, (the film company you know). It was a great bash in the centre of theatre land- maybe I'll get a staring role in a magic film now? Maybe not. Another classy party was the Six Senses Resorts & Spas corporate evening. They used magic to get all the guests chatting and create a really informal atmosphere for everyone to let their hair down. These nice people provide the most amazing holidays, more than a holiday they are described as 'retreats'. Fantastic.

The week was rounded up by an exlcusive birthday party at a private house in Chelsea; stunning location, beatiful wine, great entertainment, and of course, fantastic guests meant the party was a huge sucess. Hello to the two Giles' and Luke and of couse Lorna, Lucy and the rest of the hens. Happy birthday Hannah! Now they have all had a mention on the webiste I bet they feel really special.

Thats it for this week. Don't forget: Don't play with fireworks kids, and remember to hold the sparklers the right way or you won't be able to pick any more cards from the magician.

The big London Magicians move...

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2006-10-15T22:22:29+01:00

So, I now officially live in the big smoke, I'm truely a real London Magician. After being a northern boy all my years, I am now based in the international hub that is North East London, or to be more precise, uber trendy Hoxton. Moving house is just strees stress stress so I took some time off to help the move, but I've still squeezed in plenty of magic:

I was performing at a civil ceremony in Brighton early in the month; while I was there I spotted this snazzy looking boat for sale (see photo)- a few (thousand) more magic shows and I might be able to buy one! Unless anyone fancies buying me one?! The civil partnership was great fun and I seem to be one of the leading London magicians for this type of event. Other magic news consists of a wedding magic show at The Bleeding Heart Restaurant in the City of London where I performed table magic during the wedding breakfast. What a fantastic venue and the food was sublime, after some research it seems to be one of the top ten restaurants in London. Tasty.

As a note, although I now live in London, I still perform all over the UK (and internationally), for example I have events coming up in Carlisle, Scotland, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Surrey to name a few places, so feel free to get in touch where ever you need a magician! Don't forget to stay tuned to read about the exciting goings on of a top UK magician (the only people who read this seem to be other magicians, my mum and the computer spellchecker mind!)

Jet-set magic! Tom's magic show in Switzerland...

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2006-08-27T14:08:30+01:00

So, some jet-set news. This weekend I was flown out by a client to perform at a wedding in snazzy Swiss ski resort Vebier. All very nice. I don't think I would ever visit a ski resort in the summer had it not been for this gig, and I'm very glad I did. The scenery was stunning, the Alps in summer are well worth a visit.

The wedding was a very nice affair indeed- reception in a little Restaurant perched on the top of a mountain, fondu for main course and lashings of local Swiss wine. All very nice. All the guests loved the magic and I'm looking forward to visiting Verbier again- a great town. Here are some photos (excuse the dodgy quality- they were taken on my phone)

Above is my all conquering VW Fox hire car! (not very cool, but a great little car!)

So...here's some non-magic news...

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2006-08-09T22:15:53+01:00

For all my huge fan base here is what I've been up to....

The other week I went to the Stockton Arc with good magician pal and comedy guru, Don Moses, to see Mark Watson and his show. Was very amusing and I have promised myself that I'll get up to the Edinburgh Festival this year. Well, I'll try.

Last weekend I was in Leeds a lot. Saturday night I was working at a very classy and fun Hen Party: 17 beautiful ladies, in a nice venue, performing magic- there surely can't be a better job on nights like that! Sampled the nightlife of Leeds after work with my good buddy Tommy Wheldon.

Sunday was a great day: went to see the England Cricket Test Match at Headingly. The weather was hot, the beer was cold and we bowled them all out in a the day- great.

Magic News...

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2006-08-01T18:00:00+01:00

Well, along with the hottest July on record in the UK, its been my record busiest month! Shows all over the UK- wedding magic in Wakefield, mix-and-mingle magic in Manchester, corporate magic in Cheshire and lively magic in Leeds! Basically, I've been really busy which has been really great, apart from the red hot heat which is never helpful in a suit!

One of the interesting jobs this month was over in Salford working at the BG International Triathlon Union World Cup- I was performing mix and mingle and close-up magic to the elite athletes, how anyone can do a 1500m swim, 40km cycle and

10km run in under 2 hours is almost untrue, but Brad Kahlefeldt from Australia did just that to win the race. Crazy. But he liked the magic trick I performed for him! Some of the athletes were great fun, big shout out to Lucie Zelenkova and Anna from the Czech Republic, Terenzo Bozzone from New Zealand, Marko Albert from Estonia and the guys from Hungary to name but a few.

On another note, I found an interesting photo (on the left) from a wedding I performed at a couple of weeks ago...Looks like I had some happy spectators that night? Magic with cards and cash... sounds good to me.
(Triathlon photo from http://www.triathlon.org/- check out the great sport!)

Magic Happenings...

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2006-07-11T13:40:45+01:00

This week I have been mostly performing, wedding magic. Just for a change.

I was over at Headlam Hall in North Yorkshire for a wedding which was full of southerners, which was a tad surprising, I also worked out some maths at this wedding: 120 nice people + 1 nice venue x lots of booze ÷ 1 ace magician = 1 flipping good wedding!

I was over at Newsham, near Barnhard Castle in County Durham for a charity do for the Children's Society, check them out and make a donation! Another good night was had by all despite the misery of England going out of the Wold Cup on the same day. The less said about that the better. Penalties...again.

Since then I've performed on a Steam Boat in the lake district for a wedding with 60 Geordies (photo on the left of me beside lake before show), always great fun! Gone over to the Yorkshire Dales for a wedding near Hawes at a great private venue called Simonside Hall, well worth a visit, and performed at a wedding at Solberge Hall, again. Very popular with my bookings at the moment there.

Back to school...

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2006-07-05T18:47:38+01:00

Yesterday was interesting- I was invited back to my old school at Richmond to give a speech, hand out some awards and generally be the guest of honor- something I don't exactly do everyday. It was good to see the old school and some of my old teachers, including Mr Mollitt who started me off on my magic career, well, thats what he claims and one day he may receive his 1% commission, or maybe not!

After performing a trick for the 250 kids, there were some interesting theories on how it was done, if anyone who was there wants to know how the trick was done, just ask Miss Adamson or Miss Elvidge, I'm sure they will point you in the right direction, well, possibly. I have to admit my speech was quite good, I think the kids thought it was more exciting than the usual ceremony with the Mayor!, so it was a good experience all round...a quick note of thanks to Steph for holding the kiwi, very well done, and no, it wasn't a fake £20 note kids!

Where I have been....

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2006-07-05T15:02:36+01:00

So, the last couple of weeks I've mostly been performing table top magic and mix and mingle magic at weddings, and civil ceremonies, here are just a few snaps from the events I have been to...

First up...a Civil ceremony in Surrey....

This was a really great event with some really cool guests, and I must say thanks for the Hog Roast sandwich, very nice indeed! Photos by a great, great photographer, Ralph Hodgson, http://www.ralphhodgson.co.uk/ --Check out his website for his work, really impressive stuff.

Here a snap from a wedding in Shropshire,

I'm certainly no kids magician, but even I have to say that the young boy looks excited! Check out the 6 of Spades, good timing on the photo!

Finally, here are some photos from wedding magic I performed in York

These photos were taken by the husband and wife team at Studio 25, http://www.studio-25.co.uk/- so thanks to Debbie & Gareth!

New blog feature....

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2006-06-12T09:47:02+01:00

With my mammoth 630 mile drive yesterday, I was bored, very bored driving up the M25 /M1 so I came up with a new feature for the blog, and so my "Rate The Service Station" begins. Believe me, at 1am, these ideas sound good.

So, come 1am I was knackered and decided to stop to have a coffee and judge service station number 1. Its Moto Donnington Park Services, Junction 23a of the M1. A classic new style services.
+Plus points were wide selection of offerings, including Marks & Spencer's Simply Food, a great addition to any motorway stop, Burger King, and the most surprising feature was the coffee on offer. It was self service as it was late night, but the large, clean mug was filled with strong, fresh tasty coffee for £1.99, great value for services and very tasty.
-Down points, Donnington suffers from a selection of crazy people. Even at 1am there was a mad-man screaming from the balcony, never ideal for a peaceful late evening coffee break. Other than that, toilets suffered from an array of drunk teenagers, but this is a hazard found in any of the UK's toilets. Overall, very good service and surprisingly good coffee, only let down by a selection of mad people. 8/10.

Oh, as a final point. Just a quick warning to let you know if you are planning to hold an event while England are playing in the world cup- don't do it! Unfortunately everyone just wants to watch the footy and the day can be significantly disrupted!

Footballers wives

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2006-06-11T09:47:51+01:00

So, its hot hot hot and the weddings are coming thick and fast. I was performing at a Premiership Footballer's wedding last Sunday, a very classy event at a great venue (Crathorn Hall- see right), and a nice guy too!. Then it was off to Doncaster for the second wedding of the day, some great guests and I give the BBQ top marks, very nice burgers!

Friday I was in York for a wedding at the 14th Century Merchant Tailors Hall, very nice- traffic in York was less nice. Saturday I decided to have a marathon drive, performing near Shrewsbury at a wedding and then on to Epsom, Surrey for a Civil Ceremony- altogether a 630 mile round trip for me. Radio 2 was my saviour.

Have you ever wondered what a magician does before he gets his cards out? Well, here is a picture of me chilling out in the sun before performing in Shrewsbury, very nice day indeed!

Other news this week, interesting negotiations on gigs in Dubai, Scotland and London, with a side-helping of sunbathing and BBQs in the garden. Oh yeah, and I've been watching something called the World Cup, although I did miss the England game due to work. Gutted.

Summer is coming...

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2006-05-29T10:32:53+01:00

So, its Bank Holiday Monday, and I've given myself the day off.

Weddings has been the order of the month as the summer season gets underway. I've been trying to think how to liven up the blog, so my new feature is adding random photos of the gigs I've been to recently, so I've added a photo of the bar I performed at in Shanghai, China, in April below, and also a photo of the famous 'Spy Golf Balls' of RAF Menworth (left) from a wedding I performed at just outside Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

So, I was performing in Harrogate, then moved on to filming the TV 'Street Magic' in Sunderland later in the week, filming went OK, apart from the location seemed deserted of any people to show any tricks to, always a problem for a magic show. Maybe I'll add some clips to the website, maybe. The weekend brought another wedding, this time just down the road for me in North Yorkshire...beautiful weather so it was a great day.

Saturday evening was a great night, performing (again) for the Fairbridge Charity at a black-tie event. They are a great charity and aim to get young people off drink/drugs/crime etc, kind of the people before the Princes Trust in the food-chain I think. A really great cause, check them out at http://www.fairbridge.org.uk/

More filming later in the week, then I finished off May with gigs in Nottingham, Sheffield and Birmingham, lots of traveling, but thats always fun.

June is going to be crazy, weddings, weddings and more weddings. I love them!

P.S. For the really keen regular visitors to the site you will notice that I have completely over-hauled the site, new text, images and content. All very geeky.

Busy Month..

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2006-04-19T10:41:10+01:00

Hello again. Its been a busy month. March ended on a 'geeky note' as I went to a magic convention near Newcastle, all very informative. There are generally two kinds of people at magic conventions. The people who sit down for hours trying to perfect 'the killer move', and then there are the normal people who go to have (many!) drinks and chat about magic, pick up tips and generally socialise. This is very much what I like to do!

April started off with a gig for the Naval Cadets of Manchester University then moving on to a wedding at Solberge Hall near Northallerton. This is the first of a marathon of weddings I have booked at Solberge Hall this summer, a popular intimate venue.

I haven't done many gigs this month as I have just returned from a few weeks in China, definitely a holiday, but once I was there I had a few impromptu performances at popular ex-pat haunts, such as the "Blue Frog" & "Captains" in Shanghai and "Cavern" when I moved onto Hong Kong. Performing for ex-pats is great fun as they always seem happy to see a fellow Brit!

Exciting next few weeks as I start filming a pilot 30-minute TV show, I'll be doing some street magic on the streets of the North East, so I'll be adding some clips to the website when its all done. How exciting. Fame at last.

*Excuse the patio heater in the middle of the photo! Shanghai has, without doubt, one of the most amazing skylines at night in the world. Amazing.

Paparazzi!!!

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2006-03-20T22:50:49+00:00

Now that the paparazzi hunt my every move, (or maybe not) I have uploaded a couple of my many(!) recent interviews... Now don't get too excited at all my 'local-paper' fame. I'm sure you will be able to cope with my celebrity status when you meet me! Just Kidding.

oh, and not forgetting my interview in the National Bridal Magazine, "Bliss for Brides"...

Snow, Rain & Magic...

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2006-03-11T16:14:30+00:00

So, where have I been this week? I performed Close up Magic in Cheshire at The Belle Epoque Restaurant, described as "Knutsford's flagship restaurant". What a great venue. Wasn't sure if I was going to make it on the evening though as the snow was really coming down and there was the usual array of cars doing stupid things on the M62!

I've also been over to Derby County FCs stadium for the East Midlands Development Agency "Oscars Night for Business Champions". It was the usual Corporate Table Magic show, but it was a really great night with some fun guests and a great initiative with local businesses supporting the regeneration of the Derbyshire and Nottingham areas. If any of the guests are reading, who stole my kiwi knife that night?!!? Oh, and it rained all the way to Derby, driving in the rain is never fun.

I've got a really, really busy week next week, but keep looking back for some exciting news about me performing some 'international magic' in April.

Another Busy Week

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2006-02-17T17:15:17+00:00

Not really keeping very up to date, but I had a truly crazy week last week. Back in North Yorkshire for a formal black-tie function on the Friday evening, then down to London for my first performance at a civil ceremony on Saturday morning, which was great fun, before flying to Edinburgh on Saturday night for a 21st Birthday party. On Sunday I had chance to sit down. On Tuesday I was interviewed by the Northern Echo Newspaper for an article on my magic career, which is being published on Monday 20th February (Click here to read the article). Last night (Thursday) I performed at York Racecourse at another Black Tie dinner with three other great magicians, Alan Hudson, John Danbury and James Ashford.
Next week I'll be exhibiting at the Harrogate Yorkshire Brides Wedding Fair, Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th of February.
I'll post again when I can muster the energy.

Read all about it!!!

tom@truemagic.co.uk — 2006-01-02T17:11:02+00:00

Tom has had a crazy summer performing at the usual array of weddings, garden parties and corporate functions. Some of the many highlights include performing for all the 'top-dogs' at the recent Virgin Holidays Dubai Bash, performing (again) at the Newcastle University Medical Society Ball- which is always great fun! Being featured in the February/March 06 issue of National Bridal Magazine 'Bliss for Brides', being asked to perform on New Years Eve at Newcastle's Exclusive Restaurant The Fishermans Lodge for the second year running and performing at the world famous Belfry Golf Club. Just a snap-shot of yet another crazy year of a top UK magician.