British indie pop band The Magic Numbers is made up of two brother and sister pairs - the Stodart and Gannon siblings - who attended high school together. Their most recent album is 2006's Those the Brokes.
Fast Facts:
- Formed in 2002 in Ealing, England
- Labels: Heavenly Records/EMI
- Travis and The Chemical Brothers were early fans
- First band to walk off of Top of the Pops
Career Overview
The Magic Numbers formed in 2002 and quickly started to build an audience in and around London. Singer-songwriter Ed Harcourt, a fan, helped them to get signed to Heavenly Records. The band would open for Harcourt on his 2004 tour.
Their first single, "Forever Lost," was a hit before their self-titled debut album was even released. The Magic Numbers, which hit stores in June of 2005, made the band famous throughout the United Kingdom, and led to an international tour that year. Their followup, Those the Brokes, followed in 2006.
Top of the Pops
The band's decision to walk off the long-running music show Top of the Pops caused some amount of media controversy in 2005. Various accounts of the incident have been offered, ranging from the band taking offense at host Richard Bacon's comment that they were "a fat melting pot of talent" to an issue with the show's policy of encouraging artists to lip synch.
