The Magnetic Fields: Part One

Part One of Two.

American indie pop band The Magnetic Fields returns to the International Festival for a very special anniversary.

Twenty-five years ago, in 1999, The Magnetic Fields released their landmark album 69 Love Songs. Spanning three volumes, this concept album about love was conceived by baritone Stephin Merritt, who is often described as one of the greatest singer-songwriters of his generation. To mark the album’s anniversary, The Magnetic Fields will perform all 69 songs across two nights.

Unrequited love has provided ample material for the band, and Stephin Merritt’s lyrics are characteristically awash with wit and irony. For this album, Merritt set out to compose 69 songs about love using most of the known popular music styles, from punk to country to soul and jazz. In its first full performance in twenty years, the quintet will bring the album to life with cello, ukulele, keyboards and guitars, together creating the ‘richest canon of melodies since the Beatles’ (The Times).

Presented by Edinburgh International Festival