Mags Revell
Mags Revell Rankin for Oliver Spencer
Name: Mags Revell
Company: CEO, Fifty Six Group
Playlist: Start the day
For a new breed of business leaders, music plays a big part in their lives, whether it’s the soundtrack to making deals or brushing off the cobwebs during a morning’s jog to the office. And understandably, for music promotor Mags Revell, it’s everything. Working as a music promoter for over 25 years, he’s overseen everything from Motley Crue’s comeback tour to Queens of the Stone Age (“I never get tired of watching and listening to them”) and the Gorillaz’ Demon Dayz festival (Damon Albarn is apparently “brilliant at ping-pong,” he confides).
For Revell, an eclectic playlist (the one below, he says, “will have changed by tomorrow”) is essential: “I listen to such a wide variety of music” says the former punk, whose first gig, aged 13, was The Damned, and who counts X-Ray Spex’s Germfree Adolescents as his all-time favourite song: “It never fails to kick start my day.” Revell’s actual waking soundtrack is more John Humphrys than John Lydon – he listens to Radio 4’s Today programme in the morning – “as I think you need to ease yourself into the day and test the water, before deciding what the first song of the day should be; it can shape your day, that first song”. However, during his 20-minute walk to work, from his Kings Cross home to Fifty Six Group’s HQ in Farringdon, it’s a mixture of new bands and old favourites, such as NWA’s Fuck Tha Police (“When this came out it changed everything”) and Oasis’ Champagne Supernova (“Britpop was a lot of fun”).
He tailors his soundtrack to the job in hand – “I wouldn’t listen to the Cocteau Twins or Beach House if I needed to be productive!” The days he enjoys most are putting tours on sale - then I’m in the office at 8.30am ready for the tickets going on sale at 9am. Always nerve-wracking.” While he’s still not keen on country, he says his musical tastes have grown, rather than changed, over the years. I listen to a lot of classical now, especially when I’m driving back from gigs late at night. It’s soothing and helps me wind down.”
MAGS’ PLAYLIST