After yesterdays rush and rash of bad spelling I thought you would like to have note of some of my personal highlights in the maelstrom of magic that I saw last week at the Blackpool Convention in no particular order.

NEW MEL MELLERS DVD –  He’s not everyone’s cup of tea as his humour is very acerbic but he is a good magician with some good presentation ideas – his routine on The Mind Reading Duck is very commercial  – and his patter is very individual but he’s always working.

ETIENNE PRADIER DVD - I think he is one of our best table workers which added to his Gallic charm and accent makes him a very bookable performer. His new 2 disc dvd shows him in action with explanations of his handling. All known effects and routines but his methods are very practical and performance tested although not easy. High spot is his bill change routine changing a £10.00 note to any named currency – Dollars, Euros, Yen etc and very fast. Not easy but a good disc to have to see a real pro in action.

SHAWN FARQUHAR – great to see this very accomplished FISM winning Canadian magician with some very off beat presentations and a delightful, whimsical patter style. He presented his FISM winning act, an ambitious card routine performed on stage, filmed on a camcorder and projected onto a back screen. But all presented to a guitar solo with special lyrics that relate to the cards that appeared at intervals in the routine.

He has a cute bit whereby a card is selected, pack shuffled, the card spins out the pack and he catches it on the end of his nose. (It’s not on his nose – he sucks the card onto his mouth so that it covers his nose.)  Very much in the class of other top canadians Richard Saunders and Jay Sankey.

SHOOT OGAWA – Haven’t seen him since he erupted onto the scene as a young teenager with his amazing Ninja Rings some years ago. Now a matured magician living in Los Angeles, with smooth U.S. chat and performing beautifully in everything he does notable his thimble routine. Catch him any time you can – one of the greats of modern magic.

JUPITER – a dealer from Hungary whose been coming to conventions for years and who appeared in the close-up competition. Doesn’t speak English but a very smooth, visual performer with an amaxing rope routine (which he sells of course) combining Professors Nightmare, Cut and Restored, Stretching a Rope, all the standards into one startling routine. He’ll be at Macmillans International Convention end of year so catch him there.

DAVID STONE – manic, funny, very smooth handler from Paris whose Gallic charm works in restaurants etc  and who has a very individual style that would be hard to copy. Lots of personality but grab one of his dvd’s if you get the chance. His bottle production is nearly as good as Bob Reads.

RAFAEL – stage performer from Belgium. Did a great Dracula act in one show with many original ideas. Skeleton walking across the stage with real legs pushing a trolley etc. Very original and worth catching. Also did his FISM comedy act in a bright chequered suit with various comedy and magic items, producing doves and putting them in the standard cage on an open table for the vanish finish. Under the cloth the cage grows  and grows up to 6 feet and when uncovered produces a girl inside.

RICHARD SAUNDERS – another excellent magician from Canada who stunned with two of his  known effects. An impossible rope routine “Fibre Optics” that is visually impossible to the spectator (the two ends of the rope travel along the rope to the opposite end – spooky) And his Flying Ring routine whereby the borrowed ring finishes tied on the magician’s shoelace. Good worker bristling with original ideas.

Lots, lots more but can’t think straight right now but will  blog you some more tomorrow.

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