The Magnetic Fields @ The Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, 24 & 25 Aug

This is a performance made for people who would rather listen to an album than a playlist. For the first time in two decades, The Magnetic Fields play the whole of their most acclaimed record, 69 Love Songs, in order, over two nights as part of the Edinburgh International Festival. Released in 1999, the record comprises three volumes of songs penned by singer Stephin Merritt, incorporating a wide range of styles from punk to country and soul to jazz and drawing on influences as varied as Roy Orbison, The Beach Boys, Morrissey and ABBA. 

It’s a little daunting arriving at a gig that you know will comprise approximately 35 tracks, followed by the same again the following night. But from the first moment that Merritt’s velvety bass vocals fill The Queen’s Hall, the performance does anything but drag on. It’s a testament to the strength of the songwriting on 69 Love Songs that every track stands out, each performed with equal respect and care by the band. 

There are bound to be songs on the record’s vast tracklist that the audience is most excited to hear – and indeed, tracks like All My Little Words, I Think I Need a New Heart and Papa Was a Rodeo are met with rapt attention and raucous applause. 

But the live setting injects new life into some of the songs on the record that went more under the radar. The true power of Let’s Pretend We’re Bunny Rabbits is revealed as the tinny quality on the recorded version gives way to a rousing rendition, enriched by vocals from the whole band and Sam Davol’s rich cello strokes. Some of the short, filler-type songs take on greater poignance when heard in this context, particularly those helmed by the resplendent vocals of Shirley Simms. 

Image: The Magnetic Fields @ The Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, 24 & 25 Aug by Andrew Perry for Edinburgh International Festival

Another very moving moment is the sparse arrangement of The Book of Love, where Merritt’s mournful voice is accompanied simply by plucked guitar and cello. Though it comes in the first half of the first night, the song feels like the centrepiece of the performance, perfectly capturing the record’s bittersweet and often cynical understanding of love. 

It would have been welcome to hear more of the band’s thoughts during the performances; interaction with the audience largely takes the form of the occasional amusing comment from Merritt. This live format dedicated to celebrating 69 Love Songs perhaps deserved more acknowledgement of the record’s legacy, and what it means to the band 25 years later. Maybe they felt the music, and the fact that we are all there to hear it, could speak for itself. 

The theme of the 2024 Edinburgh International Festival is ‘Rituals That Unite Us’, and there’s no denying that sitting in a packed hall of people, all of whom have been touched by 69 Love Songs in our varied and uniquely personal ways, is an incredibly unifying experience. Walking the streets of Edinburgh after the two performances are over, it feels like we might have got to the bottom of what love really means.