Soulful Magic: Britain’s Got Talent illusionist Magical Bones brings mind-blowing new show to Lancashire

One of the UK’s most unique and entertaining performers, Magical Bones is a magician with the x-factor, combining myriad illusionist styles with body-popping breakdancing and even elements of comedy to put on a show unlike any other. Having earned his nickname ‘Bones’ due to his hard-hitting and punchy dance style, Pythagoras’ Theorem this is not.

The dancing magician

“My drama teacher got me into magic,” says Bones. “He was called David Weeks and he was a member of the Magic Circle, so he kind of mentored me. From an early age, magic was almost irresistible; I was always amazed when I saw magic on TV shows or in cartoons and I always wanted magical powers, so it fascinated me from an early age.

“My mum got me the Paul Daniels magic set to have a play with, which was great,” he adds. “That’s how magic became a serious hobby for me. I’d practise every day with my friends, trying tricks on each other and trying to fool friends and family. Then, as I got older, I started to dance and busk in the street, which led me to trying out new ideas.”

Embarking on what was to blossom into a successful career as a pro hip-hop dancer, Bones swiftly established himself on the UK scene, working with some of the biggest names in music including Madonna, Alicia Keys, and Plan B, whilst also performing as the featured dancer in the music video of Mint Royals’ number 1 smash hit single, Singing in The Rain.

But he wanted to do something more. Something magical.

Drawing a crowd

“I wanted to play around with different things to stop a crowd and get attention,” Bones says of his street dancing. “That’s how I started incorporating little tricks I learned as a kid into my act. My street show gradually evolved until it had more and more magic in it and it just got to the point where it was more magic than dance.

“My ambition was never to become a professional performer, magic was just a cool little hobby,” he adds. “In fact, I never saw entertainment as a potential career at all - my dad was an academic, so he wanted me to become a mathematician or something like that, so performance was never something I took seriously.

“To then actually become a professional entertainer was a dream because it’s amazing when you can do what you love as a job and it makes you put extra hours into improving yourself. Plus, it was much better than maths, because I actually get to be creative, which is what I really love doing.”

Earning a reputation as a true one-off on the UK illusionist scene, Bones began fusing mind-blowing tricks with elements of street-dance culture and music, effortlessly combining intricate sleight of hand with mesmerising illusions and jaw-dropping break-dance moves. Then his career really took off.

The prestige

In 2015, he was cast as one of six magicians in the West End magic show Impossible, which debuted at the Noel Coward Theatre and then went on to tour around the UK and globally in Dubai, Lebanon, and the Philippines. He also made it to the finals of series 14 of Britain's Got Talent in 2020 and was named runner-up for the ITV Christmas Special BGT: Ultimate Magician in December 2022.

Other television appearances followed, including Sky/Amazon's Around the World in 80 Tricks, The CW’s Penn & Teller: Fool Us (USA), BBC Scotland’s Pure Magic, ITV1’s This Morning, and as the headline performer closing BBC1’s BAFTA Awards. Bones’ star was growing all the time, culminating in his debut solo show, Black Magic.

Selling out shows across the country and enjoying a successful run at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Black Magic was a hit. And Bones was on a roll - his second show, Soulful Magic, debuted at the 2022 Fringe, earning widespread acclaim for its adventurousness and high-energy nature. And now it’s coming to Lancashire.

Soulful Magic comes to Lancashire

“Soulful Magic goes deeper and further than Black Magic, so I include a lot more dangerous stunts, more music-related pieces, and it’s about high-energy, high-impact illusions,” Bones explains. “But also got a concert-type feel which you can almost dance along to while the illusions are going on, which gives it a really strong family feel to it as well as the wow-factor.

“I couldn’t be more eager to go on tour and keep on sharing my passion with the world,” he adds. “With trust at the core, magic can really inspire. I’ve always used magic to share my experiences of street culture and lifestyle and all the heroes that have inspired me - this show is a testament to all these things… proper street magic with new twists.

“I’ve poured my heart and soul into these new effects, pushing myself to the realms of impossibility, and I believe this is my most ambitious project to date. It’s so enjoyable to perform - I grew up in a musical household and my dad always loved Stevie Wonder and Motown, so that’s the music I used to practise magic to, which gave me the natural rhythm.”

Famed for his signature trick of catching a volunteer's chosen card from a scattered pack whilst doing a backflip, Bones says his passion for illusions is more fervent than ever. “I love magic more than when I started,” he says. “As I’ve gotten older, I’m allowing myself to be more free and open to ideas. It’s breathed a new life into my magic.”

Magical Bones will be performing Soulful Magic on March 24 at the Lancaster Grand Theatre, on March 26 at Lytham St Annes’ Lowther Pavilion, and on May 28 at Chorley Theatre. For more information, go to https://magicalbones.com/