Introducing

"We're sifting through 44 songs to get down to 24 for a double album or an album which will be released in two parts," says Magoo co-founder Owen Turner.

The band might have been playing under the Magoo moniker for 11 years, but it seems they've lost none of their fervour as they gear up to record yet another album to be released towards the end of next summer.

It will be their sixth or seventh long-player "dependent on which ones we count as being full albums or not".

The group's latest project has the working title of The Continuing Adventures Of Magoo, which pays its dues to both their longevity and upbeat nature.

Guitarists and vocalists Owen and Andrew Rayner, who both grew up near King's Lynn, first started playing in bands together in 1992, before launching Magoo in 1994.

Although there have been changes through the years, they've long settled into the current line-up which includes drummer and percussionist Stacy Gow, from Norwich, and bassist and keyboardist Jennifer Heagren, who has just moved to Northampton.

Liverpool link

Magoo have attracted a national albeit underground following helped, in part, by being championed by the late John Peel.

The Liverpool super-fan was probably first swayed by the fact that their manager wore a T-shirt bearing the face of legendary team manager Bill Shankly - but he must have liked what he heard as within a week their EP was being played on his Radio 1 turntables.

Studio recordings

Propelled by their love of music rather than commercial success, in 1997 Magoo set up Sickroom Studios, near Narborough, where around 150 bands have recorded including The Broken Family Band, Rory McVicar, Bearsuit and the now defunct Kaito.

With the band getting ready to record their latest album, they will have the advantage of more space at Sickroom as a new live room has just been built, with Norwich band Giant Robot And The City Of Tokyo the first to use it last weekend, 1 December, 2007.

After a quiet year gig-wise, the band are looking forward to putting on some shows to support their new album, with a set already pencilled in for Cambridge next March.

An interview with the band on BBC Norfolk Introducing between 7 and 8pm on Friday, 7 December, 2007 - you can listen to an extended version at the top of this page.