NME Top Tip for 2009 are ace Brighton band, 4 or 5 Magicians.

4 or 5 Magicians are a hootin', tootin', rock 'n' roll band based in popular Sussex seaside resort Brighton. Dan Ormsby writes the songs, and Sam Clarke, Ivan Berry, Alex Wilkinson, and Graham Pembrey (and sometimes other people too) help him play them.

The band has, in the past, also featured Mike Lord (drums and keyboards, now of Stars and Sons), Jon Wood (bass, now of Epideme), Matt Hayward (guitar, now of Favours For Sailors), Sam Moore (guitar, now studying for a Masters in Philosophy) , Alex Lovell (drums, now concentrating on the final year of a BA in French and Spanish), Ilja Gray (drums, now in Australia), Ben Pruess (drums, now in the USA), Alex Ames (guitar, now in Japan), and a few other rockers for a few shows here and there. None of the current lineup have any plans to leave the country, return to full time education, or leave to join a different cool band!

Top DJs Huw Stephens and Steve Lamacq have remained fans since first hearing the band in Summer 2007. 'Forever On The Edge' was single of the week on Lamacqs Radio 1 show, and 'Change The Record' / 'Ideal Man' on his BBC 6music show, for which Dan was invited in to record a live interview as Lamacqs New Favourite Band. The band has also recorded a three song live session at Maida Vale studios for Huw Stephens which is streamable at their MySpace.

To date, three singles have been released through DIY indie labels, Forever on the Edge, on October 29th 2007 through Alcopop!, 'Change The Record' / 'Ideal Man', on April 21st 2008 through This Is Fake DIY and 'Nice Little Earner' which was released as a free download on October 12th 2009 through Smalltown America Records. This will also be sold as a strictly limited edition CD available only at forthcoming gigs. The first two singles are still available through the websites of the respective labels.

All the singles, (as well as a number of live shows) have picked up a stack of superlative-laden reviews from the likes of Rocksound, The Fly, Music Week, Drowned In Sound, Subba Cultcha, Organ Art, Rockfeedback, and many more webzines and blogs from all over the world. The band have been awarded Best Unsigned Indie/Rock act 2008 by Playmusic magazine, and were tipped as one of the main acts to look out for in 2009 by the NME in their first issue of 2009.

Their debut album 'Empty Derivative Pop Songs' was released through Smalltown America Records on November 2nd 2009. Recorded at various points throughout 2008 with Ian Button (guitarist in Death in Vegas), it features all the singles (the early ones have been re-recorded) along with 7 other previously unreleased tracks.

Dan Ormsby also has some acoustic tracks up on his own MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/danorm sby)

You can contact the band at their MySpace

There is also a website www.4or5magicians.co.uk which the band fully endorses but has no involvement in the operation of!