Magenta are one of the brightest names in modern Welsh prog — a lush, symphonic band built around the compositions of multi-instrumentalist Rob Reed and the soaring voice of Christina Booth. Formed in Cardiff in 2001, they took the grand, melodic spirit of 1970s prog — Genesis, Yes, Renaissance, Mike Oldfield — and gave it a rich, modern sheen. Across eight concept-driven studio albums they have become firm favourites of the progressive rock scene, admired for their ambition, melody and sheer craft.

The short version

Magenta are a Welsh symphonic prog band formed in Cardiff in 2001 by composer and multi-instrumentalist Rob Reed, with vocalist Christina Booth out front. What began as a one-album studio project — the acclaimed double concept album “Revolutions” (2001) — quickly became a full band. Over eight studio albums, from “Revolutions” to “Masters of Illusion” (2020), they have specialised in lush, melodic, concept-driven progressive rock. Rich, symphonic and instantly recognisable, they are one of the genre’s most rewarding modern acts.

From a studio project to a band

Magenta grew out of Rob Reed’s earlier projects Cyan and Trippa, the latter already pairing him with singer Christina Booth. In 2000 Reed began writing something bigger and more ambitious, and in 2001 the result — the double concept album “Revolutions,” with lyrics by his brother Steve Reed — appeared to immediate acclaim. Conceived as a studio-only venture using session players, Magenta proved so popular that demand for live shows turned it into a permanent band. By their second album, “Seven” (2004), they were winning Classic Rock Society awards and touring widely.

Lush, symphonic prog

Magenta play symphonic progressive rock of real richness and melody. At the centre is Rob Reed, a gifted multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer who builds grand, layered arrangements drawing openly on Genesis, Yes, Renaissance and Mike Oldfield, and Christina Booth, whose powerful, emotive voice has earned constant comparison to Renaissance’s Annie Haslam. Their albums are typically ambitious concept works, balancing sweeping, multi-part epics with shorter, hook-filled songs, and decorated by Chris Fry’s expressive guitar. Warm, melodic and beautifully produced, the sound is classic prog reborn for the modern age.

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Eight albums of symphonic prog

The eight albums gathered here span Magenta’s career. The double concept debut “Revolutions” (2001) and the epic-laden “Seven” (2004) set the template, while the storytelling “Home” (2006) confirmed their gift for the concept album. “Metamorphosis” (2008) and “Chameleon” (2011) brought a slightly harder edge, before “The Twenty Seven Club” (2013) — about musicians who died at 27 — and “We Are Legend” (2017) and “Masters of Illusion” (2020) continued their run, with further albums following since.

Album by album

Eight albums of lush, symphonic prog. Tap any title for its guide.

The players

Magenta are, at heart, a trio. Founder Rob Reed — keyboardist, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, and a busy figure beyond the band with projects from Kompendium to his Oldfield-inspired solo work — is the creative engine, while Christina Booth’s expressive vocals are the band’s voice and Chris Fry’s guitar its third defining element. These three have been the constant core throughout Magenta’s history, with a rotating cast of session and live musicians — drummers, bassists and guests — filling out the sound on record and on stage. Lyrics, fittingly for such a literary band, are largely the work of Rob’s brother Steve Reed.

Where to start

Start with “Seven” (2004), for many the perfect Magenta album — seven sweeping, melodic epics that show the band at their symphonic best. From there, the ambitious debut “Revolutions” (2001) reveals where it all began, while the concept album “The Twenty Seven Club” (2013) offers a slightly punchier, more song-based way in. Three albums that capture the range of their lush, melodic prog.

Why they still matter

Magenta matter as one of the finest symphonic prog bands of their generation — a group who carried the grand, melodic ambition of 1970s progressive rock into the new century and made it sound fresh. Through Rob Reed’s rich compositions, Christina Booth’s soaring voice and a steady stream of beautifully crafted concept albums, they have built one of modern prog’s most consistent and rewarding catalogues. For anyone who loves their progressive rock lush, tuneful and symphonic, Magenta are essential.

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