A 1980s chocolate bar has been revived – through an unlikely source.
Brisbane death metal band Super Fun Brutal Slide are know for their their playful sense of humour, which includes bookending their songs with ’80s and ’90s movie, TV, and advertising audio clips.
“It started out as a way to pad out some short songs on our first album,” said SFBS guitarist Jared Louis. “We all grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, so we had a lot of fun choosing our favourite clips to put in. It was going to be a one-off, but our fans kept telling us they loved the clips, so we decided to keep going. They’re only 20 second clips at the start and end of songs, so the novelty hasn’t worn off yet after three albums.”
But the one clip that took off was an ad for 1980s chocolate bar Magic Bar.
“That was my baby,” said Louis. “I have very fond memories of that ad during Saturday morning cartoons as a kid. I would pester my poor mum for a Magic Bar when we to the shops. I found it one night while researching on YouTube and it had to go in! I still remember the jingle, ‘Make your day with a Magic Bar, where you’re the centre of the Magic’ We eventually put it in the song ‘Haircut Decapitation'”
The Magic Bar clip was such a hit with fans that SFBS started playing the full jingle as part of their set and released a Magic Bar t-shirt as part of their merch range. And that’s when things got interesting.
By pure chance one night, the creator of Magic Bar – Steven Lanning – was at an SFBS show.
“I’m not a fan of their music, but I was chaperoning my grandson for the night. I was going to put my headphones in, sit at the bar, and watch the Broncos game, but when I heard that jingle, I was intrigued. The band played it well and it brought back wonderful memories of working on that campaign.”
After meeting the band following the show (with Lanning’s grandson also thrilled to meet to band), Lanning and SFBS struck a deal – he would bring back Magic Bar to sell exclusively at SFBS gigs.
“It looked like a pretty hot and sweaty concert, so a nice chocolate hit might be just what those kids need to keep their energy up,” said Lanning.
A few months later, the first batch of Magic Bar chocolate bars was sold at an SFBS gig in Sydney – and they sold out before SFBS hit the stage.
“Mate, it’s such an honour to work with the creator of the Magic Bar!” said Louis. “I felt like I was a kid again. And it feels like fate that we crossed paths with Lanning and made this all happen.”
Lanning and SFBS are planning on extending their partnership: not only will Magic Bar be sold at SFBS shows from now on, but fans who pre-order SFBS’s upcoming fourth album will enter a draw to win a year’s supply of Magic Bar chocolate bars and other Magic Bar merchandise.
