There’s a master of the Dark Arts lurking around Soho Square and his name is Drummond Money-Coutts. He can be found in Quintessentially Soho on a weekly basis as well as being the resident entertainment for Annabel’s on Thursdays.
At Quintessentially Soho, he sits at the main bar, keen to draw the people in rather than force his work upon them. This is an approach he’s always favoured, believing that this ensures that “only people who actually want to see what you’re doing, do”. “Otherwise, it can be invasive. If you’re having an intimate conversation with somebody, the appearance of a gent brandishing playing cards is not always entirely welcome”.
Growing up, Money-Coutts was aware from an early age that the Dark Arts had a unique hold over him, and confesses that any pocket money received was instantly put to use to fund his progression as a magician. When I ask how his parents felt about his obsession, and his decision to turn it into a career, he concedes that “There was a time during my gap year, whilst interning for Goldman Sachs, when I could sense a parental anxiety at the Magic overshadowing a more secure career. By day I worked on Fleet Street, and by night I was performing at parties. It was only when I came home one month and realised my Magic earnings had outstripped those of the investment bank, that the dream became thinkable.”
His work has steadily moved from smaller audiences, to rather more full-scale events. He concedes that it’s definitely a different style, but one he doesn’t shy away from. At 6 foot 3 with dark features and a twinkle in his eye, he doesn’t look like someone who’d be uncomfortable with mass attention, and indeed, whilst still at school, he had already performed for HM The Queen, Michael Parkinson and Hugh Grant, amongst others. Money-Coutts is as skilled with his words as he is with hands, and when I ask him who he takes his inspiration from, he replies without hesitation, “Wodehouse and Saki”.
His most recent venture has been a trip to India, armed with only a pack of cards, in his first solo venture followed by a TV crew. However this doesn’t mean you can expect him to become the next Paul Daniels. “I don’t want to do TV simply for the sake of being on TV. I want to develop my own style and comfort with a camera now, and then explore the next step” he replies. This was Money-Coutts’ second venture to India – a country he claims to have fallen in love with. “It’s very rare to find an ex-colonial colony which embraces its heritage and the traditions of the former colonialists quite so warmly.”
A magician is only as good as his tricks, and in the snippet of magic he offers me, the cardsharp doesn’t disappoint. Determined not be fooled by misdirection, I watch his large hands gliding over the cards eagerly, only to find mine hiding inside the wallet located inside his jacket. I’m stumped.
http://www.dmcmagic.com
Photo courtesy of Simon Cardwell
