Love him or loath him, Jay Sankey comes prepared, full of energy and filled the Spanish hall right to the top!

This year was my first Blackpool and my first magic convention ever! As a result I spent the whole weekend hoping to see as many lectures as possible, one of those was Jay Sankey. I was interested to see what his lecture would deliver and I wasn’t too disappointed. I got exactly what i expected; a lively and productive lecture on magic with plenty to take in.

Jay started the lecture with 3 quick and effective routines. He went straight into his act with no speech before hand, he was straight into it and as a result I was gripped. He kept the lecture going with fresh gags and had the whole of the Spanish Hall in laughter. This in-your-face comedy never stopped and was accompanied with some great forces and false card rips that were very deceptive.

Now to my favourite effect which would have to be the flat bottle top. After showing a normal top to a bottle of beer, you simply squeeze your hands together to reveal a perfectly flat bottle top! This is a fantastic effect for bar magic and one that can be done anytime and anywhere, something that I believe to be vital.

After enjoying many of the effects it was still a little too much to take in. There were far too many effects to be able to relax into the lecture and as a result I found that I was always on edge trying to take down as many details as possible. I also was not completely comfortable with the structure of the lecture as Jay would show three effects followed by the explanations. I would much rather he showed one effect so that it was fresh in the mind, allowing to digest the explanation and any tips that go along with it.

Having said all of this, I can only conclude that Jay Sankey really is a powerhouse of ideas. Although many friends said that this was your typical Sankey lecture, he was enjoyed in the most part. His style may be a bit hard to take for some but overall a very enjoyable lecture from a man who will always teach you something new.

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About the author…Peter Stirrup has been a keen magician for 15 years and is a member of several magic societies around the country. He now lives in the south of England and works as a close-up magician. Contact him at oiestiz@hotmail.com