Dusty Drawers, Old Friends, and One Very Suspicious “AI”

Our latest at-home night for the Surrey Society of Magicians had a simple theme with dangerously good potential: stuff that’s been living in your dusty drawer. You know the drawer. The one full of half-remembered gimmicks, optimistic purchases, and props that looked absolutely essential at the Blackpool Magic Convention… right up until you got home and realised you’d need (a) courage, (b) practice, or (c) a willing victim.

So the brief was: bring something you haven’t performed in years - or ever - and give it a proper outing in a friendly, live environment. Which is basically the perfect excuse to stop owning tricks purely as “magical ornaments”.

And, honestly, it delivered.

Jack vs The Casino (Featuring “Tim & the AI Bot”)

Jack kicked us off with what he claimed was an AI program he’d “found online” to help him cheat at gambling. This already sounded like the start of either a miracle or a court case, but we pressed on.

With Tim assisting, the “AI” successfully guessed a selected card from a shuffled deck on three separate occasions. Three. Which is the point where you stop politely smiling and start doing that quiet internal maths of “hang on… what’s going on here then?”

Then, as a final escalation, it somehow divined the full order of the pack. The kind of moment that makes you look at your own drawer and think: why do I own fifteen packet tricks and none of them do that?

Jack followed with a quick celebrity prediction - sharp, punchy, and nicely paced - before finishing with a wonderfully bonkers moment: a deck of cards penetrated and then, impossibly, transformed into a solid block of steel. Because why not.

Colin’s Rope Routine (And the Generosity of Actual Teaching)

Next up was Colin, who treated us to his famous rope routine. It’s one of those pieces that looks effortless when done well - which of course means it’s not effortless at all.

Even better, he generously walked us through the routine step-by-step, breaking down the handling and structure so we could all go away and actually do it ourselves (or, at the very least, fail in a more informed way).

Mike’s Glass Penetration (With the Group Brain Trust)

After Colin, Mike took the floor with a really interesting glass penetration demonstration. It had that lovely “wait… how?” quality to it, and it sparked exactly what these nights are best for: supportive, practical feedback.

The group chipped in with some smart suggestions on tweaks, touches, and ways to strengthen moments - the sort of collaborative tinkering that can turn “pretty good” into “that’s staying in the set”.

Kelly’s Linking Rings (Assisted by Mike)

Kelly was up next with linking rings - a classic for a reason, and always a joy when performed with personality. She was ably assisted by Mike, who offered tips on linking and unlinking cleanly, and on keeping it fun and engaging rather than turning it into a solemn demonstration of metal management.

It was a great reminder that even something as familiar as rings can feel fresh when the rhythm is right and the presentation has a bit of bounce.

Mick, a Magazine, and a Strong Temptation to Spend Money

Mick then showed a magazine-to-money transposition that was very slick. The changes were crisp, the handling looked smooth, and the overall effect landed exactly as it should - direct, visual, and slightly irritating (in the best way) because you immediately want it.

It definitely led to a lot of us considering a trip to Monster Magic the next day with a suspiciously specific shopping list.

George’s Prediction… and Half the Room in Celebrity Masks

George followed with a prediction trick that was both very amusing and slightly bizarre - the perfect combination for a club night. It involved nearly half of us putting on celebrity face masks, which is not a sentence I expected to write in a magic blog, but here we are.

It was genuinely funny to be part of, and I’m fairly sure it was even funnier for anyone watching the chaos unfold from the outside. There’s something about magicians in masks that feels like the start of a heist movie made by people who can’t drive.

George doing something we’ll never forget…ever!

Rob and the Rubik’s Cube (Proper Sorcery)

Rob then gave us a truly miraculous Rubik’s Cube demonstration. And as a former competitive cube solver, I can confirm: he clearly knows his stuff.

Even better, he offered to teach any members who want to learn how to solve a cube in under 15 minutes - which is an incredibly generous offer, and also a dangerous one because it means some of us may soon become unbearable at parties.

Graham’s Balloons (And Infectious Enthusiasm)

Finally, Graham wrapped up the evening with some of his famous balloon penetration effects. His enthusiasm for the mechanisms and inner workings is properly infectious - the kind of passion that makes you enjoy the method almost as much as the result.

He was particularly proud of a balloon presentation he’d bought from the late, great Ali Bongo, and it was lovely to see that little thread of magic history woven into the night.

Graham, who really does love balloons, despite this picture giving the opposite impession

The Best Bit: The Room

What really made the evening, though, wasn’t just the tricks. It was the atmosphere - the mix of learning, sharing, and laughing until your face hurts. We got to dust off old props, try new ideas, improve routines on the spot, and enjoy that uniquely magical experience of being among people who understand why you’re excited about a piece of rope behaving itself.

Huge thanks to Geoff for compering the evening and keeping everything moving, and to the Nomad for hosting us so brilliantly.

We’re already looking forward to the next one - and yes, I’m absolutely going back into that drawer.