On the eve of the release of the group's new album"Magic - Murder And The Weather" - he broke the news to his fellow - members - who already harboured doubts about the band's future viability after his earlier decision to resign completely from live shows. -

In the spirit of Magazine's metamorphic ethos - the break came swiftly and cleanly - though the blow was delivered in an atmosphere of uncertainty tempered by the knowledge that - for them at least - another satisfying record was in the can.

Even though solid commercial success had always somehow eluded them - the news - following hard on the heels of Stuart Adamson's split from the Skids - was an especially cruel twist of fate for Virgin whose - relevant parties were apparently stunned and saddened (as they say in all the best popular melodramas).

It was at their offices In Portobello that I met the inscrutable Devote for the third time in the space of three weeks. During our first encounter he was typically elusive - concealing his secret till he was ready to share it with those most immediately affected.

Looking back - it's always easier to spot clues pointing at what was to come; yet as the rest of the group were still blissfully ignorant of his plans it's not surprising he kept a discreet veil over the exit route already devised.

"There has to be a time when you let go and say I've had enough" he'd remarked about his attitude to current musical projects. "I always like to keep things fresh."

That word - attitude - that nebulous concept - is in many ways the nearest a grasping mind will ever get to defining what Magazine were all about. Never content to sit back on their laurels - to rest on a style like so many other groups - they made the spirit of change the life force that nourished their creative drives and musical quests.

Perhaps the vivid irony of talking about a group which would shortly and inevitably come to a sudden end appealed to Devoto's quirky sense of humour and could account for the half smiling - half - serious expression he wore throughout the course of most of our initial conversation. Beneath this mysterious Mona Lisa smirk lay a scheme which effectively rendered most of my Inquiries as redundant as the British work force.

Uncertainties and ambiguities were essential components in the currency of Devoto's lyrical and musical output. Was there anything he wanted to get off his chest - I asked him - sensing something was deliberately buried for reasons that would become obvious.

"No" he asserted"I've got nothing up my sleeve."

Christ - he must have been pissing himself with suppressed laughter!

Our next encounter was the proverbial brief one - at John Cooper Clarke's Dominion bash. This time he looked assured - relaxed - almost beaming. Yes - he agreed - it vas a weight off his mind - and surely I understood that he would never have told anyone before the group. Well - of course.

Another time and place is arranged for the official epitaph with drummer John Doyle and keyboardsman Dave Formula as pallbearers - guitarist Ben Mandelson is absent without leave and bassist Barry Adamson away fixing a visa for his Australian walkabout with Dave.

Still calm and not at all harrassed - Devoto appears - dressed as usual as if deliberately pursuing anonymity - in a pin - striped shirt - dark grey jacket - black trousers and matching monkey boots. Running down the flurry of recent events - he explains firstly that it was agreed - once the group had the news - they should all stay quiet to see how the single went. Which is exactly what it did - in true Magazine fashion - it just went.

"I was only prepared to wait because we weren't sure what Virgin's approach would be. I thought they might throw up their hands and say. 'well we're not going to put the album out then!"

While there seems some doubt now as to whether the record comes out in America - there have been no recriminations so far.

"They seemed stunned and a bit sad as well" he says of Virgin's reaction to losing their biggest cult band. "They muttered things about unfortunate timing and general phrases of disbelief."

It was the recording of their new album in fact which postponed the final move.

"There was always the chance that it would have made a difference because I love writing so much. I thought I might feel substantially changed after the album - but I didn't."

"I realised that if I didn't say anything now - in six months time things would still have been the same for me."

"Of course - the rest of the group went through the 'oh come on - you don't really mean it' routine - but that soon ceased - Given my decision everybody else seems to realise that the group known as Magazine has come to an end - so I don't think they'll be looking for a replacement vocalist."

"The thing with me" he continues"is that the main thing is the recording and writing. So having done the album - that's it for me. I don't wholeheartedly dislike performing but I don't like long tours and their ever diminishing returns."

Does the possibility that his role might be filled by someone else bother him at all?

"A bit - a bit - but I'd forgive them. We all feel precious about the name so I don't think you'll see any inferior Magazines."

Although he's prepared to admit that the group's lack of obvious commercial success was "disheartening" and undoubtedly played a part in his decision - the lust for change is the main factor at the heart of the upheaval.

Echoing one of his inspirers - Nietzsche. he claims that the whole episode will strengthen his will. He wants both a solo career and a lower profile.

"Well - yes - I know this may be odd - but I don't see the two as incompatible" he counters.

As expected. John Doyle and Dave Formula are considerably subdued compared to the relatively ebullient Devoto. Bordering on the sullen - they are nevertheless admirably determined to pick up the pieces and build a new musical framework - within which they can work again.

"We thought of getting a new vocalist for a time" Dave said - gazing into his beer as a mood of melancholy descended on the room now vacated by Devoto"but we realised it would only be a pallid imitation in the end."

"I've got very mixed feelings about the whole situation" he went on. "It's a very wise move on Howard's part but I'm not devastated. I just think that with all that material lying there - if we don't play it it'll get up and play itself."

All three rule out the possibility of a farewell concert - dismissing this as cheap nostalgia. Besides - as John points out"once you've rehearsed that much you may as well go out on the road."

So that leaves "Magic - Murder And The Weather" as their parting shot - and though the group say they are more than happy with the album it seems likely to receive at best very mixed reviews.

Their history has always been a series of swerves and warps - reaching an apex with 1980's "The Correct Use Of Soap". They left behind a trail of enigmas and unsolved problems covered in a screen of surface arrogance and exasperating innuendo. These days there's hardly time to get soft about yesterday. We should look to the future.

The violent end of Magazine is totally appropriate to the style of a genuinely individual and provocative group.

As Devoto says: "I've never lived my life in the past and I don't intend to now."

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