Venue:
Newcastle City Hall
Date: 06/03/2025
So here I am once more in the playground of the broken hearts to listen one last time to the musical diary entries penned by Derek William Dick the artist soon to be formerly known as Fish.
It’s been over 40 years since I first saw Fish with Marillion on the Real to Reel tour. That was a moment for the teenage me, only my second ever concert and if you’d asked me who my favorite band was for most of the ’80’s I’d have probably answered Marillion. I wore my grey origami jester tour t- shirt under my school uniform the next day and gushed to anyone who’d listen about what I’d seen. I seem to remember that some of Misplaced Childhood was road tested on that tour, a brave move to ask an audience to sit through an unreleased prog suite but it worked and I got to see their star rise as ‘hits’ followed. Whilst seemingly never fashionable with the critics they were on an upwards career trajectory until personal differences brought it to an end in the late ’80’s. Custody of lyrics and music were split and both parties went on to lead full musical lives. Since the split I’ve followed both camps, picking them up, putting them down as needed, they’ve been a musical constant through the years. So when this farewell tour was announced it was a given that I’d attend and a bright March morning saw me catching the train to Newcastle for Fish’s last concert in England. There are three Scottish dates to follow before the tour ends on March 10th. Fish is closing his online shop, he said during the concert that it had closed today March 6th, leaving the music business behind and moving to a croft in the Outer Hebredies, this appears to be all folks. Having said that I did see mention of some smaller scale activity being possible in one interview I read, here’s hoping.
Newcastle City Hall is a new venue for me, we’ve seats in the balcony and whilst we’re on row G , we are dead centre with only an aisle in front of us so an excellent uninterrupted view from the hill.
Vigil, the title track from his debut album opens and from the opening line “Listen to me, hear me out” we are, we will, we’re rapt. Surprisingly, there were still seats available in the balcony, I understand most of the other shows were sold out. Those who were there though were there to listen, sing along one last time and to say goodbye to a musical companion. The crowd are already on side from the off, yes there’s an early shout for that song, which is dealt with in withering fashion, the old band are referenced during the main set but their songs are held back to the encores. Credo and Big Wedge are next, picking up the tempo and the crowd respond accordingly.
The band, Robin Boult, Mickey Simmons, Steve Vantsis, Gavin Griffiths and Liz Antwi are excellent and get acknowledged by Fish throughout. A mention to Liz Antwi who duets wonderfully on Just good friends another could have been bigger hit that was apparently hindered when he sought a female vocalist to duet with and found himself blackballed due to having taken legal action against his label. If he ever finishes his autobiography it should make an excellent read.
Most of the songs are drawn from the first two solo albums but there’s a good spread from across his career. The between song anecdotes are as always entertaining, maybe “An evening with Fish” storytelling might be an option in the future.
The main set ends with the Plague of Ghosts suite, we’re back to the 20 minute prog suite here and this ends with each member of the band leaving in turn leaving only Fish and the crowd keeping time with their claps as he also exits the stage. The hand claps continue and after a suitable pause Fish returns.
First encore begins with A gentleman’s excuse me, a song that should have been been brought to a wider audience through being used on prime time celebrity dance shows. Just Fish, keyboards a heart felt lyric and a tune. Then the Marillion legacy is revisited with the Misplaced Childhood side one big guns, Kayleigh, Lavender and Hearts of Lothian. However loud the crowd had been to this point this took things to another level, every word was known every syllable was sung and I suspect a few tears were wiped from eyes.This continued into the second encore of Fugazi and the hall was bouncing now.
The Company, penned to former band mates but as Fish said, this is our song was a fitting finale. We sing, we raise our glasses real or otherwise and we toast a man who’s soundtracked a large part of our lives. He stands on the stage, waves and finally is gone.
I know it’s only music, but we carry our musical choices with us as we get on and live our lives so it does feel odd to say goodbye to someone you’ve never really met but has been with you through their music for so long. Anyway to mangle the obvious quote, so long, and thanks for all the songs Fish.
The audience:
You can guess the average age, as Fish equipped during one anecdotes about band gathering younger audiences, the only reason younger people come to his shows is because their parents forced them to listen to Marillion! My daughter laughed at that.
It made me think..
We’re all getting older, no great insight here.
And people have a lot of affection for the big man, his work and yes they love those early Marillion songs.
Great review…he will be missed but seems very content with where he’s going.
Like you I was a massive Marillion fan in my teens, bordering on obsessive, but tuned out after Misplaced Childhood and never caught up with the band or Fish after that. He was always a performer of tremendous charisma and I’m glad he got to say farewell in his own way and at a time of his own choosing.
Thanks for the great review. I’ve seen Fish and the Marillos live more than any other act, and have never left disappointed. I’m glad he’s still putting on a good show.
I don’t think any one of his solo studio albums matches the four he did with the band, but there are a few gems on every release, and I agree about A Gentleman’s Excuse Me – it’s a beautiful song that deserves a lot more attention.
I wish he was carrying on, but I understand his reasons for bowing out. He’s always been quite honest about the ups and downs of being a touring act that’s no longer selling millions and enjoying big-label support. Given some of his travails over the past few years, I can see that eventually you’d say, “That’s enough for me.”
I hope he has an enjoyable retirement – but I wouldn’t say no to a storytelling tour and his long-promised autobiography.
I think he really operated as a cottage industry for his albums but although this tour has been successful with it being his goodbye I think as you point out that life on the road has become increasingly untenable for artists operating on a quite small scale.
At least the sale of his Marillion royalties produced the lump sum needed to buy his croft and provide a enjoyable and productive new way of life.
When you say cottage industry, I was surprised by some of the numbers he quoted on stage last night. He was saying that some may not recognise all songs depending on which album they came from. He then quoted playing in Europe to a total number of people and then how many had bought a particular album. Both numbers smaller than I would have thought but the albums being a third of the concert-goers. It really was cottage industry numbers.
Anyway, I wish him the best, as you say above he seems content and choosing your own time to step away is a gift.
Agree on the solo not matching the four with the band, Vigil comes closest and what could have been putting it together with what became Seasons End for Marillion is one of rocks great what If’s. You can pick a very good playlist or setlist from his work though right through to his most recent releases.
I’ve always thought that he was unlucky not to have had a crossover hit with one of his ballads but I’m sure there are reasons.
Vigil In The Wilderness Of Mirrors … only the album Season’s End could’ve been.
High points ( many high points) on both albums – cherry pick the two, and it’s a corker.
I know Marillion were in a period of adjustment, but the music base is still there and you can see/hear where they’re going. Although there are also moments where Steve Hogarth hasn’t quite got his feet under the table and you think “Fish’s voice on that would be good”.
Uninvited Guest is (I think) the obvious one when I first heard it. But by the same token Fish wouldn’t have worked on Easter.
Vigil .. was a peak in Fish’s solo career and don’t think he’s topped it.
Crackingly great review!
I’m not a particularly huge fan, never have been, though I do own a couple of the early albums. For me I think they always suffered as being the inheritors of a style I associated with early Genesis, and when that band started getting indigestible, weirdly they sort of took Marillion down with them in my imagination.
Your review, and the passion within it that I recognise as my own devotional feeling for certain artists, makes me think I’ll dig out those early records and listen again… perhaps I was wrong to abandon their work…. which is exactly the sort of thing that a good review of a show enjoyed should inspire in its readers.
Funny you should mention Genesis as I picked up a Peter Gabriel biography from a charity shop before catching the train home today! I was too young at the time to to see the influences that early Marillion undoubtedly had and was getting it direct from them, I worked backwards later. There’s a live show from Edinburgh 1987 on the streaming services which will probably give a good overview of the first four albums. I think it was included in one of the expanded album box sets. It’s certainly on Amazon Music and Qobuz.
It’s a comparison that dogged them even before they started recording. There is a tale of one live show where the band left a dramatic pause in the music which some wag filled by saying, ‘A flower?’ Mr Dick was not amused.
I didnt know that, however was he wearing the face paint at the time?
I’d like to think that he’d smile and acknowledge where they came from these days. It’s funny that at times bands want to associate themselves with others or distance themselves. In retrospect, it was all about positioning. If you like x you’ll like us, but we’re not copying y we’re different. These things matter when you’re young, you need your tribes.
My first gig was Marillion at the old Birmingham NEC in 1987. Waiting in the car park for the coach home, I heard another fan entertaining his mates by singing Supper’s Ready. As he got to the Willow Farm bit, a big crowd joined in with “Bom! Bom! Bom!” I knew I had found my tribe. Proof, if anybody needed it, that Marillion and Gabriel’s Genesis attracted similar fans.
yes, I agree the Genesis comparisons from those early years was too close to call, in fact at one gig in Milton Keynes at a pub called The Starting Gate (now long gone) I saw the band on one of their earliest shows. My mates and I stood at the back (as you do) and one of them shouted “Suppers Ready” at one point, to which Fish replied “well go home and get it yer c*nt”, my how we laughed.
I also did some promotion work, flyers etc for MK band Solstice – STILL GOING! around that time and when the band supported Marillion at Dunstable’s Queensway Hall I met folks coming into the show wearing Fish’s face-paint, which I also laughed at.
A great man who fronted one of the best bands of the 1980s.
I still listen to all 4 of his Marillion albums and bought the Vigil deluxe edition which is an excellent album.
Lost interest after that. Apart from this:
I wish him a happy retirement.
He seemed to lose his way after Vigil, not helped by his financial and legal problems. The albums that followed were a pretty mixed bag although there was still gold to be found among the grit. He didn’t seem to recover his mojo until the 13th Star album, and the follow up Feast of Consequences was pretty good too, while I would rank his final offering Weltschmerz alongside Vigil as his best work.
I have never managed to engage with Marillion or Mr. Fish.
They came along just at the wrong time, when I was becoming bored with that whole style of music and I never “got” them.
Nothing wrong with them except that they failed to attract me.
I remember a few years back Fish explaining the financial and logistical problems of touring for artists at his level of fame. How hard it was for him to make any money touring with a band.
I suspect he’s glad to be out of it now.
I’m allergic to Fish…
My friend TT co-wrote A Plague of Ghosts and was apparently in the audience and heartfully credited when they played Liverpool. Thankfully Mr. Fish’s selling of his rights (hence the closing of the shop) should provide for a long and happy retirement.
Talented chap your friend, I suspect I’ve seen him on a previous tour.
He is enormously clever. I’ve been lucky enough to write with him a couple of times and he’s always been a lovely presence in the studio.
Just to clarify, only the Marillion rights were sold, he still retains those for his solo work although I suspect those are considerably less valuable.
The shop (and his record company) were closed as he wants to draw a line under his time in the music industry and make a completely fresh start in his new venture.
Final song final show….
In an odd coincidence as well as marking the final show, this week is also the 42nd anniversary of the release of Script and the 41st of the release of Fugazi.