14 June

Scratching My Head

I was offered a ticket to see Marillion. I had seen them a couple of times before in the 80's. Before they became known; on a grass area behind some local council buildings and then just before they became 'famous' being fronted by Fish. I scratched my head. Did I want to take up this offer? Tricky. Marillion... I scratched my head again. They have the strange honor of being the first and also one of only two bands concerts I have ever walked out of!! Now anyone who knows me, knows I have an enormously wide taste in music and pride myself on being tolerant and open minded to sounds that most will deride in a few bars so to attain this status takes something. I remember standing stage front right two from the front looking at Fish and Co thinking show me something new this has all been done before... and Fish what a jumped up self absorbed idiot (being polite ;-) ).

Anyway... roll forward to 2007. I scratched my head one more time and figured what the hell lets see if twenty plus years and a new front man have done anything to improve them. Besides if it was as bad as in my youth at least I could try out my new camera.

13 June: The Junction - The Stripe... oh well I guess a venue needs a hip and happening name... the stripe??? Anyway its basically The Junction of old. I can't say I noticed any changes in the interior from when it stood in that isolated car park in what must have been a former railway siding. The interior was still camouflaged mat black and the toilets were as disgusting as a student union bar after the rugby team have been on a two night orgy of drinking and forgotten where to aim.

The warm up band were king Rat. A five piece band from London who set the scene for the evening to follow. The opening track left me wondering... a strange collision of some 80's electro pop and rock. A procession of songs followed, each with a driving back bone, wailing guitar rifts ( I really think the lead guitarist was out of some 70's outfit and seemed at odds with rest of the band), screeching operatic vocals, mind numbingly boring keyboards despite Sara Wax's attempts to strike some rock poses (Rick Wakeman would have been proud) that didn't make me leap up and cry yeah!! Indeed even the crowd seemed mildly stirred... toasty as opposed to warmed up. There was nothing wrong with them. They were adept at their craft; it just seemed to lack anything you could grab hold of and say yes... thats different or that got you singing along to a catchy tune or come to that tapping your feet. So as the last cries faded and the lights went up whilst the technicians changed the stage around I was left yet again scratching my head.

Over 30 mins!!! more like 40 I think to take a few bits of the stage and for Marillion to come on!!! I mean they had all afternoon to set this up. To make sure things were perfect. Were Marillion such a bunch of prima donas??? This must have rated as one of the longest stage turn arounds I have experienced in a long while. I let them know too ;-)

They entered stage right one at a time building into the first song. The next few songs seemed to carry on from where King Rat left off. A wall of gargantuan sound. Orchestral. Complex. Cascading rythms twisting inconstant. Big rock. Big production values ( the sound and light desks probably took over a third of the venues floor area) and so it went. The band played. The fans watched. Like King Rat a performance that was consummately professional but totally unmemorable. Each member of the band being a master craftsman, a technician but each locked in their own sound booth. No evidence that there was any communication or fun between them. So was this a repeat of all those years ago? No. This time I was on the left of the stage.... but also 'no' because of the bands one saving grace: Steve Hogarth. Here was a charismatic and eccentric front man with a remarkable voice. Happy battling the combined might of the band and with ease placing his vocals over the top of the sterile big rock sound and thus taking it somewhere far more palatable. He was theatrical, striking poses that almost parodied what they were. Poses 1 to 58 of the rock school chapter on how to strut on stage. He knew it too, a cheeky grin across his face sharing the joke with the audience. Sometimes sultry, soft, gentle, lovingly caressing the sounds.. other times screaming pulling the ugliest of faces as he strained to rise above the band... and with this, the mediocrity of the perfect big sound, the perfect sterile instrumentation was forgotten.

So all in all it was a good evening. For me Marillion have been saved by Steve Hogarth. 7/10