Fish – Beacon

The former frontman of neo-prog rock outfit Marillion, who answers to the nickname Fish, was on rousing form as he delivered power ballads and intricate rock anthems spanning a career of more than four decades as part of his farewell tour at the Bristol Beacon.

The burly, balding, bearded and bespectacled Scottish rock singer, born Derek William Dick on April 25, 1958, in Edinburgh, is retiring at the age of 66, bidding a final goodbye to the music with thirteen celebratory and emotional shows.

Fish has been an interesting presence: making wordy, elaborate, theatrical and deeply unfashionable progressive rock with and without Marillion for 44 years.

Walking away from Marillion in the late 1980s, when they were on the cusp of stadium-conquering stardom, he has since spent most of his career on the margins, crafting deeply personal albums.

Hs band were tight and well-rehearsed: he picked the best of his players from across the years.

Keyboardist Mickey Simmonds was so vital to Fish’s early albums, as a co-writer and a musician with the skills to bring those songs to life.

Tonight, Fish and Simmonds were joined by Robin Boult on the guitars – another member of the first line-up – bassist Steve Vantsis and drummer Gavin Griffiths.

A special mention should also go to backing singer Elizabeth Troy Antwi, who brought added warmth and emotion to the choruses, while occasionally ad-libbing elsewhere.

Fish’s Road To The Isles headline tour ends his touring musical legacy, with these final shows acting as the prelude to his retirement and a new life in the Outer Hebrides.

We were off with Vigil, one of Fish’s most beautiful songs from his best solo album, Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors.

Whirring synthesiser drifts through the room before Fish’s voice gently joins in, and soft plucks of glimmering guitar arrive as it vibrates along with an ever-building presence before erupting with euphoric force.

The band sounded mighty and rousing on tracks such as the thundering Credo or the punchy Big Wedge, but graceful and sweet on songs like A Gentleman’s Excuse Me, one of the night’s highlights which was played as a simple duet, with vocals and keyboards.

Fish’s voice was again a treat for the ears during the first classic Marillion song, Incubus, from the formidable Fugazi album.

The band’s playing was immaculate and slick, especially during the vast six-part epic song Plague of Ghosts (parts 1-6) from the Raingods With Zippos album, which is stuffed with intricacies.

A multi-faceted arrangement of music styles, with Fish switching between singing and spoken word, Plague of Ghosts, one of the best things he has ever created as a solo artist, needed the combined talents of his band to be performed with justice.

As the last part, Wake-up Call (Make It Happen) ended, the band slowly left the stage, and Fish was on his own singing Make It Happen together with the crowd, thus ending the regular set.

Fish then made a final amused and embattled speech about the challenges of the modern music business, before delivering a beautiful version of Cliché, a love song to his wife, and another awesome track from the Vigil album.

Moving to Fish’s Marillion years, the audience were then treated to a rendition of Incubus, in which Simmonds added a very effective Hammond organ patch during some of the song’s more intense moments.

And then an encore of Marillion hits: the power ballads Kayleigh, Lavender and Heart of Lothian.

The final song had to be The Company, initially written by Fish as a riposte to his former bandmates in Marillion but quickly became an anthem of togetherness. Taking his leave with the words, “Thank you, good night, goodbye”, he wrapped up his long, winding and colourful career with a celebratory and emotional last lap of what has been a remarkable journey.

Review now on Bristol 24/7.

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