Marillion, The Tramshed, Cardiff
I have to admit that I've not seen Marillion since the 1986
Misplaced Childhood tour rolled into St Davids Hall. Thirty years is a long
time to leave it and it was with much anticipation that I headed to the Tramshed
to renew acquaintances.
Since that tour Marillion has morphed into a totally
different beast. With the arrival of Steve “H” Hogarth the band were released
from many of the difficulties they had experienced with the “Scottish singer”
and over the past 28 years their sound has changed dramatically, far removed
from the punk fused neo progressive rock that many who don't follow them still
associate with the name of the band. In fact, the Hogarth era sound is much
closer to the progressive nuanced indie style of Radiohead and the like. Clever
without being arrogant, delicate and intricate, intriguing and thought
provoking and beautifully played. It's fair to say that Marillion don't make
music for the three minute single generation.
The Tramshed is a cracking venue but boy does it become hard
work when full to capacity. For the vertically challenged it's inevitable that
sight lines will be interrupted or even completely blocked and the temperature
rockets very quickly. Sensible action by the ever excellent staff in opening
the doors to allow airflow during the main set helped but this was only after
at least one member of the audience required assistance. Perhaps the
demographic of an audience for a band such as Marillion needs to be given more
consideration. These aren't spring chickens we are talking about.
Opening act John Wesley (6) faced a stern challenge. With a
stellar reputation thanks to his time in Porcupine Tree and of course with
Fish, he didn't have to win over the crowd but his solo approach with
programming to support his guitar and vocals was a bit dull for a partisan
crowd who were there for only one reason.
Despite a game effort and some pleasing interactions with some wags in the
audience prior to his last song, A Way
You'll Never Be, Wesley was unable to maintain the attention of many which
caused frustration for those who did want to listen.
The start of two and a half hours of quite superb music
began with Marillion (9), minus H, gently arriving on stage and launching into The Invisible Man, the digital backdrop
projecting H’s vocals before the man himself arrived on stage, dapperly dressed
in suit and tie. As the evening progressed H’s appearance matched the mood of
the music, losing the tie and later jacket and by the encores changing from a
sweat drenched shirt to tee and leather. It's no coincidence that this band
evoke such loyalty from their audience. This was akin to a religious experience
with the commitment of the band fully matched by the crowd who soaked up every
minute, passion and emotion present throughout.
Whilst H is the focal point of the band, and he is a damn
good frontman, the unassuming work that goes on around him is remarkable. Ian
Moseley is a fine drummer, his work with bassist Pete Trewavas solid and
crafted. Mark Kelly’s keyboards and programming provides the layers and
textures which are the Marillion sound whilst the underrated guitar work of
Steve Rothery, the sole original member was just beautiful. Never one to push
it, his work meshes perfectly with
the band's, but he can let rip when he wants. Of course, it's the vocal
performance that makes or breaks a band and H cannot only sing but perform as
well, theatrics enhancing his lyrics. He also took the audience banter brilliantly,
swearing like a trooper and greeting an impromptu “oggi oggi oggi “ with
genuine surprise.
A large chunk of the set was unsurprisingly devoted to the
quite magnificent F.E.A.R , possibly
the album of 2016. Politically astute and observationally accurate, F.E.A.R
reflects the world we live in, ruled by wealthy corporations to the expense of
the rest. Chillingly clear and oh so accurate. Living in Fear was the first
track, many of the audience fully familiar with a release a mere two months
old. Solitary pre H track Sugar Mice from
Clutching At Straws allowed those around at the time to open up
the vocals, H only needing to sing about a third of the song thanks to the Cardiff
choir who were in full voice. I’m sure there is a massive cross over between
the Fish and Marillion fan base and it was no surprise to hear many sing it
word perfect.
The most accurate and frightening part of F.E.A.R, The New Kings held everyone captivated.
A quite masterful piece of work, H’s Performance was astonishing, dripping with
emotion and anger. The ovation that was received was fully deserved. The
fragility of the rock star life was hammered home during King with a poignant montage of those stars who died before their
time. Enough legends to fill the entire song, Lynott, Presley, Lennon and
Winehouse amongst them.
A deserved encore brought more new treats in the shape of El Dorado from F.E.A.R which sounded majestic in the live arena. Sadly a few of
the crowd were by now restless and some of the quieter parts were spoilt by mindless chatter. The finale of This Strange Engine, introduced by H as a mad song that even he
didn't know what was about, brought a
fantastic show to a close. Two and a half hours in length and quite technically
astonishing, Marillion really did deliver.
As a footnote, it would be remiss of me not to comment on
the quite idiotic behaviour of some of the fans. It appears to be increasingly
common for the crowds in the Tramshed to get tanked up as the night progresses.
This got to ridiculous proportions when during Marillion’s set a fight broke
out! Yes, grown middle aged men for fuck’s sake. Whilst the Marillion army is
devoted to the core, they also contain some of the biggest assholes. A real
shame but a bit of tarnish to an otherwise glorious evening.
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