Marillion - London Review

I cannot say that I was expecting to see Marillion live in 2023. Following quite a significant European tour last year to support the release of An Hour Before It's Dark, which included a healthy amount of UK shows, I was expecting the band to take it relatively easy this year following a busy couple of years of writing, recording, and touring - and put their feet up after their handful of customary 'weekends' earlier in the year. When an, admittedly short, winter European tour was announced back in the summer, then, I was pretty surprised - in a good way. I had assumed that it would have been quite a while before I saw the band live again after last year's excellent show at the Eventim Apollo, but with two UK shows to choose from on the 2023 pre-Christmas jaunt it made sense to see them again for the eleventh time - and I opted to return to London to catch them at the Roundhouse just north of Camden. Having only been to the venue once prior to this year, my trip there to see Marillion was be my third visit of the year - having previously seen excellent shows there from Epica and Rival Sons. The pretty up-market venue seemed fitting for the Marillion of 2023, too, whom over the past decade or so have moved back up to the country's larger theatres than the clubs they had become accustomed to for quite a few years. It may not be as grand as the Royal Albert Hall or as historic as the Apollo, but the Roundhouse is certainly a bit different to many average venues - and is certainly a step up from the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, which was the band's London venue of choice for a number of years. Seeing them in 2023 would also mean that, with the obvious exception of 2020, I would have seen them every year since 2016 - which was at the aforementioned Forum in support of that year's Fuck Everyone and Run. With more shows in London, as well as trips to both Birmingham and Bath, it has been great getting to see the band live so often - as prior to 2016 my opportunities to see them were more limited, with an over-full show at Sheffield's Corporation being my only 'traditional' Marillion headline show up to that point. Given the relatively short nature of the tour, too, most of the shows sold out quite quickly. I do not think that the Roundhouse show had officially sold out, though, but when I looked on the venue's website the day before the gig the only tickets which were available were wheelchair-only spaces. With the UK's other show in Wolverhampton sold out, and most of the other European shows packed out, it just goes to show what a draw Marillion are again these days. They toiled away in small clubs for years, so really deserve this resurgence in popularity over the past few years - and all of the shows which I have attended since 2016 have been busy and have generated excellent atmospheres. What set the Roundhouse show apart, too, was the fact that it was a standing show. I think all of the Marillion shows I have been to in recent years, with the exception of the Forum show in 2016, have been all-seated affairs - with the possible exception of the Apollo show but I had a seat for it regardless. Marillion's music always seems suited for seated venues, but it was great to be able to get a bit closer to the stage this time - and I was about a third of the way back throughout the night which proved to be a good place to be.

Before Marillion's set, though, the growing crowd were treated to a gentle set from The Beggs Sisters - an acoustic trio made up of prog session bass master Nick Beggs and his two daughters. Whilst Nick was likely known to most of the crowd due to the various people he has worked with, the set was not really about him - as he played double bass to back up the acoustic songwriting of Lula and Willow. I am on record here as saying that I am not generally into acoustic support acts, and Marillion have become a bit lazy of late when it comes to their support acts in my opinion, but The Beggs Sisters had a bit more about them than the average such support act. Having three musicians and two singers on the stage likely helped, as it meant that the trio's music was a bit more involved than is typical. I usually tire of earnest singer-songwriters after a couple of numbers, but there was something a bit more whimsical about The Beggs Sisters' material - and the harmony vocals between the two sisters helped to give their songs an edge. The addition of the double bass allowed for a bit more of a rhythmic approach, too, which helped. The trio did not blow me away, but they were certainly one of the better acoustic support acts which I have seen recently - and the growing crowd certainly seemed to warm to them as their set went on, too.

I get the impression that quite a few of those in attendance had trouble getting into the venue - so I think Marillion delayed starting their set by 10 or so minutes to allow everyone time to get in and dry off. I got in relatively quickly early on, but the venue's entrance does not seem set up for large crowds - especially as they also insist on searching every bag and scanning everyone with a metal detector. I imagine a few people were annoyed with having to wait outside in the rain - but I am sure that when Marillion kicked off their set with The Invisible Man at around 8:40pm all of the ill feelings soon dissipated. This may be Marillion heresy, but The Invisible Man has never been a personal favourite - but each time I hear it or see the band do it live I enjoy it slightly more. They resurrected the trick of having frontman Steve Hogarth on the screen during the early portion of the song, too - before he strolled on in his suit and armed with a guitar at an opportune moment. This added an element of theatre to the early part of the show, but this aside the band tended to let their music do the talking. The sound mix within the Roundhouse was pretty much spot on throughout. The vocals were occasionally a little low in the mix when Hogarth was seated as his keyboard, but generally everything was well-balanced - with Steve Rothery's guitar perfectly cutting through the mix. This was evident during his solo in the epic ballad Easter, during which Hogarth often invited the crowd to sing. As the show was the last night of the tour, Hogarth seemed particularly upbeat - and spoke to the crowd quite a bit. The setlist was pretty up-tempo on average, too, with quite a few different songs compared to their other recent setlists. There was still plenty of room for the band's trademark atmospherics, though, with the Afraid of Sunlight deep cut Beyond You proving to be an early highlight. It was not a song which I had seen the band so live before, so the cinematic piece stood out - and it was followed by another live debut for me in the poppy Map of the World. The song is not exactly quintessential Marillion with its AOR edge, but I have always loved the song for its huge chorus. It prompted quite a lot of singing from the crowd, too, and as it is generally seen as a bit of a deep cut I imagine even the die-hards had not seen the song performed live too many times. Despite this catalogue-reaching, there was still time for a decent amount of the latest album to be played. I enjoyed hearing the album in full last year, but was glad this year to hear some of the material mixed in with a more diverse range of songs. Two of the longer-form songs made the cut last night, though, with Reprogram the Gene up first. The song's quirky lyrics and harder rocking tones certainly gave the set a kick energy-wise - and Hogarth was particularly animated during it.

This vibe continued on throughout Quartz which followed. It is one of the most angular songs in the band's catalogue - but it comes with a chorus which is very typical of the band's core sound. It was a great showcase for bassist Pete Trewavas, whose bass drove the song from the off, and it was also one of the few songs which gave prominence to touring percussionist Luís Jardim. I am still not convinced that Marillion are the sort of rhythmically-centred band which need a stand-alone percussionist, but Jardim's additions to Quartz were welcome - with Hogarth often joining in too to create a pretty heavy, stomping groove. The song was a great addition to the set, and it was the last out and out rocker for a little while - with the main set then coming to a close with two newer songs. The Crow and the Nightingale is one of my favourite songs from the latest album, so it was great to hear it live again. It contains one of Hogarth's most emotional vocals in years, and it is the sort of song which really showcases everything that is great about modern Marillion. Rothery's excellent solo received a round of applause as it came to an end, but overall the mood was one of reverence - and this then extended throughout the 15 or so minutes or Care which rounded out the main set. The multi-part piece shifted perfectly from its almost industrial opening to its soaring, string-led conclusion - and it featured a diverse performance from Mark Kelly (keyboards), with his mix of dense synths and melodic piano breaks. He is one of the best keyboard players in prog, though, but this consummate performance should not be taken for granted. Much of the band's recent material seems to stem from him, and Care brought the main set to a powerful close with an emotional coda from Hogarth. There was still time for more, though, and four songs followed in two encore sections. Soon after the band left the stage for the first time, the pulse of Splintering Heart started up, and the band really rocked through the older piece with venom. It is one of the band's best rockers, and Rothery's guitar was gritty as he launched into the trademark solo. An emotional Neverland brought the first encore section to a close - and many bands would have ended there, letting the closing guitar twangs of the piece act as a curtain call. Marillion are not many bands, though, and they came back for a couple more - dipping back into the past for a rousing rendition of Sugar Mice, which Hogarth let the crowd sing most of as is custom. It is always a treat hearing Rothery playing that solo, too, but the band had one last trick up their sleeves in the form of the heart-wrenching King - another personal favourite which always delivers live. It was the perfect way to bring the diverse set to a close - and the crowd loved every minutes of it. The setlist was:

The Invisible Man

Easter

Sounds That Can't Be Made

Beyond You

Map of the World

Reprogram the Gene - Part I: Invincible
Reprogram the Gene - Part II: Trouble-Free Life
Reprogram the Gene - Part III: A Cure for Us?

Quartz

The Crow and the Nightingale

Care - Part I: Maintenance Drugs
Care - Part II: An Hour Before It's Dark
Care - Part III: Every Cell
Care - Part IV: Angels on Earth

-

Splintering Heart

Neverland

-

Sugar Mice

King

Marillion shows are always special nights and last night was no different. It was great to see them again so soon after the last time and it was good that the setlist had been changed up quite a bit - including a couple of new ones for me and a few songs which I had not seen the band do for a while. I am not sure what Marillion's plans are for next year, but I imagine that it will be a relatively quiet year following this tour and the weekends which always take up so much of their time. On current form, though, I would not be surprised to see more activity from them - and I am sure that whenever they next tour I will be in attendance.