Marillion is a Buckinghamshire based rock band that was formed in 1979. The group’s studio productions consist of sixteen albums which are generally considered to fall in two categories; one with original front man and vocalist Fish who played with the band till 1988, and the other with the arrival of Steve Hogarth as the former’s replacement. The period in which Fish was involved was commercially more successful, while the band has made several Top ten singles and albums in the United Kingdom with both vocalists. The band established its reputation for live performances after touring rigorously and still continues with international tours. In 2008, the group was ranked on the thirty-eighth spot in the list of Fifty Best Live Acts of All Time by Classic Rock. Marillion tickets are a popular treat among progressive rock, alternative rock and pop rock fans.
Formed in 1979, Marillion was named initially ‘Silmarillion’ after a book by the same name written by J.R.R. Tolkien. The band’s lineup included Steve Rothery and Mick Pointer among other members and the group played its first concert in Hertfordshire at the Berkhamsted Civic Centre in 1980. In 1981, the group’s name was cut short to Marillion so as to avoid copyright issues, and in the same year bassist Diz Minnett and Fish joined the band after auditioning at Leyland Farm Studios. Keyboardist Brian Jelliman and Rothery then had a complete lineup and arranged their first gig in Oxfordshire at Red Lion Pub in 1981. Towards the end of that year, Jelliman was replaced by Kelly and Minntee by Trewavas in 1982.
The earliest Marillion songs comprised of introspective and poetic lyrics by Fish, which were incorporated with subtle and complex musical features that together reflected influence on the band by acts such as Yes, Rush, Van der Graaf Generator, Pink Floyd, Genesis and Queen. The group’s earliest recording took form of a demo tape with produced Les Payne, and included initial versions of Charting the Single, He Knows You Know and Garden Party. The band gained attention with their gig of only three songs held at the Friday Rock Show where they played Forgotten Sons, Three Boats Down from the Candy and Web. The group then signed with EMI, and issued their first ever single in 1982 called Market Square Heroes, following which they released their first album the next year.
Marillion have grossed about fifteen million from sales all over the world and have even had their name mentioned in Guinness Book of World Records. Their music has constantly been evolving and they have themselves claimed that each of their albums represents a response to its predecessor and it is for this reason that their style is difficult to categorize. Their initial style has been best explained as keboard and guitar led neo-prog or progressive rock that may be compared to that of Genesis from Gabriel’s era. More recently, the band has been likened to acts such as Talk Talk, The Blue Nile, Crowded House, Keane Massive Attack and Radiohead, but none of these acts can be likened to the former on the whole. In 2007, the band itself described its work to have revolved around water and death since 1979.
Marillion has been widely considered as one of the first big mainstream acts that gained full recognition and found a platform via internet for commercial musicians to get in touch with their following since 1996, and these days are looked at as the ‘Web Cottage Industry’ of rock and roll. The group has also gained prominence for their loyal fans who call themselves freaks, since some of them actually travel form extremely far off places to attend their gigs. This culture has been driven largely due to the involvement of the close-knit fan base with the ban through their podcasts, website, regular fanclub and biennial conventions. Book cheap Marillion tickets and be there to watch the band perform some its biggest hits amidst a roaring crowd.
