Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Mestre (Venice) / Teatro Corso / Italy
Concert date: 07.02.2015
Attendance: 600
The Teatro Corso hall in Venice played host to a show by the still fascinatingly charismatic Scottish singer Derek William Dick, better known by his stage name Fish, one of the most colorful figures of progressive rock’s second wave, who first rose to worldwide fame as a member of the legendary Marillion. It promised to be a concert of majestic emotional and atmospheric proportions for every prog rock fan with a heart.
This time the neo-prog vocal heavyweight, who is presenting his latest studio album, »A Feast Of Consequences« (2013), on the current tour, played the closest he’s come to our border, so after almost eight years since Fish’s show in Bologna we got to see him a bit nearer to home than usual. Luckily, there was no unnecessary local support act in the nicely appointed theater hall that evening, while Fish picked early songs by The Who as his ‘stimulating’ pre-show music before hitting the stage.
His band has gone through a few changes since we last saw him, but they didn’t really affect the sound, which was truly top-notch in the middle of a technically and atmospherically superb performance. After Fish stopped working with longtime guitarist Frank Usher, his spot was taken by longtime collaborator and returnee Robin Boult, who was no less convincing than his predecessor when playing Fish’s solo material and the Marillion classics. Boult has worked with Fish since 1991, even though there were a few albums in between where he didn’t lend his guitar services. Among the ‘old acquaintances’, longtime bassist Steve Vantsis remained in Fish’s band, while Gavin Griffiths (ex-Karnataka) sat behind the drums. The best-known member of Fish’s backing band is undoubtedly John Beck, the keyboardist of art rock group It Bites.
Every one of them deserves a pat on the back for what they delivered that night, even if there weren’t many moments for any solo ‘showboating’. But of course the charismatic singing ‘big fish’ was front and center the whole time, and he didn’t disappoint this time either. Fish’s vocal cords still obey him relatively well, although he’s long since avoided reaching for the higher vocal registers. Aside from a few barely noticeable ‘hiccups’, when he had to catch a bit more breath and take a couple of sips of water, he sang both the classics and the newer material very well and without any major slip-ups. The Scottish tough guy has also changed physically since we last saw him: his ever more weathered face is now framed by a thick, gray beard, which suits the fellow Scot of the unforgettable actor Sean Connery perfectly well and, if anything, only boosts his already massive stage charisma.
At the start of the show, when he and the band played two new songs, the epic »Perfume River« and the title track »Feast of Consequences«, he wore glasses so he could read some of the lyrics from the latest solo album more easily, since he evidently doesn’t know them all by heart yet, though later on he didn’t need them anymore. He also had his almost trademark Palestinian scarf draped around his neck, while his stage mimicry is still a chapter of its own. Besides the band, of course, the exceptional atmosphere that Fish’s stage presence conjured up was helped along by some interesting stage projections that told the ‘story’ of individual songs. So we got an eyeful of tragic scenes from World War I that evening, since »A Feast of Consequences« is a concept album that, song by song, points to one of the greatest massacres in human history.
After a bravura performance of the punchy Manchmal« and the romantic »Arc of the Curve«, two songs from the excellent previous album »13th Star« (2007), came the epic high point of the night, at least as far as Fish’s solo material goes: a medley of interlinked songs from his latest studio endeavor. From »High Wood« to the grand finale with »The Leaving«, the band took us on an epic musical journey through some of the most tragic chapters of World War I, which means the whole epic also carried a strong pacifist message.
So Fish played almost the entire »A Feast of Consequences« that night, which was certainly no walk in the park, and earned himself loud ovations from a somewhat too laid-back and quiet local crowd. During one of the breaks he asked for a bit more light so he could see the darkened faces in the audience and make sure they were enjoying his show, but well, damn it, for most Italians English is still all Greek, so it was only after the first four songs that the lightbulb finally went on for the stage technician and the light at last spilled over the crowd, which included five Slovenian prog fanatics.
The second part of the show was time for some older favorites, both from the early solo era and from the glory days with Marillion. First, Fish and company surprised us with »Slainte Mhath«, a classic from »Clutching At Straws« (1987), with which Fish looked back on probably the wildest period of his professional music career, when excessive use of intoxicating substances and the pressure of unexpected fame nearly destroyed him. During this Marillion standard Fish shook his head several times as if something was off, but that can probably be put down to his stage mimicry tied to the lyrics rather than any dissatisfaction with the performance itself.
This was followed by an excellent rendition of the epic evergreen »Vigil In a Wilderness of Mirrors« from the solo debut of the same name, where the ‘big fish’ coped quite well in the spots where the original version calls for higher vocal registers. During »Big Wedge«, a tongue-in-cheek parody of the ‘American dream’, bassist Vantsis jumped in to help with the multi-voice chorus, which on the original version features guest singers Carol Kenyon and Tessa Niles. At that moment the Scottish giant also showed off his rarely displayed but always highly effective comic side. To close out the main set, Fish picked the unforgettable »Heart of Lothian« from his rich Marillion treasure chest, a »Misplaced Childhood« (1985) classic that in many ways defines this Scottish patriot as a person and as a musician. Just as Fish had sent the crowd into a big frenzy, it was time to say goodbye, but after the roaring ovations the band came back on stage and played one more treat from the ‘olden days’.
Most people expected Fish to wrap up the show with one of the most beloved Marillion standards, say the mega hit »Kayleigh«, the lesser hit »Lavender«, the jolly, slapstick »Incomunicado« or the combative »Market Square Heroes«. Nothing of the sort. The Scottish highlander pulled off the surprise of the night and played the phantasmagorical »Incubus«, a lesser-known but excellent song from the album »Fugazi« (1984), during which we also watched clips from the cult black-and-white vampire horror Nosferatu. Just as Count Orlok turned to dust when the sun shone through the window, Fish’s set suddenly came to an end, and it was no use that the crowd kept calling him back to the stage for a long time.
Even live, Fish remains indestructible and rock-solid when it comes to delivering his gut-wrenching messages, and he’s still a top-notch entertainer to boot, so we didn’t mind one bit that the setlist leaned mostly on his newer stuff. Special props also go to his backing crew, who sounded impressively tight all night, as if they’d been playing in the same band for years. The only ‘criticism’ of Fish’s concert triumph at Teatro Corso is that it was over way too soon. Especially since so much solo and Marillion material was left ‘in stock’ that we didn’t get to hear live this time. Given that this year marks the 30th anniversary of »Misplaced Childhood«, it would be wonderful if Fish played that Marillion concept masterpiece in full again later on the current tour, but he still deserves special recognition for his firm faith in the quality of his newer material, considering that most musicians in his position would much rather rest on their old laurels, since that’s of course a lot easier when you want the crowd ‘eating out of your hand’.
Setlist
1. Perfume River
2. Feast of Consequences
3. Manchmal
4. Arc of the Curve
5. High Wood
6. Crucifix Corner
7. The Gathering
8. Thistle Alley
9. The Leaving
10. Slàinte Mhath
11. Vigil
12. Big Wedge
13. Windswept Thumb / Heart of Lothian
—encore—
14. Incubus
Photo Gallery
