THE PROG INTERVIEW FISH
For Fish, it’s all been about the journey. Raised in Dalkeith to the east of Edinburgh, there was an initial love of progressive rock and distant fantasies of becoming a rock star, before reality bit, and propelled him into a short-lived career as a lumberjack.
A fortuitous meeting with a school friend and a fleeting chat with Peter Gabriel provided the inspirational drive to front a band. Travels through the Scottish Borders, Cambridge and Retford saw Fish seeking a band that could match his keen expectations, and eventually led him to Aylesbury, where, in 1981, he joined Marillion. A tenure of seven years produced some of the finest progressive albums of the decade, and an unexpected hit single in the form of Kayleigh, before he resigned from the band to pursue a solo career.
That path has been similarly eventful. Legal cases with his former band and EMI brought him to the brink of bankruptcy. Such stressful distractions aside, he has built a formidable solo catalogue, not least in the form of his final recording, 2020’s Weltschmerz. It’s also apparent that, creatively, there remains much for Fish to accomplish. Acting has provided opportunities over the years, there’s talk of screenplays, novels and an autobiography. Then there’s his weekly Facebook broadcast, Fish
On Friday, which provided an entertaining routine for both singer and fans over the last 18 months. He’s also just completed a UK tour with the final full performances of his 1990 album, Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors, culminating in ‘Vigil’s End’, a ‘global broadcast event’ recorded live at The Assembly, Royal Leamington Spa in December. Plans are afoot for a (possible) farewell jaunt in 2023.
Taking you back to your childhood in Dalkeith, was there any particular spark to your love
