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We've done tours where we've played the same songs night after night, you end up playing them really really well but the audience doesn't get anything out of it... They don't want to see safety, they want see something's that's a little bit unsure. They want to see what would happen if it all fell over a bit. -Pete Trewavas |
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The Other Side of the Spotlight
Marillion has more than a half dozen official live releases, plus a truckload of fan-oriented live sets available through their own label, Racket Records, which has steadily documented rare acoustic gigs, outtakes, demos and the other ephemera loyalists pant for. More than most bands, Marillion understands the appetites of the truly devoted, and luckily they've developed a core audience that sustains them. In return, they nurture that support with a rapport and genuine care that's rare. They eschew the usual arm's length distance most bands keep, offering recording updates complete with video footage from the studio, limited run special editions and regular heartfelt notes from band members. Yes, many of these things are revenue streams but ones that recognize and celebrate the symbiotic nature of performers and their patrons.
The pinnacle of this deep relationship with their fans is the bi-annual Marillion Weekend, where the band lives and plays with the hardcores at a holiday camp, performing spectacular one-off concerts including a gig where they invited fans to play with them and a rarities and covers set this year that found Marillion trying their hand at Split Enz, Beatles, Jellyfish, Keane, Focus, The Move and, most oddly, Britney Spears' "Toxic" [Racket Records will release this concert later this Summer].
"Our fans support us in so many different ways, not just financially," comments Rothery. "They're a resource we can call upon. We have street teams that help promote the records and concerts. It's an incredible position to be in. Some of the concerts on this [current] tour have been promoted by fan clubs in certain countries like Spain and Germany. The interesting thing you find is they tend to do a better job than the promoters [laughs]. It means so much more to them so they work harder. It's not just a job to them. If you feel it's like the world's best-kept secret you want to turn 10 people onto it, help them understand what it stands for and what we've done. When you find someone who gets it they seem to get it completely."
When the band decided it wasn't financially feasible to return to U.S. on 1997's This Strange Engine tour, Stateside followers raised close to $60,000 to underwrite it. Several times they've financed albums through fan pre-sales, offering exclusive versions of the albums along with liner note credit to those who contribute. Marillion fans are truly a force to be reckoned with. "They certainly are! They're fantastic people, they really are," gushes Trewavas. "It's amazing to be in a room with 3000 people and there's no trouble. Everyone just seems to bond and get along really well."
Almost every past tour has presented the newest album in its entirety, followed by a smattering of old favorites. For Somewhere Else, they've taken the jam band route.
"We've been changing the set constantly, which is great and frustrating at the same time," says Trewavas. "Every now and again, we'll play a set and think, 'That really worked!' But we know the next night we need to change it. We've put ourselves in a situation where we're forcing ourselves to change the set every night. It's fun. It keeps us on our toes, and keeps the audience interested as well. You can't stagnate. Standing still is really going backwards in this day and age."
"We've done tours where we've played the same songs night after night," Trewavas continues. "You end up playing them really really well but the audience doesn't get anything out of it. They just get to see a show that's very polished, and that's not necessarily what people want to see. They don't want to see safety, they want see something's that's a little bit unsure. They want to see what would happen if it all fell over a bit."
This quest for happy accidents infuses every aspect of Marillion these days. "Some of those accidents are fantastic! We've had a few evenings where the audience has started singing a song they wanted us to play and we've had to kind of join in, which is great. It happened with 'Ocean Cloud' on this tour," offers Trewavas.
The Singer Not The Song
 Steve Hogarth |
Steve Hogarth is one of the greatest, yet least known, rock vocalists of the past 50 years. He's got the natural pipes of Todd Rundgren and Paul Carrack but the reckless passion of someone like Beach Boy Dennis Wilson or Tim Buckley. It's a voice able to give even prickly tough guys a goose bump or two.
"He brought not only a great voice but also a musicality that complimented what we do," offers Rothery. "Even now, there's such chemistry between the five of us when we're writing we always finish with a lot more ideas than we can use. You could make half a dozen different albums from the raw material. It's interesting to have this surplus of creativity. Sometimes it's a problem because ideas don't get used so having projects outside the band is a healthy mechanism."
"We're very happy about [our outside projects]. Apart from anything else, it's good for all of us to have a natural outlet for musical ideas that aren't for Marillion. We're curious musicians and we like working in other fields. Some of the experiences are good and some of them are bad. And the bad ones help us appreciate what we get from Marillion. There's a huge support we have for each other," Trewavas adds.
Continue reading for Page III of Marillion...
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