RGG January 2016 - p.35
r
gg
since
1995
Fish’s touring band of Robin Boult (guitar),
Steve Vantsis (bass), Gavin Griffiths (drums) and
Tony
Turrell
(keyboards)
acquitted
themselves well with the task of replicating the
music of Marillion, and on occasion, adding
something of their own to the proceedings, yet
they were never guilty of upstaging the original
material.
After the singles that pepper the first half of
“Misplaced”, the album explores what lurks within
the shadows of the psyche, and feelings of
isolation. Due in part to the Birmingham Town
Hall’s high ceiling there was no shadow-space
created on the stage by the lighting rig. This lack
of evocative lighting made for a naked
experience, which felt a little raw at times, as it
offered no chance for the crowd (or indeed Fish)
to hide in contemplation. There are few
performers able to command an audience from
rowdy to absolute silence with a single gesture,
but Fish can and with the band in great form, the
reduction in atmospheric lighting was never really
going to stop the magic from happening in the
minds of those in attendance. “Bitter Suite” is
perhaps the emotional cornerstone of the album,
caught between lust and love; the tale unfolds to
a room of dancing shadows and sanctuary,
where all the heartache disappears, with the
lyrical refrain ‘I can hear your heart’ resonating
across the Town Hall. Every moment was being
absorbed by the gathered multitude, who were
trying to live in the now, and not focus on the fact
this musical trip would not occur again, bitter
sweet indeed. The rhythmically charged
“Waterhole (Expresso Bongo)” freshened up the
vibe and live its infectious beats insured a
rhythmic response in the bodies of those
watching the band. Fish paid homage to Mylo
(John ‘Mylo’ Mylett, a friend of Fish’s and
drummer for Rage, who died in car crash in 1984)
with a simple image of Mylo projected above the
band briefly during “Blind Curve”. Clocking in at
over 9-minutes “Blind Curve” covers an awful lot
territory, but it held the audience spellbound on a
journey of foreboding, slowing almost to a stop,
before building to a thunderous climax. “Blind
Curve” still has the power to hit home in a very
visceral way, from the moral disgust laid out in
lyrics as cutting as ‘I’ve seen children pleading
with outstretched hands drenched in Napalm’,
and posing the indignant observation/question
‘How can we justify? And they call us civilized!’
brought genuine tears to the eyes. With the
needless slaughter of people in the Middle East
and elsewhere in 2015, this kind of lyrical
exploration still resonates beyond the epoch of
its writing. Proof if needed that this is no 1980’s
curio, but a genuine addition to the pantheon
of essential Rock albums. Artistically speaking
the “Misplaced Childhood” album sits
somewhere between the lyrical frisson of love
found in Fleetwood Mac's “Rumours”, and the
emotionally charged disconnect of Pink Floyd’s
“Dark Side Of The Moon”. A triumphant “White
Feather” saw out the end of the album’s
performance with an upward emotional
resolve.
Closing out their set with a rousing rendition of
“Market Square Heroes” and one last sonic
hurrah complete with Fish as a dancing ‘bear’,
“The Company", and then it was over, the
audience satisfied; there is no childhood's end,
only fondness of the experience. The only
minor criticism was the PA was a little quiet at
the start of the show, but this seemed to
improve as the evening progressed. After name
checking the band at the end of the their set,
Fish announced “My name’s Derek, and I am,
for the next two years, a Fish”, which was met
with a warm cheer from the crowd.
The world of live music will be a poorer place
without Fish singing from the heart, dancing in
the shadows, holding a mirror of contrasts to
the world, and all the while avoiding the sell-out
of the big-wedge, and being all too human.
While this might not be the end, it is perhaps
the beginning of the end at least in a musical
context for one of Scotland’s finest exports. The
memories of Fish’s ‘Farewell To Childhood’
concert at Birmingham’s Town Hall are sure to
live on in the hearts of many.
Zak.
