What I certainly look forward to: no more singing! In conversation with Fish (EN)
From a studio in the Midlands, we get the opportunity to speak to Fish before the tour kicks off in early October. WHo would want to miss out on an opportunity like that? Full in the preparations for the tour, 20 September is the first day off from rehearsals of already a week where the band has already run through the big pieces: the band is definitely getting familiar with all the songs. The band and Fish are looking forward to the tour with excitement to match. With all that in mind ánd knowing that Elizabeth Troy Antwi joins at the weekend, Fish is in good spirits. Consequently, the band will pick up the entire set over the weekend.
For weeks now, he felt ready for the tour. And to think he had only just put an end to the weekly broadcasts of ‘Fish On Friday’, in which he told stories about his past online, in which he shared music and, consequently, also passed on songs of which he realised ‘That would fit really well in the set list’. It was strange to see Fish On Friday coming to an end: he had been doing it every Friday night for four and a half years. Fans always looked forward to it, there were many funny moments, Fish’s endless ways of dealing with technology, but certainly also for the stories Fish had to offer each time. Ending that regular show, it was a special moment and that was also noticeable to Fish and to his Simone, clearly visible for all to see.
What was even more remarkable for Fish, however, was after that, especially leaving his home behind and driving south to rehearse in the Midlands. After all, rehearsals normally would take place at home in Haddington. Precisely now because at the end of the European part of the tour Fish and Simone are moving to Berneray (one of the Hebrides), his house and studio were already up for sale. And Fish did not want to risk being without rehearsal space. However, that made the move south necessary and therefore felt strange for Fish too.
The setlist choices Steve Vantsis, bassist in the band as well as Fish’s musical partner, already were prepared back in February and March this year. So they soon had an idea of what they wanted to play. No major surprises will be there, Fish expects, but no doubt there will be those who will feel disappointed. But, Fish points out, we chose 34 songs: we really can’t play everything. Fish points out that the broadcasts of Fish On Friday, in particular, also contributed to this. By listening to the songs again like that, pennies dropped. At the same time, there were also moments when Fish realised certain songs wouldn’t be possible to perform. ‘Not everything is straightforward. There are a lot of songs that really just require preparation, that we can’t play just like that. With the 34 songs, we have a nice selection to choose from. There are still many that just really dropped out as well.’
The concerts, especially in the Netherlands, were quickly picked up by audiences. ‘Yes, in the Netherlands that went very well, within a week or so the first series was sold out. But Belgium, there, it’s not going so great at all, sales are disappointing there, yes. I really wanted to play in Brussels and that was in the cards. Brussels and Antwerp are on the map, but if any Dutch people are going to miss out on the shows there, I would say: go to Belgium, there is still room there. You also have the chance to experience a different setlist.’ So for those places where Fish will be performing two shows, he points out, those 34 songs have also been taken into account. The two nights in Utrecht are therefore going to be different from each other.
With this tour being the farewell tour and the move coming up, you might wonder what Fish is looking forward to most. It’s nice that he gives a contemplative answer to that: ‘It’s the combination, really. On the one hand, the move, on the other, this tour. This is not just any tour. With Steve, with Mickey Simmonds, Gavin Griffiths, with Robin Boult, it’s a reunion of old friends who will now be back on the road together. They are all people, including Elizabeth, with whom I have a connection, with whom I have history. That makes it special for me. Very special. If I were to do this with people who see it as a paid job, it just wouldn’t work for me. And this tour, I really don’t see this as just something. We are going to have to be very disciplined. Because, whichever way you look at it, this is going to be the last time I tour. Yes, there are some people who think I might tour again in 2026, but forget it, that’s really not going to happen. Anyway, so this tour requires discipline. I can’t go singing for 3 hours straight, that’s not going to happen. So I have to take that into account in the setlist as well.’ Consequently, there will be no interviews or meet-and-greets. This is the tour that concludes his career as a singer. So he wants his audience to fully enjoy that.
We touch on the subject of the amazing set of reissues that have taken centre stage here at www.writteninmusic.com these weeks. ‘Yes, if I had known, exactly how much work and money would go into it, I would really have done it very differently. Once we started it, we couldn’t go back. And actually more and more came in. And that went on and on. If you start thinking about it, there’s a good chance that for me, the regular version of an album is more rewarding than a deluxe version. There is so much on it. But I really wanted this one too. Especially with these last two (Internal Exile and Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors), those were the most important albums for me. And so I really wanted to make them like this, both for Tara, for Simone and for myself, certainly as much as for the fans.’ Not just this one but all reissues are so special and overloaded, aren’t they? ‘Yes, but that’s also how I wanted to establish my musical legacy. Yesterday we talked about the deluxe version of Weltschmerz. That came out in 2020, before the Brexit and before the corona pandemic. That had its effect on sales. So now we are taking all the Weltschmerz copies on tour. If you consider that we already had an audience of 15,000 during the first nine concerts, there is also a good chance that people will buy them now. And yes, realise that for all reissues, they will not be replenished, after this tour. Nobody is going to make them anymore and we are not going to sell them. Chocolate Frog Records is stopping and, if anything is left, it will be destroyed. I think it’s also nice to do it this way. It’s different, no one else has done it like that yet.’
‘It may well be that I will still sell my music rights, but there will never be anything like these reissues again. No record company would have ever done it like this. We did it that way because we could. Simone and I with Tara’s help, we picked up distribution. It didn’t take a big company with countless employees. We had Steve who focused on the designs. And there were people who came to help us on parts. That made it work. Look at a company like Warner, they made 10,000 copies of the Marillion reissues. They were asking GBP100 for those. If you look at our prices, at GBP60, they’re quite below that. That price really doesn’t have to be that high. But let’s be clear, you have to be there for this tour, because after that it’s over and done with.’
The last two reissues have been the most luxurious of all. For Fish, that was just the way to go. Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors and Internal Exile go back so far, have had so much live exposure that they also have the most historical material. Last but not least, the creation of the albums for both took place during tumultuous times for Fish. First, after all, there was the departure from Marillion. And with the other release, the building of the studio and what else was involved. Looking back, Fish indicates that, at the time, he did pass as written off to many people as well, a drunk and cocaine-addicted singer who only minced words for the band. Painting Fish that way, belittling his contribution, allowed the band to be portrayed considerably differently. For Fish, Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors was also an emphatically vital statement of intent, that made clear ‘This is who I am and how I sound and if you don’t like it, that’s just your bad luck’. In other words, take it like i my middle finger.
We reminisce about a concert during the Vigil tour in Düsseldorf where Fish clearly had tears in his eyes. It made a big and lasting impression. He agrees that that was an emotional night and that that tour was important to him. ‘After that, it became harder also to make Internal Exile. That was really starting from scratch. With everything else involved, with building the studio, the financial situation and the personal circumstances that were at play. And with the end result, I was never really fully satisfied. Only now with Calum Malcolm’s mix ánd with the inclusion of Under A Poet’s Moon, among others, does it stand for me. The sound is absolutely fantastic and as I see it, I think it’s just as strong as Vigil. As for the collaboration with Calum, it goes back to 13th Star and he already proved himself there. That was just great. I also wanted him to pick up Internal Exile and then he indicated he wanted to do Vigil as well. That was kind of exciting for me because that is, say, almost sacred ground. But I gave him the green light and I’m very happy with the remix. The album just sounds very clear like that and with the voice very much to the fore and that completes it.’
When you list that string of reissues like that, you really have a wonderful series of mostly very good albums. Fish solo just meant considerably impressive albums anyway. ‘Yeah, that didn’t make it too easy to make that setlist anyway,’ says Fish. ‘If you just played Vigil and Internal Exile, you’d already have a nice choice, but there’s so much more. So that choice was really tricky. But we found a good balance.’ With the reissues still fresh in mind, it is striking how many of Fish’s vocal lines impress, how much he manages to strike the right chord, how much he captures emotions with his voice, with his singing. He may be much more of a successful singer than he thinks himself. Fish is quick to respond, ‘If I’m looking forward to anything, it’s not singing anymore. Of everything I do, my singing, I think, is the least strong. I’m really better at other things.’ He laughs off the comment about the vocal lines: ‘Yeah, pretty sure those are special, I use so many words in my lyrics that I do have to sing my lyrics really fast. Why do I always write such long lyrics? I also used to want to be a drummer. Not so much singing there then. When I think about it now, Sinatra’s phrasing and that swing-oriented thing, for instance, does appeal to me more and more.’
Those reissues of his albums also show that Fish is much more of a rocker than he could show with Marillion. ‘Yes, we didn’t just do that at Marillion a very long time ago. My main influence, much more than Genesis, was The Who. Just listen to Waverley Steps (from Weltschmerz), you can also hear influences from Quadrophenia (album by The Who) in that.’ Still, back to the vocals, because, these reissues very much prove that: Fish can just grab you with his vocal lines.
‘Yes,’ he says, ’I definitely do it my way. Sure there are better singers than me, I’m very much aware of that. If I’m going to sing again, maybe I should do it like Leonard Cohen. He also definitely had his own style. What I lack in vocal technique and mastery, I counter that with my soul, my inspiration, my passion.’ And that is exactly what makes his music what it is: passionate, palpable from person to person, straight from the heart. The tour is now fast approaching. Make sure you don’t miss the chance to see Fish live: a more inspired artist who can quiet a room with one hand movement is hard to find. And, if you can no longer make it to one of the shows in the Netherlands, follow Fish’s advice and go and see him either play in Brussels or Antwerp. With the huge selection of songs ahead, these shows really promise to be parties, this tour will be special. When it’s over, the music will remain and, like the song below, we can still enjoy it.
