Marillion

Marillion is a British neo-progressive rock band, originally from Aylesbury, England. A spearhead of the progressive rock revival, it was formed in 1979 under the name Silmarillion – a name borrowed from a novel by J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings. The name was quickly shortened to Marillion, as the band gradually moved away from any 'folkloric' references (to Tolkien's imaginary world, to the symphonism of 1970s progressive rock) to develop its own identity, characterised by more rhythmic music with a strong guitar dominance, intricate lyrics, and the voice and stage performance of singer Fish, then his successor Steve Hogarth, creating the style known as 'neo-progressive rock' alongside other British bands such as Pallas, Pendragon, IQ, or Twelfth Night.

Sometimes hastily described by the press in its early days as a 'Genesis clone', the melodic research that characterises the band and the structural complexity of tracks often exceeding 8 to 10 minutes, combined with the charisma of its singer Fish and his theatrical performances, earned them public favour. Marillion's success, initially confined mainly to the United Kingdom, then to Northern Europe, spread across the entire continent, conquered in 1985 by the album Misplaced Childhood, an autobiographical concept album. This first period culminated in 1987 with the very rock and disillusioned Clutching at Straws, which resulted in Fish's departure due to relational reasons and conflict with the band's management. From 1989 and the arrival of Steve Hogarth on vocals, a second period saw the implementation of a sound sometimes more pop-rock (Holydays in Eden, 1991), sometimes darker (Brave, in 1994). The third period began in 1997, as the band separated from its Manager and EMI to move into self-production and develop an original crowdfunding model before anyone else, with fans now pre-financing the band's albums and tours. This was a commercially mixed period, but musically very rich, despite a sometimes unfinished and misunderstood aspect (Radiat10n, marillion.com), surpassed by emblematic albums of the band such as the concept album Marbles released in 2004, Sounds that Can't Be Made in 2012, F.E.A.R in 2016 or An Hour Before It's Dark in 2022. Marillion has thus experienced a return to grace with a wider audience with its latest albums, allowing it, after years in the underground, to reconnect with popular success and large-capacity venues.

With over 40 years of career and sales estimated today at over 15 million albums, Marillion is a totally independent band that has managed, through the Internet, to free itself from the support of official media and record labels or distributors to compose and disseminate its music, in complete creative freedom.