"The performance at the Royal Albert Hall was sold out in four minutes", Steve Hogarth is still amazed today. "The requests for tickets came from all over the world. "I'm still amazed Marillion have such a strong fan base The foundation for this was laid by the British band founded in 1979 with their first frontman Derek William Dick, better known as Fish. With him she experienced her international breakthrough. Ten years later Steve Hogarth took over the microphone, which he has not given away since. Hogarth was (and is) not undisputedly the successor of the charismatic Scotsman. Fish's singing, his lyrics and his stage performance gave Marillion an identity. But in the end Hogarth was convinced by the fact that he didn't copy Fish, but sets his own accents as a singer and stage fix. With him the group cleaned up at the Royal Albert Hall, with him they shone at countless shows before. The sound and video recordings of "All One Tonight" show that the moment in the magnificent building in the Kensington district, opened in 1871, was a special one for musicians and spectators. Marillion played in the first set their current studio album "F.E.A.R." in full length, followed by band classics from three decades under the motto "In Praise Of Folly And Guests". No, Fish songs weren't one of them. What's the point.
eclipsed: What do you remember when you think of October 13, 2017?
Steve Hogarth: A lot! Ever since I decided to become a musician - when I was a little boy - I wanted to perform at the Royal Albert Hall. When the date was set and we shyly roamed around the hall from noon to familiarize ourselves with her, we felt like a school band that had to complete its first performance. But the closer we got to the concert, the less nervous we became. It certainly helped that we already brought the complete set for the camera team, without an audience, in the afternoon. We played ourselves warm and said to each other: Hey, now we have this gig behind us. If he's going to pee in the evening, at least we were here. From that moment on, everything was very relaxed.
eclipsed: So it's an honour for experienced, successful rock musicians to play at the Royal Albert Hall?
Hogarth: Absolutely! This magical place was opened in 1871, it is a kind of heart of London culture. Okay, the acoustics are not perfect. It may be suitable for classical music, but not for rock. That's why you have to come to terms with this unusual hall. In return, it offers the musician an extraordinary, incomparable atmosphere. The Royal Albert Hall is a cathedral. Not for God, but for every serious musician.
eclipsed: To start, you played "F.E.A.R." in full length. Why?
Hogarth: That was the record we just released last year, and we still love it today. The reactions and sales figures were also fantastic. That's why we wanted to celebrate the record in its entirety. It is a very political work, it is primarily a matter of protest. In a politically disenchanted time like this, it seemed to us inevitable to set an example with the performance of "F.E.A.R.". We want to encourage people to think, and hopefully also to act. What you don't necessarily expect from a prog band. But, hey, fuck expectations in a politically insane time!
