Fish – Lemon Tree Aberdeen 13/3/2020

(Image Credit Mark Wilkinson/Fish)

Fish rolled up at the Lemon Tree in Aberdeen last month for what should have been the opening night of his UK Spring tour. Due to the still unfolding uncertainty prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic he set off not really knowing at what point venues would potentially start to close their doors. In the midst of a quite unique & unprecedented state of affairs – and just before the anticipated lockdown – the Lemon Tree show incredibly ended up being (for now) both the first & last night of the run of dates. Reading through Fish’s own social media posts in the days leading up to the ‘tour’ he was understandably uneasy at the prospect of hitting the road and the decision reached with his promoter to postpone the remaining dates brought more relief than disappointment.

Which all transpired to give those of us in attendance in Aberdeen a privileged one-off chance to see the latest incarnation of Fish’s live band. Safe to say i’ve never been to a gig in circumstances anything like this.

The tour was to see Fish back out on the road promoting new material from his upcoming (and long awaited) final studio album Weltschmerz, while at the same time in a pleasingly symmetrical way celebrating 30 years of Vigil In A Wilderness of Mirrors, his first solo outing from 1990. On a personal level it also felt like somewhat of a full circle moment for me as a listener & fan, having been at the Capitol gig in Aberdeen all those years ago on the Vigil tour. Fish himself alluded to that very same night, way back in the mists of time, ‘I’m not saying i had hair then, but i definitely had a blonde ponytail’! It wasn’t the only time his self-deprecating humour was in evidence. Introducing a beautiful, touching rendition of A Gentleman’s Excuse Me he quipped ‘and this is where the singer exposes himself’ – cue cheers from the crowd – ‘vocally’!

I must admit i had lost touch with Fish’s music for several years during the 1990s and beyond. Having been a huge fan of his time with Marillion and his solo records up to and including Songs From The Mirror in 1993, by the time Suits came around in 1994 my listening tastes had moved sideways a bit.

Around 2010 though a track caught my ear on Planet Rock radio. It was heavy with that insistent riff, an atmosphere and sense of foreboding and that striking voice was ummistakable. Something about that piece of music – The Perception Of Johnny Punter – immediately drew me back in and it prompted me to look him up again online for the first time in years. Then via his Facebook page i found myself following the progress of his then upcoming album A Feast Of Consequences. He played Aberdeen in 2013 as part of a run of dates working up the new material and it was genuinely great to see him live again, like catching up with a long lost friend.

Back in the here & now of 2020 it was really enjoyable all these years later to hear the Vigil material in a live setting. Personal highlights on the night included the dynamic sonic layers of Vigil and Cliche, an impressively heavy View From The Hill, an always moving Family Business and the aforementioned and highly affecting A Gentleman’s Excuse Me. Those early solo singles State Of Mind and Big Wedge also still stand up well musically and resonate lyrically.

We were also treated to 5 new tracks from Weltschmerz. Of the new songs Man With A Stick, Rose Of Damascus and in particular Weltschmerz itself really came across on the night as powerful, beautifully structured pieces. Hearing mixed together songs from both ends of his long solo career showcased brilliantly two of the recurring sides of this Scottish poet, his social conscience and world weariness, and the hopeful romanticism which has punctuated his lifetime’s body of work from those early years until now.

And on top of all that as a welcome bonus, superb renditions of He Knows You Know & Script For A Jester’s Tear (from Marillion’s recently reissued debut album) both drew a huge response from a packed, enthusiastic Lemon Tree crowd. He was backed as always by a hugely talented mix of musicians, including his main musical partner these days Steve Vantsis on bass & Doris Brendel (who also played an impressive support slot with her own band) on backing vocals who added a welcome counterpoint to Fish in the mix. A special mention must also go to Marcel Singor who stepped into rehearsals pretty late replacing John Mitchell on guitar. On the night he really shone as a guitarist given the range of material he must have had to get to grips with in a relatively short space of time. Almost as impressively he managed to survive the banter from a (no doubt alien to him) Scottish crowd!

Given the highly unusual circumstances Fish delivered a compelling performance that in a strange way felt also uniquely poignant. The passing years may have imposed limitations on that magnificent voice of his but he has retained the bite & snarl of his heyday.

Fish always come across as an extremely open, likeable & engaging character. He has spoken with impressive candour many times about a career – and indeed life – which has seen him experience both amazing highs and difficult lows. He may be now nearing the final stages of his time as a touring musician but when that day comes if he’s still performing like this he will deservedly go out on a high. His fire still burns brightly..

Would you just let me know i’m not standing alone That i’m not just a voice in the crowd

I’ll keep a vigil in a wilderness of mirrors Nothing here is ever what it seems