FISH
It may come as a disappointment to some of you that ex-Marillion frontman and Scottish prog maestro Fish, real name Derek William Dick, is bowing out of his music career at the age of 61. When I catch him on the phone, he is in the final stages of recording what will be his final solo album Weltschmerz – a German word meaning “pain of the world”. At around 86 minutes, it’s a mammoth work, albeit not far off standard length for a prog album. He began working on it in 2018, after a two-year songwriting hiatus while he recovered from the death of his father and several physical health problems.
“It’s a grey look at the world at this moment in time,” he says, when I ask about the themes behind this epic concept album. “All you have to do is switch on the news and you feel dirty. It’s not taking a big imperial worldly perspective; it’s looking at normal people.” Each song acts as a kind of short story, dipping into the lives of people dealing with mental health issues, dementia, and grief. “It sounds very dark when you explain it,” he admits. “But the delivery is beautiful and positive.”
On his UK tour, stopping off in Cardiff this month, Fish will perform his 1990 debut solo album Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors in its entirety, alongside some previously unheard tracks from Weltschmerz – which won’t be released until mid-2020, exactly 30 years after his first. Despite the low mood of the material, Fish is determined to leave his life in music behind on a high.
“I am so supremely confident that, when we play these songs live, people are going to immediately relate to them – they’re that strong,” he says, with the conviction of Brian Pern. “I want to finish with the best album I’ve ever done, in the same way that when I left Marillion, I thought we did our best album with Clutching At Straws. I want to leave at a high benchmark, rather than like an old soldier, fading away.” SAM PRYCE
Y Plas, Cardiff University Students Union, Thurs 19 Mar. Tickets: £32.50. Info: 029 2078 1458 / www.cardiffstudents.com