FISH (Ex Marillion)

Event information

The FishHeads Acoustic Club Tour 2011


"...there are times when Fish produces moments of such magic that you realize that only a veteran would know how to deliver such a moving experience after all these years." (Britsound)

Last year Fish decided to take a radical approach to his return to live performances and had discussed his plans with Frank Usher and keyboard player Foss Paterson, both who had served on the "13th Star" tour and had worked with him over the years on various album projects.
In June 2010 the trio begin performing as the FishHeads Club playing small venues in the UK.
"I didn't want to plunge back into the formulaic pattern of write and record the next album and then tour as I wanted to find where my voice was before committing it to recording. My voice is clearer than it ever was but it needs to be built up gradually to find the strength and ranges again.
I didn't want it to potentially struggle in a full electric band set up and I thought that an acoustic environment would be perfect to put it through the paces.
The space offered by acoustic versions of songs provides room for experimentation and combined with the intimacy of the venues we are playing there is great scope for dynamic and dramatic expression."
Both Frank Usher and Foss Paterson are expert at this style of performance both having been in the late and great John Martyn's band line ups with Frank acclaimed by John as his favourite ever guitarist.
The sets on the tour will be ever changing with songs being taken from throughout Fish's long career from both his extensive solo catalogue and from his years with former band Marillion.
"When we were working on the keys of songs for the set list before the fan club convention last year it was only Frank, Foss and I playing the tunes. It was while we were playing we realised that some of the most unlikely numbers sounded really strong in the stripped down versions. Even material from my first solo album "Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors", which is now in it's 20th anniversary, worked really well in the three piece format and I'm sure those songs will be prominent in the FishHeads set lists"

http://www.The-Company.com

MATT STEVENS.
Matt Stevens is a musician and composer now in North London, originally from Rushden. An instrumental artist, he uses an acoustic guitar and a sampler to create multi layered tracks live. This is often called Live Looping. His music is compared with artists as diverse as Radiohead and Robert Fripp. He plays live all over the UK.

He has released 2 albums, Echo in 2008 and Ghost in 2010. His music is a "word of mouth" success thanks to the support of hundreds of bloggers and podcasters.

"A one man guitar orchestra" Acoustic Magazine UK

"Ghost is a phenomenal piece of work that has already garnered countless frothing plaudits within the online prog and post-rock firmament. Wholly instrumental and insanely inventive.. an internet phenomena in the making. "Classic Rock Presents Prog
"(A)quirky, inventive, mostly upbeat, and entirely delightful instrumental album...While the music occupies its own creative zone, I found myself free associating names such as Brian Eno, John Martyn, Tom Verlaine, Anthony Phillips, Yo La Tengo, Steve Tibbetts, and even Radiohead while listening" Guitar Player Magazine US
"Matt Stevens may have some delicious studio cuts on offer, but the stage is still the best place to appreciate this both experimental and deadly catchy music." Tokafi.com