Marillion – Corn Exchange, Cambridge
Nice, a complimentary ticket to go and see Marillion, a band I haven’t seen live for 28 years!

The seat is quite literally in the back corner of the upstairs of the venue, and this being the Corn Exchange, it means I’m two miles from the stage. (OK I’m probably exaggerating. But I could not have been further away).
It also means I can take photos without any old Luddite bastards complaining. Marillion (and their fans) are very much in the “I wish it was 1985 and no one took photos at gigs” camp. Well, it’s not 1985 is it …
When I saw them last in 1990, they had released 5 studio albums, 4 with Fish on lead vocals and one with “new” singer Steve Hogarth, the excellent Seasons End, which would be a perfect album if they had an apostrophe in Seasons, but they don’t. Ugh.
Since then they have released 14 more studio albums, the most recent of which was 2016’s Fuck Everyone And Run, which gave them their highest chart placing since 1987’s Clutching At Straws. This tour was a second UK tour
They’re very much still Marillion, as they opened the show with a 16 minute track, El Dorado. Only one Fish-era song – Garden Party. By chance I was sitting next to a guy called Fraser who runs the Marillion fan club – he came into our studios 10 years ago when he was part of Southend band Caleb. He recognised me – I would never have had a clue, as my recognition of people’s faces is legendarily bad. He told me that Marillion always play Garden Party in Cambridge, and they did. That’s the kind of fan knowledge we like to see.
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Setlist:
- El Dorado: I. Long-Shadowed Sun
- El Dorado: II. The Gold
- El Dorado: III. Demolished Lives
- El Dorado: IV. F E A R
- El Dorado: V. The Grandchildren of Apes
- Power
- Quartz
- The Party
- Seasons End
- Living in F E A R
- Cover My Eyes (Pain and Heaven) (acoustic excerpt)
- Real Tears for Sale
- The Leavers: I. Wake Up in Music
- The Leavers: II. The Remainers
- The Leavers: III. Vapour Trails in the Sky
- The Leavers: IV. The Jumble of Days
- The Leavers: V. One Tonight
- Wave
- Mad
- Afraid of Sunlight
- The Great Escape
Encore 1:
- The Release
- Easter
Encore 2:
- Garden Party
Friday 13 April 2018, 920 views
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Gigs
- Aggrasoppar – OY Brewery, Tórshavn
- International Pop Overthrow 2025
- Gigantic Indie All Dayer – Marble Factory, Bristol
- HMS Morris, Pictish Trail – Tŷ Pawb, Wrexham
- The Others – The 100 Club, Soho
- Stray Tracks: White Gates Band, Mystery Team, Basharan, SNM, Monumental – Pink Toothbrush, Rayleigh
- Franz Ferdinand, Master Peace, Great Leslie – Empire, Shepherd’s Bush
- Melys, Yr Anghysur – Neuadd Ogwen, Bethesda
- Ynys, Sybs, Lafant – Y Cwps, Aberystwyth
- Sultans of Ping FC – Saint Luke’s & The Winged Ox, Glasgow
- Franz Ferdinand, Permanent (Joy) – Grand Central Hall, Liverpool
- Half Happy, em koko – Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
- My Life Story – The Quarry, Liverpool
- Melys, Osgled – Y Cwps, Aberystwyth
- They Might Be Giants – The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm
- Darling Buds, Simon Love and the Loves – 229, Great Portland Street, London
- Fightmilk, Tugboat Captain – Paper Dress Vintage, Hackney
- Bugeye, Lucky Number You – The Victoria, Birmingham
- Art Brut – The Castle & Falcon, Birmingham
- Sultans of Ping FC, Meryl Streek – The Ritz, Manchester
- Chroma, Baby Brave, Lila Zing – Tŷ Pawb, Wrexham
- Melin Melyn, Ynys, Pys Melyn – Town Hall, Llangollen
- Antarctic Monkeys – The Buttermarket, Shrewsbury
- Bloc Party – The Institute, Digbeth, Birmingham
- Urdd Gobaith Cymru: Achlysurol, HMS Morris, Llareggub Brass Band – Mathrafal Field, Meifod
- Echobelly, Camens – Live 45, Kidderminster
- Futureheads, Adult Play – Shrewsbury Castle, Shrewsbury
- Adwaith – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
- Melys, Pys Melyn, Sophie Kilburn – Neuadd Ogwen, Bethesda
- Sea Power, Callum Easter – Town Hall, Birmingham
- Dydd Miwsig Cymru: Morgan Elwy, Tew Tew Tennau, Mynadd – Y Institwt, Llanfair Caereinion
- Bikini Beach Band – The White Hart, Stoke Newington
- Pacifica, House of Women – Academy 2, Islington
- Fonda 500, Bugeye, Hurtling, Colossus – Amersham Arms, New Cross
- Snow Coats, Toodles and the Hectic Pity – Signature Brew, Haggerston
- Snow Coats – Tunbridge Wells Forum
- Darling Buds, Keeley – The Thunderbolt, Bristol
- Fightmilk, Feeble Strength – Signature Brew, Haggerston
- Thousand Yard Stare – The Lexington, Islington
- Thousand Yard Stare – Prince Albert, Brighton
- Be Your Own Pet – Rough Trade East, Whitechapel
- Brian Butterfield – Bush Hall, Shepherd’s Bush
- Pulp – Apollo, Hammersmith
- Blur, Self Esteem – Wembley Stadium, Wembley
- Blur, Wu Lu – City Hall, Newcastle
- Salad, Repetitive John – Arts Club, West Hampstead, London
- Salad – The Hope and Ruin, Brighton
- The Others – The Garage, Highbury
- Fightmilk – Signature Brew, Haggerston
- Ynys, Gillie – The Victoria, Dalston
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