Marillion return to the live stage this month.

It’s coming on for forty years for me as a Marillion watcher. This time next year in fact, but for many of their unfailingly faithful fan family, the run of ten dates that sees them step onto the stage at Hull City Hall on 14th November is particularly significant. A tour planned well in advance, hence the tour header, during a pandemic that left little to look forward to, has finally arrived.

It’s not been an easy journey. There will be bubbles aplenty to make sure the band stay safe and should things take a nosedive, the unique fan-funded insurance plans should see no major financial loss while the investors (as opposed to the leavers and remainers) will have something for their dedication.

We’ll be at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall next Thursday – a first for me/us – to report back. For once, we’re avoiding tour spoilers and have deliberately avoided the samples of new music from the upcoming album. We want it to be one of those nights when each song comes as a surprise. A bit like the old days.

There’s that new album to anticipate as well, which everyone is getting rather excited about. An Hour Before It’s Dawn has caused enough furor amongst the fan community from the meaning to the artwork and the use of the apostrophe…

There is promise of one new song in the set, hints and spoilers for which have been flying around the ether as Marillion and manager Lucy Jordache have been particularly active and have plowed on regardless in making sure that Marillion keeps a high profile.

Since shifting camps from what many see as their spiritual home at Manchester Academy – the atmosphere is always highly charged – and standing shows in general, the production values as they’ve moved to the relative comfort of seated theatre shows, has gone through the roof. Lights, backdrops, video all combine to match what should be an emotional round of shows and for Manchester, an emotional homecoming. Messers Hogarth, Kelly, Trewavas, Rothery and Moseley, your audience awaits. Watch this space.

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