Another gig, another farewell tour…how many times have we been here before, only for the artist to reappear a few years later for another go around. And yet with Fish, you get a sense that this is the real deal. The Road to the Isles tour has been meticulously planned over the past twelve months or so, with its finale in Glasgow next month coinciding with Fish and his wife leaving for a new life in the Outer Hebrides, and with his studio, online store and record label all having been completely wound down. Ticket sales for the tour have been strong, and it was heartening to see the Wulfrun packed to capacity as Fish took the audience on an emotional two and a half hour journey through his musical career.

Fish’s band for the tour consists of Mickey Simmonds (keys), Robin Boult (guitar), Steve Vantsis (bass guitar), Gavin Griffiths (drums), and Elisabeth Antwi on backing vocals. And with Mickey having been with Fish at the launch of his solo career back in 1990, it was only fitting that they opened with the dramatic ‘Vigil’. It was very much evident that the band are in fine form, a thumping ‘Credo’ and jaunty ‘Big Wedge’ revisiting the early solo albums when Fish’s profile remained high, coming off the back of the successful Marillion-era of the mid-80’s. Of course throughout his solo career there were plenty of ups and downs, and he spoke about the unsuccessful court case against EMI which didn’t do him any favours in the industry, leading into ‘Just Good Friends’ which was performed as a beautiful duet with Elisabeth. ‘Cliché’ was dedicated to Fish’s wife Simone and, with Robin nailing the solo, was a real highlight of the evening, and was followed by the first nod to the Marillion years with the dramatic and powerful ‘Incubus’.

Before the epic ‘Plague of Ghosts’ suite, Fish spoke about how some songs and albums had got lost over the years and that the period around Raingods with Zippos was a strange time in his life. Certainly, there were shows at venues such as JB’s in Dudley and The Robin 2 at the end of the last century when attendances were not great. But despite numerous setbacks Fish stuck at it, and it seems only fitting that he is now bowing out on his own terms. As with all great prog epics, ‘Plague..’ moves through many different moods and feels, from the infectious ‘Digging Deep’ and dark and sinister ‘Chocolate Frogs’ to the uplifting conclusion of ‘Make it Happen’. With each musician taking it in turn to leave the stage, it left Fish all alone with the crowd singing the refrain, and was the perfect way to close out the main set.

The encore began with Fish and Mickey duetting on ‘A Gentleman’s Excuse Me’, a song that you really think could have been a huge hit single for Fish had things worked out differently. And then it was time for the genuine hits, with the holy trinity of ‘Kayleigh’, ‘Lavender’ and ‘Heart of Lothian’ sending the audience into a state of delirium. Even then, it wasn’t quite all over, Fish giving us one more song with a rousing version of ‘The Company’. Taking his leave with the words ‘Thank you, good night, goodbye’, this was a celebratory and emotional last lap of what has been a remarkable career. So long, and thanks for all the Fish.

Setlist:-

Vigil
Credo
Big Wedge
Pipeline
Shadowplay
Weltschmerz
A Feast of Consequences
Just Good Friends
Cliché
Incubus
Plague of Ghosts, Part 1: Old Haunts
Plague of Ghosts, Part 2: Digging Deep
Plague of Ghosts, Part 3: Chocolate Frogs
Plague of Ghosts, Part 4: Waving at Stars
Plague of Ghosts, Part 5: Raingods Dancing
Plague of Ghosts, Part 6: Wake-up Call (Make It Happen)

Encore:-
A Gentleman’s Excuse Me
Kayleigh
Lavender
Heart of Lothian

Encore 2:-
The Company