Steve Hogarth, Leamington Spa. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Originally published by L.S. Media. July 26th 2010.
There can’t have been too many bands that spent the night before the inaugural High Voltage Festival thrilling a packed out venue, there certainly won’t have been a band that produced, quite possibly, one of their best ever sets outside of a convention.
With everyone in their positions, the band and fans alike, Steve Hogarth came out on stage to rapturous applause from a crowd eager to cheer on a band that has never disappointed and always aimed to please.
The guys kicked off the set with Invisible Man from the critically acclaimed album Marbles, and with next year’s 20th anniversary of the bands sixth studio album Holidays in Eden firmly in everyone’s mind, the band pulled off a cracking performance of Cover My Eyes before taking the audience back to the days of Clutching At Straws with the rousing Slainte Mhath.
It was obvious to those who had made the effort to see the band at the Leamington Spa Assembly that they were in for a night to remember and the enthusiasm that was being generated by the crowd spurred on keyboard player Mark Kelly, bass player Pete Trewavas (who would also be headlining the Saturday with Transatlantic), drummer Ian Mosley, guitarist Steve Rothery and vocalist and cricket bat wielder Steve Hogarth to take the bench mark of their gigs to an even greater height.
Other songs to get the pre-festival warm up were the outstanding Afraid of Sunlight, the hauntingly beautiful Neverland and a first rate rendition of Three Minute Boy.
The band finished an emotional and truly stunning night with a song dedicated to the Also Eden vocalist and Marillion fan Rich Harding who had been involved in a bike accident a few days before. Marillion has always been more than just a band to its members and fans alike, it is a family and it’s these moments of tenderness that sets the band apart from the majority of their peers.
If the band were going to be even half as good as this on the Sunday of High Voltage then anybody going along, whether casual onlooker or seasoned fan, they will find a lot to enjoy
Ian D. Hall