Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

When it comes to capturing the essence of a band, the off guard moments when they are relaxing and allowed that precious few moments when they can naturally be themselves without the flash of thousand cameras going off in their direction, picking up every detail of a gig or concert there are surprisingly few real life moments of enjoyment that get past the magazine editors doors. Unless it is of a drunken night or of a clandestine meeting, no one really gets it apart from the fans themselves.

Andy Wright and Marillion have this particular oddity straight as Andy was given access so many fans of any band would kill to have. Not just being able to show the group whilst they entertain audiences on their 2012 North American tour but the secretive moments, the instants where the camera shows Pete Trewavas, Mark Kelly, Ian Mosley, Steve Rothery and Steve Hogarth as they are away from the glare of being one of the most endearing and most enduring bands to have ever come out of Britain and being surrounded by the glamour and the real life of the cities they visited in the new book about the band, 9:30 To Filmore – Photographic Memories (USA & Canada 2012.)

As any fan in the middle of a long time love affair with a band would tell you, part of the charm and gratification of watching them on tour is to follow them around for as long as possible, if you are able to. That has been easy for those that follow Marillion over the last 30 years in the U.K. and Europe but not so much if you have been a loyal convert to the music that captured the hearts of a generation and beyond if you live in America or Canada. In recent years the band have made Montreal their second home and have given some spellbinding performances as they pack in as much of their insightful and much loved music. However, 2012 saw the return of the band to the wider spectrum of touring in America and elsewhere and East London born Andy Wright was there to capture not just the gigs in cities such as Boston, Washington, New York, Montreal, Toronto and San Francisco but also the special times for the band away from playing to perhaps the most loyal fans in rock music.

Andy Wright in his book has nailed exactly what fans of Marillion have wanted to see. It is a perfect accompaniment to Jon Collins book on the band, Marillion/Separated Out the complete history 1979-2002 but with the added bonus of so many wonderfully captured moments that encapsulate the group and the love that is held for them.

The 180 page cover the journey from 9:30 Club in Washington to the Filmore in the Golden Gate city of San Francisco, each page has some of the most spectacular images of the five members at work, rest and at play in various locations and each of them is a testament to one man’s dedication in getting the right result each time. Evocative and incredible, there are moments, small snapshots of time in which it is impossible not to feel your jaw drop open and hear a small voice go wow. In short Andy Wright has caught the core belief of the band for all time.

It is a magnificent piece of art that also has linear notes from the five guys in Marillion and some of thoughts that they were having on particular days.  There have been quite a few photographic books that deal with any number of bands but in retrospect they can appear quite stunted, striving for a non-existent purity and even slightly contrived. 9:30 To Filmore – Photographic Memories (USA & Canada 2012.) is a book of absolute beauty, a must for followers of the band, for those who have more than a passing interest in a real group that has seen it all and for those who enjoy an artist at work. Lives through a lens and what lives they are.

The book is on sale at all three Marillion weekends that the band are doing this year, after which it will be exclusively available from the Racket Store at www.marillion.com.  Tickets are still available for the Montreal gigs and the nights in Wolverhampton. For more information go to www.marillionweekend.com. The book is priced at £35, 40 Euros or $50.

For more information on Andy Wright goto www.andywright.ca

Ian D. Hall