Marillion

Marillion are a British neo-prog band, formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in 1979. They emerged from the post-punk music scene in Britain and existed as a bridge between the styles of punk rock and classic progressive rock, becoming the most commercially successful neo-prog band of the 1980s. Marillion released their debut single "Market Square Heroes" in 1982, followed by their first album Script for a Jester's Tear in 1983. They have released 20 studio albums in total. The band achieved eight Top 10 UK albums between 1983 and 1994, including a No. 1 album in 1985 with Misplaced Childhood. The album also produced two UK Top 10 singles in "Kayleigh" (No. 2) and "Lavender" (No. 5), while the follow-up album, 1987's Clutching at Straws, included another UK Top 10 single "Incommunicado" (No. 6). Clutching at Straws was the band's last studio album with original lead singer Fish, who left for a solo career in late 1988. Altogether, during the Fish era, Marillion scored 11 Top 40 hits on the UK Singles Chart. "Kayleigh" also entered the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. In early 1989, Marillion announced Steve Hogarth as their new lead singer. The first album with him, Seasons End, was another Top 10 hit, and albums continued to chart well until their departure from EMI Records, following the release of their 1996 live album Made Again, and the dissipation of the band's mainstream popularity in the late 1990s; save for a resurgence in the mid- to late-2000s, they have essentially been a cult act since then. Since the arrival of Hogarth, Marillion have achieved a further 12 Top 40 hit singles in the UK, including 2004's "You're Gone" from the album Marbles, which charted at No. 7 and is the biggest hit of the Hogarth era. In 2016, the album Fuck Everyone and Run (F E A R) returned them to the UK Albums Chart Top 10 for the first time since 1994's Brave. Their most recent album, 2022's An Hour Before It's Dark, entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 2, their highest chart position since Clutching at Straws in 1987. Marillion continue to tour internationally, ranked 38th in Classic Rock's "50 Best Live Acts of All Time" in 2008. Despite their lack of popularity in the mainstream media and unfashionable status within the British music industry, Marillion have maintained a loyal international fanbase. Widely acknowledged as pioneers in the development of crowdfunding and fan-funded music, they have sold over 15 million albums worldwide.