A Tribute to Fish-Era Marillion

"We are going to play you part of our new album. It will only feature two songs: one called Side One and the other called Side Two." — Fish

MARQUEE SQUARE HEROES INVITE YOU TO RELIVE THE MOMENTS THAT MADE MARILLION ONE OF THE BIGGEST BANDS IN THE WORLD

Marillion still regularly undertake a series of shows around the UK at Christmas. Take the opportunity to transport yourself back to the very beginning of this Christmas tradition that sits slightly outside many other more traditional seasonal spectaculars.

By the end of 1984, Marillion had completed their second album and toured to great acclaim with the Fugazi album. Demand to see the band was huge, and a multitude of pirated bootleg live albums began circulating amongst their fans. EMI decided to release a live "mini-album," available at a reduced price. And thus was born Real to Reel, a live album that really captures the essence and spirit of the band at that time.

A few Christmas gigs were then booked, and the Real to Reel Tour was undertaken. No one could have anticipated what would happen to Marillion in 1985.

The decision to release Real to Reel enabled the band to concentrate on writing the album that became the biggest-selling of their career: Misplaced Childhood. Achieving Number 1 status in the album charts, it provided massive exposure with top 5 singles chart positions for Kayleigh and Lavender, and a strong chart position for Heart of Lothian too.