MARILLION

With Friends At St David’s RACKET RECORDS

Aylesbury‘s finest extend their ensemble with stunning results.

There have been countless bands who’ve unconvincingly dabbled with orchestras. Indeed, the concept became something of a fad for certain artists, whose music was incongruous with the lush orchestral additions. The common outcome was a sense that the classical embellishments were simply bolted on, without any care or thought for the finished, clattering result. Marillion couldn’t be accused of this when they experimented with strings and horns during their Royal Albert Hall appearance in 2017, something that encouraged them to re-record a number of tracks for their With Friends From The Orchestra album release two years later.

This live album, recorded in Cardiff in November 2019 and also released on a DVD of the same name, features a sextet of classical players, all of whom enhance Marillion’s already layered sound with fitting, elegant additions. Critically though, the plush classical backdrop is used to enrich the sound, and isn’t merely a novelty addition. Perhaps surprisingly, the set opens with Gaza, a song that at first consideration wouldn’t be an obvious choice for orchestral adaptation. However, here it’s given a fiery dramaticism with the addition of an impeccable string section, which provides a certain opulence, especially when working in conjunction with Steve Rothery’s guitar parts.

Both Beyond You and The Hollow Man are delivered with a panache that, at times, supersedes their studio takes. Elsewhere, the cerebral lyrics that wind through Estonia and Sky Above The Rain, coupled with the emotionally wrought musical backdrop, will leave even the most hardened dewy eyed. There’s also space in this set for a touch of light relief in the guise of Zeparated Out, a shrewd, bouncy mash-up of Separated Out and Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir and the everendearing escapism of Fantastic Place.

It’s Marillion’s longer songs that benefit the most from the atmospheric reworkings. The 20 minutes of Ocean Cloud – an engaging tale of a long-distance rower – are captivating, while The New Kings (from 2016’s F.E.A.R) captures the sparkling mood of the concert. But it’s This Strange Engine

that’s the true highlight. Lyrically detailing Steve Hogarth’s childhood and bounding through musical styles and aided by delightful horns, it’s a mesmerising way to close a set.

Ultimately, this provides a reminder – as if it were needed – of this band’s ongoing creativity and an exquisite musicianship that has pervaded for 40 years. There aren’t many acts who could record a live album of this stature without the orchestral concept feeling forced and disingenuous. Marillion are one of them.

IT ENHANCES THEIR SOUND WITH FITTING, ELEGANT ADDITIONS.