Date posted: 03 March 2004

Fish, the charismatic ex-vocalist of legendary band Marillion and today an esteemed solo artist, will perform at Stodoła club March 10

PERFORMANCE: A Fish Story

Fish's real name is Derek William Dick (no prizes for guessing why he changed it). He was born in 1958 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Prior to embarking on a singing career, in the 1970s he worked as a gardener and forester. For a short while, Fish played with the bands Not Quite Rex Fox, Stone Dome Band and Blewitt; he sang in the latter. Around that time, he was into Genesis, Emerson Lake And Palmer, Pink Floyd, T. Rex, Yes and Peter Gabriel. Later he started working with Marillion, formed two years earlier as an instrumental band. With Marillion, Fish produced the biggest hits of his career, including the famous "Kayleigh" from 1985.

After seven years with Marillion, Fish left the band in 1988, replaced by Steve Hogarth. The following year, Fish worked with Peter Hamill, with whom he was supposed to record the project Fall of the House of Usher, but his place was soon taken by Andy Bell (of Erasure). Instead, Fish released his first solo album that year: Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors.

Fish has released several solo albums, including Internal Exile (1991), Songs From the Mirror (1993), Suits (1994) and Sunsets on Empire (1996). He has collaborated with Kenny Young and Gentlemen Without Weapons.

The artist partially fulfilled his acting ambitions by taking part in the program The Ghost of Faffner Hall, produced in Newcastle, in which he played a "poetry wizard." He also appeared in the three-episode thriller Darkwells, produced for the BBC.

The Stodoła concert starts at 8:30 p.m. Tickets cost zl.80 and are available at the club's ticket office and at EMPiK stores.

Stodoła club, 10 Batorego St., tel. 825-60-31.