“I didn’t have much knowledge of Marillion. A singer who painted his face like Peter Gabriel? It all seemed a little bit derivative…” How Marillion reinvented themselves with Steve Hogarth and Seasons End

Marillion with Steve Hogarth

Steve Hogarth’s impact on Marillion and their music was instant and destined to endure. But he could just as easily have ended up languishing on drummer Ian Mosley’s back seat. 

In late 1988, with the departure of frontman Fish, they were still rehearsing and writing music – and looking for a new singer. On his drive to rehearsals, Mosley would listen to tapes of prospective candidates. “Every morning our management would send me cassette tapes of prospective singers," says Mosley. "On the drive over, I’d listen to them for a bit, take them out and then throw them over my shoulder into the back seat.