“I’ve probably spent all my royalties on the endless pedals that arrive at the door to my wife’s displeasure”: How Marillion’s Steve Rothery forged a new musical alliance – and got addicted to buying pedals in the process

Steve Rothery plays his Daphne Blue Reverend T-style in the studio.

Gentō is a new album by Bioscope, a collaborative project from Marillion’s Steve Rothery and Tangerine Dream’s Thorsten Quaeschning. The pair first met aboard ship during 2014’s Cruise To The Edge, which saw a variety of prog bands perform on the high seas in front of a hoard of like-minded music fans.

Later on it was mooted that a possible musical alliance might be forthcoming and now the project has come to fruition, with a little help from Elbow’s Alex Reeves on drums. The album is an immersive experience with broad cinematic soundscapes conjured from Thorsten’s bank of analogue synths and Steve’s ever melodic guitar. But let’s start at the beginning…