H, Steve Hogarth lead singer of Marillion, started the H Natural shows several years ago as an experiment basically.  Would people show up to see the lead singer of Marillion tinker with a keyboard , tell stories and sing whatever he wanted to sing?

The answer was ‘YES’.  Marillion fans are truly ‘freaks’ and these shows are now an annual event.  For the most part the experiment works.  When fronting a rock band the singer doesn’t usually have the time to explain what each song is about, but in a solo rather acoustic setup with no actual set-list, the artist can do what they want.  And that’s just what H does during these concerts. Concert goers shout out songs and occasionally their requests are played on the spot! Imagine that!

The songs are mostly Marillion tunes performed on keyboard , sometimes with a drum machine background.  The real glory though is the setup.  For the song ‘Genie’ H’s explanation behind the three minute song takes about ten minutes. There are several covers as well, such as the wonderful ‘Abraham, Martin & John’ and Leonard Cohen’s ‘Famous Blue Raincoat’.

The recording is a bit low volume-wise but that’s really the only knock on it.  If you’re a fan of Marillion these shows it’s a nice alternative to the bombastic sound of a normal Marillion concert.(there are many available for download on http://www.marillion.com)