For more than 37 years, Steve Hogarth has fronted Marillion with one of progressive rock’s most distinctive and emotionally expressive voices. Yet despite the band’s global following, neither Marillion nor “h” has ever performed in Australia. That changes this December when Hogarth finally makes the long journey south for his intimate H Natural solo tour, bringing an audience-driven show to Sydney and Melbourne where no two performances are ever the same.
Speaking with Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips from Hamburg during Marillion’s current European tour, Steve Hogarth admitted that visiting Australia has been a long-held ambition. While Marillion’s large-scale production has always made an Australian tour financially difficult, he hopes his first solo visit might finally pave the way for the band to follow. “I’m really looking forward to it,” he says. “It’s going to be an adventure.”
MORE ABOUT THE TOUR INTERVIEW
The interview began with Hogarth recounting an eventful night on stage in Frankfurt recently, where he accidentally walked straight off the front of the stage after failing to see the edge beneath the lighting. Fortunately, apart from a bruised leg, he escaped serious injury. “The angels were watching over me,” he laughed, adding that at 70 years of age, his ankles are far too valuable to risk.
That willingness to laugh at himself is central to H Natural. Unlike a conventional concert, every performance is built entirely in the moment, with no fixed set list and no predetermined structure. Instead, Hogarth reacts to the audience, taking requests, telling stories, answering questions and often playing songs he hadn’t even planned to perform.
“It’s terrifying,” he admits. “I walk on stage not really knowing what I’m going to do.”
Rather than chasing perfection, Hogarth says the beauty of the show lies in its spontaneity. He rehearses dozens of songs, yet often ends up performing pieces he hasn’t practised at all. Mistakes don’t concern him nearly as much as authenticity.
“I don’t think the audience minds if I get things wrong. The fact that everything’s real more than compensates for that.”
Australian audiences can also expect much more than music. Hogarth plans to share stories from throughout his career, discuss his background for fans who may not know his journey before Marillion, and may even read passages from his published diaries. His aim is to create a genuine conversation rather than simply perform songs. That interaction is something he actively encourages.
“I’ll usually ask the audience to ask me something they can’t find on the internet.” For Hogarth, reading a room begins by talking to it.
The conversation also explored what makes a successful performance. Whether he’s singing to six people or 60,000, Hogarth says it’s never about crowd size but about emotional honesty. Every song is approached as a story to be lived rather than simply sung, with the goal of reconnecting to the emotional state he was in when he originally wrote the lyrics.
“I take soul and truth very seriously,” he explains.
That philosophy has become even more important as he’s grown older. Reflecting on the reissue of his acclaimed debut solo album Ice Cream Genius, Hogarth says he’s a vastly different person than the ambitious musician who made the record three decades ago.
“I’ve given up any ambition of being some kind of rock star,” he says. “I just feel fortunate to have the freedom to do what I do.”
Turning 70 has only strengthened that outlook. Rather than dwelling on age, he’s determined to make the most of every day, joking that he has “3,650 good days” ahead and intends to enjoy every one of them.
The interview also revisited the unlikely circumstances that led him to join Marillion in 1989. At the time, he had already committed to touring with Matt Johnson’s The The and admits Marillion was one of the last bands he ever expected to join. A chance conversation with former Curved Air violinist Daryl Way convinced him to at least meet the band, and the chemistry was immediate. More than three decades later, that decision has become one of progressive rock’s defining partnerships.
Fans hoping for new Marillion music also received encouraging news. Hogarth revealed the band is well underway with its next album, describing the project as potentially substantial enough to become a double album. True to Marillion’s long-established creative process, the material has been developed through months of recorded improvisation in the band’s Buckinghamshire studio rather than written on the road. He also hinted that Australian audiences might hear one of those brand-new songs during the H Natural tour.
Music remains the heart of the evening, but the repertoire stretches far beyond Marillion. Alongside favourites including “Easter”, “A Fantastic Place” and “Afraid of Sunlight”, Hogarth regularly performs songs by Leonard Cohen, whose “Famous Blue Raincoat” remains one of his personal favourites, along with material by a diverse range of artists that changes from show to show.
Before arriving in Australia, Hogarth plans to spend several days in Singapore adjusting to the time zone before giving himself time to explore both Sydney and Melbourne. Already, Australian fans have been offering to act as tour guides, something he seems more than happy to accept.
By the end of the conversation, his excitement about finally experiencing Australia was unmistakable.
“I’m looking forward to gazing out over Sydney Harbour, seeing the Opera House and just soaking up the culture. I’ve heard Australians are relaxed, positive people. I want to be surprised.”
If the warmth, humour and honesty that came through during this conversation are any indication, Australian audiences are in for far more than a solo concert. H Natural promises an evening of songs, stories, improvisation and genuine connection from one of progressive rock’s most compelling frontmen, an artist finally making his long-overdue Australian debut.
AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES
Thursday 10 December
Oxford Art Factory – Sydney
Sunday 13 December
Lazybones Lounge – Sydney
Wednesday 16 December
Corner Hotel – Melbourne
Thursday 17 December
Corner Hotel – Melbourne
For ticket information visit sadcloudtouring.com and follow Sad Cloud Touring on Facebook and Instagram.
And if the Australian tour isn’t enough for antipodean fans, To mark Steve Hogarth’s 70th birthday, on July 24 this year, ‘Ice Cream Genius’ returns in its most complete form to date. Originally released in 1997, the album was Hogarth’s first solo studio work outside of Marillion, a deeply personal, experimental and intimate record that has grown into a cult favourite over the years.
Pre Save ‘Ice Cream Genius’ HERE
