h Supernatural

Tonight we went into Gibraltar to see "h", or Steve Hogarth, as he is really called, and best known for being the voice of super prog rock band Marillion in the post-Fish era.

What promised to make this "intimate glimpse into the life" of this wonderfully talented singer-songwriter, was that it was being held in St. Michaels's Cave at the top of the Rock itself.

A magical venue for small audiences of this kind, with amazingly clear natural acoustics, it was also beautifully cool and a welcome respite from the heat of the day. 

And the roof drips. But that is just part of the ambience.

Not everyone's cup of tea, I grant you, we were treated to very personal arrangements of classic Marillion numbers, laid bare and slowed down and played on the piano. If you know Steve Hogarth's powerful voice and singing style, you will understand how putting all this together made me tingly and goosebumpy in equal measure.

At 20 GBP per ticket it was exceptional value and we didn't emerge from the cave until midnight. After a long walk back through town to the border and a short drive home, we fell into bed at 2:30, exhausted.

Except I couldn't sleep for a while as the chorus of 80 Days went round and round and round....