Everybody has his or her teenage heroes. Many opt for the mainstream pop artiste, the incredibly attractive actress or the actor topping the charts in those particular years. The group of buddies I used to frequent at St Aloysius' College chose none of the above and instead went at a tangent by installing Fish and Marillion as our teenage heroes.

They were somewhat of anti-heroes, the misfits of the star-studded system which in those days was continually feeding us with the likes of Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Bangles and so on.

For the sake of those of you who do not have any idea of whom I am writing about, let me explain that Marillion were one of the best progressive rock bands which hit the road in the 1980s. Their lead singer was a former lumberjack, a certain Derek William Dick, better known to the public as Fish. The six-foot-tall, jolly artiste caught the attention of many in the music industry for the way in which he could, and still can, contort his voice, giving each song a unique tinge. Most importantly, his skills in writing lyrics were as good as his voice techniques, giving birth to some of the most exciting albums the progressive rock scene has seen since.

Some dismissed Marillion, whose name was inspired by Tolkein's novel The Silmarillion, as some sort of second-class Genesis. Indeed, their sound was reminiscent of Peter Gabriel and Co. but they brought many new original contributions to the scene. They built a reputation through the numerous gigs throughout the United Kingdom, where the crowd was mesmerised by the face-painted frontman who, in many ways, incorporated acting as part of the performance.

Marillion made it a point to be different all the time. Their first single, Market Square Heroes, was censored by the BBC. As in all such cases, this move fuelled, rather than curbed, their sales. Their first album, Script for a Jester's Tear, proved to be a very good beginning. This was soon followed up by Fugazi, which is somewhat of an inferior quality, as the band itself admitted some years later, but which is one of the albums which fans love most.

Marillion's main selling point remained their live performances. Bootlegs recorded without permission at these performances started selling like hot cakes, leading the band to issue their first live album, Real to Reel. This was followed by what was to become their most famous album, Misplaced Childhood. Actually, the band was finding it very difficult to write it out and, with EMI pressing for new material, they found themselves "locked" in a West Berlin studio until inspiration knocked at the door. Many will remember the album for the hits Kayleigh and Lavender. I prefer to remember it as the comeback of concept albums on the rock scene.

I think that along with Pink Floyd's The Wall and Marillion's own Brave, Misplaced is one of the best concept albums ever to be produced.

Success was the key to the group's failure to stay united. Soon after issuing the melancholic Clutching at Straws in 1987, which I consider to be their best album ever, Fish left the group and embarked on a solo career.

His first solo album, Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors, contained remarkable material, as did his second Internal Exile. Nevertheless, a row with EMI and later with Polydor left its mark on the great artiste who seemed to have lost his magic touch for some time. Much of this is due to the fact that although his lyrics were still great he did not have the backing of the likes of Steve Rothery and Mark Kelly to come out with beautiful pieces of music. By the way, the latter have lately launched a great album called Marbles, which even managed to make it to the UK top 10.

Now the man is definitely back with his latest album Field of Crows, of which yours truly has an autographed copy with a personalised dedication. I have this something of judging albums by their cover. Believe me, the covers which Mark Wilkinson designed for both Fish and Marillion are a landmark in music arts. Wilkinson designed a beautiful cover inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's Wheatfield under threatening Skies with Crows for Fish. The content is as inspiring as the cover.

I am writing this piece just a couple of hours after I met my teenage hero at Exotique, on the eve of the first leg of the Manoel Island concert. Thus, I cannot comment on it but I am sure it has been great.

By the way, have you spotted your MEP rocking and jumping in the crowd on Saturday? That could have been a good caption competition!

Mr Muscat is an avid follower of progressive rock in general and Fish and Marillion in particular. He also happens to be a Labour member of the European Parliament.

www.josephmuscat.com