Marion follow Manchester reunion with 2012 UK tour - tickets now/Saturday 28th Jan

Marion

During the height of Britpop, many great rock bands were cast by the wayside if their formula didn't quite fit the industry's new Cool Britannia. While Noel and Liam bought massive townhouses in north London and Alex James got into cheese, the indie rock of Macclesfield band Marion, complete with arena swagger, drifted in and out of consciousness, something frontman Jaime Harding was often doing.

A big, breakthrough album (1995's 'This World and Body') was followed by a rather mute sophomore offering ('The Program') and, despite being seemingly on the brink of greatness, Marion imploded. And Jaime Harding took a lot of drugs. A lot. It nearly killed him, more than once.

After Marion split in 1999 ('because of drugs'), Harding graduated to the really hard stuff. The band reformed in 2006 but Harding was still injecting and the lead singer contracted a blood infection that nearly did for him. Five years on, finally clean and - critically, astonishingly - still alive, Jaime Harding led a classic 1995 Marion line-up through a Manchester reunion gig in December 2011.

The overwhelmingly positive response to Marion reforming has, by their own admission, startled the band. After getting their breath back, they've announced a spring UK tour.

The tour kicks off back in Manchester on 7th April at the Ruby Lounge, followed by dates in Glasgow, London (Islington Academy), Sheffield and Durham, before the final gig of the tour at the Duchess in York on 15th April.

We have tickets for most dates available now, priced £10 to £12. The Islington gig goes on sale at midday on Saturday 28th January; tickets are £13.

The response to the December gig was very enthusiastic, so expect sales to be brisk.

Stewart Darkin

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