Rock singer Fish to perform final Scottish gigs in 'Road to the Isles' tour before retiring on island croft

Aptly named “Road to the Isles”, the singer, a popular solo artist and former frontman of cult 1980s prog rock band Marillion, will perform at sold-out concerts in Scotland before heading to Berneray, which sits to the north of the Uists.

Fish, whose real name is Derek Dick, will perform at the Haddington Corn Exchange in East Lothian on 18 and 19 February, the same venue he launched his solo career in 1989, before wrapping with two sold-out gigs at Glasgow's O2 Academy on 9 and 10 March.

In a statement about his last stage performances, Fish said: “To be retiring on this wave is a wonderful feeling, and I cannot adequately express how much this all means to me after over 40 years in the music business performing on stages across the world.

“It’s going to be difficult to process the emotions involved, but after the final Glasgow gig in March, when I stand on the ferry heading over the sea to the Outer Hebrides and our new home, I will have the biggest smile on my face imaginable.”

The upcoming gigs on home soil come after 32 performances across Europe.

Fish and his wife Simone packed up their life in lowland Scotland last year, selling the East Lothian home the singer lived in for more than 30 years, and moved to the remote, windswept island of Berneray.

They said they fell in love with the place after a holiday to the Outer Hebrides in 2022.

During the trip Fish – whose had one of his biggest hits with Marillion with Kayleigh, a song that sparked a generation of girls named in its honour – went to his first proper ceilidh and absolutely loved it.

The couple were inspired to buy a croft with 30 acres of land in the Rushgarry area overlooking a beach to the north and to to take up full-time residence on the island.

Fish previously told The Scotsman he had been mulling over the idea of moving somewhere else over the past few years and that the idea was partly spurred by the Covid pandemic but also for the good of his soul.

The pair aim to fully embrace the crofting life and become as self-sufficient as possible, growing their own produce and rearing sheep. Their plans included setting up polytunnels for growing food crops and planting fruit trees.

They have already renovated the old croft house on the property and taken on a flock of 13 blackface ewes.

The couple are also building another house that will be their permanent home, with the existing one potentially becoming a cafe and farm shop on the island, which is currently home to one combined shop and bistro.