Warwick Marsh

Warwick Marsh at Ben More

Warwick Marsh was born in Blackburn, England, to a working class couple. His father was a carpenter who worked for himself. His mother was a school teacher when she was not bringing up children and keeping the house. The Marshes attended the local Anglican church in a haphazard way depending on how the parents were feeling on the day. Warwick emerged from this experience feeling rather agnostic.

Warwick was a brilliant maths student throughout his school career, he needed no tuition and insisted on correcting the teachers from an early age. He lacked any work ethic or self-motivation however and was more interested in hanging with the lads than doing homework. When he was old enough he dropped his schooling and went off to learn the carpentry trade with his father.

Warwick's father Peter was an excellent whistle player and also a dab hand at the button accordion, playing at numerous folk sessions and anchoring the local Morris dancers. He had no formal training but possessed an uncanny ability to remember tunes and play any of them by ear. Warwick would listen spellbound to his father of a night and by the time he was 12 he had pretty well mastered his father's instruments.

At 13 he heard Black Sabbath for the first time and knew that he had found his calling. He attempted to play "War Pigs" on the button accordion and although he achieved a passable result, he realised that this instrument it would no longer do the business. By dint of labouring for his father on weekends and holidays he was able to buy a Stratocaster copy and an old 50W valve amp. It was the last peace his parents were to hear for years.

His first band "Fat Chance" were derided by the more superior lads as "Brumagem" but it was clear to all that the lad could play. The lasses queued up.

And so it went on, through a succession of mediocre bands, playing 10 minute guitar solos and heroically ignoring the ineptitude of the other musicians who he had often roped in from the local building site, assuring them that they could play the drums with a couple of hours practice. Perhaps it was the mediocre backing, or perhaps it was his distinctive off-key vocals, but despite his brilliant lead work the bands were never successful. At 30 years of age he gave up and tried to "get a life".

He married his long-term sweetheart and concentrated on the carpentry, but life seemed to be missing something. He began playing the local folk sessions with his father and took up the banjo. Pretty soon he had mastered the instrument and the repertoire and he found himself travelling around the country to numerous folk festivals. It was in Ireland at one of these that he first met Warren Mars who was playing fiddle. A great friendship sprang up as a result of the music and in 2004 Warwick joined "The Martian Way".

Influences: Tony Iommi, David Gilmour, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Queen.

Likes: curry, raspberry cheesecake, lager, black tea, "The Silmarillion", hiking, Monty Python, "Highlander", Blackburn Rovers, The Grampians, motorcycles, friendly people.

Dislikes: hot-dogs, cheap ice-cream, pre-mixed cocktails, Fanta, "The Da Vinci Code", "Top of the Pops", "Four Weddings & A Funeral", tennis, Man U, work, Bognor, lazy people.