ROCK legends David Bowie and Sir Mick Jagger have joined forces to urge Scotland to reject independence ahead of next month’s vote.

But progressive singer songwriter Fish, who made his name fronting Scots rockers Marillion, and enjoyed a smash hit with their 1980s single Kayleigh, says that Scotland should go it alone.

Fish, who makes a rare appearance in the county at Preston’s 53 Degrees venue this month, said: “The time is right for Scotland to go its own way — I’ll be voting yes.

“Westminster politics has failed England and Scotland, apart from the elite few living in London who benefit at the cost of the rest of the country.

“I am not anti-English in any way, and I think a vote for an independent Scotland could shake up British politics.

“There needs to be a serious debate over the distribution of wealth in Britain because politics needs a huge wake-up call.”

Fish, who now fronts his own band and plans to emigrate to Germany in the next couple of years, added: “I’ve travelled all over Great Britain and I’ve seen places that look like the old Eastern Europe before the Iron Curtain came down.

“Some people are living in abject poverty, with no jobs and no hope. How can that be right in the 21st century?

Fish, who quit Marillion to pursue a solo career in 1988, has ruled out any prospect of a Marillion re-union, despite a one-off show at a low-key festival some years ago.

“No chance at all,” said Fish.

“We are doing our own thing now and I can’t envisage a time when we would get back together.”

Although Marillion never recaptured the commercial success they enjoyed with Fish in the mid-80s, they have retained a loyal support and have regularly appeared in the top 40.

“What they do is completely different and we’ve forged different paths over the last 25 years,” he added.

“There have been rumours that there’s some sort of animosity between us, but that’s not the case.

“Anybody who listens to my new stuff will understand that we are worlds apart from what the Marillion guys do.

“I still speak to the lads but I don’t want to be a Marillion tribute act.”

Building on the success of the Moveable Feast Tour, which saw Fish playing new and classic tracks, the tour will support his latest offering — A Feast of Consequences — his first album for six years.

His appearance at 53 Degrees will see Fish perform songs from the album as well as solo material, plus hits from the Marillion archives.

“I love the stuff that we do now. It is a lot more rocky than Marillion, but I’m also very proud of what I did with them.”

  • Fish, 53 Degrees, Preston, September 30