Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: It Bites
Label: Independent
Release: 2011
Rating: 4/5
Prog pop rock champions It Bites celebrated their return to the studio scene with the excellent album »The Tall Ships« (2008) with plenty of swagger, hitting the road for a run of live shows that won them lots of new fans of their unique musical approach on top of their longtime fanbase. Guitar and vocal wizard John Mitchell (Arena) gave the cult eighties band, famous for hit classics like »Calling All The Heroes«, »Old Man And the Angel«, »Kiss Like Judas«, »Once Around The World«, »All In Red« and »Midnight«, a full-blown rebirth with his vocal charisma, brilliant guitar playing and fresh songwriting ideas.
Besides being a member of It Bites and the cult neo prog rock band Arena, Mitchell has also worked on projects like Kino, Frost* and The Urbane, as well as with the legendary singer/bassist John Wetton (Asia). He’s blessed with a voice that’s somewhat reminiscent of the legendary Peter Gabriel (ex-Genesis), something that already marked his predecessor, original It Bites singer and guitarist Francis Dunnery. Since 2012 he’s also been a member of the backing band New Day, led by legendary Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre, where he handles lead vocals.
The double DVD/live album »It Happened One Night«, recorded at a gig in Carlisle (a town in Cumbria, in northwest England), is clear proof that guitar virtuoso Mitchell hasn’t just grown as a singer, but also as a commander of the stage. With his witty banter between songs, packed with humorous quips and plenty of nods to certain prog rock giants, Mitchell’s musical heroes, he easily drags the excited crowd along with him and deepens the incredible live atmosphere that blesses this excellent concert document. He gets great backing from founding members, keyboardist John Beck and drummer Bob Dalton, plus bass gem Lee Pomeroy. The It Bites classics, together with the »The Tall Ships« material (they play almost the whole album), are often even improved on compared to the originals and come with extra witty improvisations (especially on all the evergreens, though surprisingly their biggest hit »Calling All The Heroes« was missing that night). The only negative remark about the DVD is the shoddy picture quality and the absence of the classic »All In Red«, which is no problem to find on the audio version. The second DVD holds a rather uninteresting documentary about what went on before the show.
The first disc of the accompanying audio release, apart from an excellent version of the longtime classic »Old Man And the Angel«, features exclusively »The Tall Ships« staples such as the spirited opener »Ghosts«, the distinctly pop rock »Oh My God«, the melancholic »Playground« and the dramatic Celtic epic »The Wind That Shakes The Barley«. All of these treats are played with incredible fire and confidence, and you can feel at every step that It Bites were in superb spirits that night. It’s all topped off with excellent production, with no major studio fixes to be felt. The second disc of the audio release holds almost even more fun surprises and superb performances of longtime favorites, the standout being the more than twenty-minute version of the epic classic »Once Around The World«, which tacks on the main riff of the Yes evergreen »Owner Of A Lonely Heart« and the opening section of the legendary Genesis epic »Supper’s Ready« at the end.
It Bites have simply been unstoppable in recent years, especially when it comes to turning out superb releases that win over old and new fans alike without breaking a sweat. The live DVD/CD »It Happened One Night« easily ranks among their best officially released live documents to date. It’s got a hugely energized performance from the cult foursome, radiating a staggering dose of spontaneity and untamed improvisational energy, and it’s crowned with an incredible atmosphere that barely lets up in intensity. That makes the DVD, and even more so the audio version, a proper jackpot for every longtime fan of this cult band. The only thing some will likely miss, given the poor picture quality and the senseless absence of »All In Red« on the DVD, is a bigger helping of eighties classics, but that’s what their earlier live releases are for, since with Mitchell on board It Bites are a band with their eyes clearly fixed on the future.
Line-up
John Mitchell – vocals, guitar
John Beck – keyboards, backing vocals
Lee Pomeroy – bass guitar, backing vocals
Bob Dalton – drums, backing vocals
Production
It Bites
Tracklist
DVD1
Ghosts
Oh My God
Playground
Barley
The Tall Ships
Great Disasters
Old Man
Midnight
Bullet in the Barrel
Kiss like Judas
Once Around the World
This is England
DVD2
How It Happened One Night
CD1
1. Ghosts
2. Oh My God
3. Playground
4. The Wind That Shakes The Barley
5. The Tall Ships
6. Great Disasters
7. Old Man And The Angel
CD2
1. Midnight
2. Bullet In The Barrel
3. Kiss Like Judas
4. Once Around The World
5. This Is England
6. All In Red
