WhoIsWho

ARENA.

Started as a Marillion-clone with the man who played in 1.000 bands; Clive Nolan. Their debut is called; Songs from the Lion Cages ('93). With;

Mick Pointer- drums (ex-Marrilion),
Paul Wrightson- vocals,
John Mitchell- guitar (ex- Annie Lennox, new band The Urbane, see bellow),
John Jowitt- bass (IQ & Jadis),
Steve Rothery, guitar in Marillion played on Only Child.

Pride ('96) is another good album followed by The Cry ('97) a best of the first two mentioned albums with three new tracks. Welcome to the Stage is a live album with;

Mick Pointer,
John Jowitt,
Clive Nolan,
John Mitchell and
Paul Wrightson.

In '98 with The Visitor. The Open Your Eyes tour starts in Utrecht, the Netherlands and is taped for video. With Immortal ('00) seems the band to look back to Marillion's debut-album at least the cover.

Rob Sowden is the third singer of the band,
Ian Salmon (Shadowland) plays the bass,
Clive- keyboards,
John -guitar &
Mick -drums.

This records fits perfectly with the another few albums from 2000; Dream Theatre, Transatlantic and the Wall-live. The whole band plays on The Greatest Show on Earth, a project of Arena's accountant (!). Who earned enough money to pay these artists and a few more.
Their latest live album is called Breakfat in Biarritz a live recording, it isn't standing on my breakfast table...But is an excellent painting done by Mathias Noren.

Rob Sowden - vocals
John Mitchell - guitars
Clive Nolan - keyboards, backing vocals
Ian Salmon - bass
Mick Pointer - drums

Arena will be giving an acoustic fanclub concert to promote the new concept album Contagion at the Boerderij in Zoetermeer, The Netherlands on November 7th '02. As a special treat, the new album, out January 27th, will be played in its entirety after the acoustic show.
Contagion ('03):

Rob Sowden - vocals,
John Mitchell - guitars & backing vocals,
Clive Nolan - keyboards & backing vocals,
Ian Salmon - bass and
Mick Pointer - drums.

Contagion is recieved well, the sound is a bit more heavier as we're used from they studio-albums. The album will bring them back to the mainland of Europe; Verviers The Spirit of Route 66 (30/3) & Amsterdam Paradiso (24/4) to mention two.
Hope Ronals Woods & Tonnie Flakepaas enjoyed the show (Yes they certainly did ;-).

Live and Life is their latest live album.
And their new album was already to download on internet, before it was in the stores... shame, shame (December '04).
PEPPER's GHOST - 2005.

Clive Nolan - Keyboards,
Mick Pointer - Drums,
Rob Sowden- Vocals,
John Mitchell - Guitars,
Ian Salmon- Bass,
Karl Groom - production.

Again excellent Neo-prog, with a lot of keyboardlayers and great guitar solo's.
And a nice booklet too.
They performed at RosFest 2005!

DVD entitled Smoke & Mirrors came out in April '06 and is recorded live in Poland.

SOLO

Ian Salmon is also known from Janison Edge and Shadowland.

Janison Edge - The Services Of Mary Goode ('98).

Paul Brown - bass (Medicine Head)
Ian Salmon - guitar
Sue Element - vocals
Dave Wagstaffe - drums (Landmarq)
Mike Varty - keyboards (Shadowland, Credo, the Script (with Mick Pointer and Landmarq).

John Mitchell: Arena guitarist John Mitchell will be supporting Marillion on May 4th 2002 when the band plays the the Hanehof venue in Geleen, The Netherlands. Mitchell will be playing an acoustic set drawn from material from his own band The Urbane. The set will include both songs from the band's debut album Neon as well as the almost finished follow up Glitter.
In 2002 he'll be a part of John Young's band.
John Beck (ex-It Bites), drummer Chris Maitland (ex-Porcupine Tree), singer and guitarist John Mitchell (Arena), and bassist Pete Trewavas (Marillion) have sett up a new band KINO. On December 8th the quartet makes its first ever live appearance for WDR‘s “Rockpalast“ in Cologne. The debut album will be out in February 2005. Please find a MP3 sample of their music on our homepage.
John plays on the new album Icon of John Wetton and Geoff Downes (2005)
John is playing in Blind Ego ('07) a project from the great guitarist of RPWL Kalle Wallner.
Touchstone is his latest session work ('07).

John will join BPII on their new album, that will apear early 2010.
Steve Thorne ('09).

Frost:
Jem Godfrey - Keys/Vox,
John Mitchell - Gtr/Vox,
John Jowitt - Bass/Vox,
Andy Edwards - Drum/Trumpet.
Frost is a project form Jem Godfrey, the recording of an album called Milliontown is started (winter 2006).
Together with Mark and Andy Edwards they'll playing on Clive Nolan's new album later i n the year.
Experiments In Mass Appeal ('08).
The new album of Frost. Again a bit harder and more experimental.
Frost* had plans to come to Europe in April 2009 with Magenta! But these plans failed but:

2 May 2009 RoSFest 2009 Glenside: Nick D'Virgilio will be joining them for their first American appearance.

12 Jun 2009 O2 Academy Leeds with Dream Theather!
13 Jun 2009 The Guildhall Southampton with Dream Theather!
18 Jun 2009 Coliseum de Lisboa Lisbon with Dream Theather!
23 Jun 2009 Tollwood Musikzelt Munich with Dream Theather!

Paul Wrightson is playing in Blind Ego too.

Rob Sowden has finished recording his solo album. A release date is expected to be announced soon.

Clive, John and Mitchell will support ProgAID ('05).

www.myspace.com/Arena

Buy at Sonicbond.

www.mostlypink.net

Updated May 2009 by Nick.
Shine On!