Photograph by Ian D. Hall
Originally published by The Birmingham Mail. September 2009.
It Bites arrived on stage with a mission to prove that last year’s critically acclaimed tour with John Mitchell at the helm was not a one-off success.
By starting the evening with the barnstorming Ghosts and All In Red, any fears were put aside as keyboard player John Beck, bassist Lee Pomeroy and drummer Bob Dalton blew the fans away with the edginess of the music.
The night was more about celebrating the 21st anniversary of the album Once Around The World and the guys played every song from the record.
John Mitchell didn’t perform on the original album but he sang every song with a passion that showed how professional he is as a musician.
There’s nobody better at making the guitar look cool and nowhere was this more in evidence than on Old Man and the Angel which got one of the biggest cheers of the night.
The band ended with the album’s 14 minute title track that left the almost reverential audience gasping.
Ian D. Hall.