“It Bites is a band that started in England in 1984 and sort of best known for one song basically in England, a song called Calling all the Heroes. They started out an out-and-out pop band like Duran Duran but then for the next album Once Around the World they sort of outed themselves as massive prog rockers which probably came as a bit of a chock to the record company, they were on a major label at the time called Virgin Records. They did that album and then the following album they did was like a straight ahead rock album in a bid to break the american market but, you know. Then after that in about 1990 the original lead singer left and that was the end of the group apparently every- one thought. Until about 2006 when I was asked to join so I joined them in 2006 and we did an album called The Tall Ships (2008) and then four years later we’ve done another one and that is pretty much a condensed history of It Bites.” Hallowed PDF-article 1 2 Hallowed PDF-article Design by Daniel Källmalm Design by Daniel Källmalm WRITTEN BY DANIEL KÄLLMALM why not as that is about all the tes. It is a story inspired by an old This fascination comes from it was my great grandfather in my imagination. PHOTOS: PRESS PHOTOS, AS CREDITED most important events from their photograph. one man in the photograph, a the front, his sister and some pe- John explains that he does vi- PUBLISHED ON 25/3-2012 career condensed into a few sen- - It was a picture of my great man who does not really appear ople in a horse drawn carriage sit Cornwall regularly and goes tences but sure there are more to grand parents in 1913 and it is to belong in this picture as unlike and everyone was looking at the there sailing sometimes and The opening phrase is how this band as well and with their in front of an old farm building all the other characters who are camera. Apart from this one guy when returning from such a trip singer, songwriter, guitarist and fifth studio album following their in Cornwall in the south of Eng- looking into the camera as was on the left who was on this horse- he went on in search for the place whatever else he is up to in the critically acclaimed ”Tall Ships” land. I saw this picture and it was customary when taking photo- back and he was dressed in mili- of the photograph. This is not as band, John Mitchell who is also they are looking to conquer the kind of spooky looking, it was se- graphs in the past he was facing tary clothing and he is delibera- futile as it might sound as the old known from things like Arena, world with their new offering pia coloured, sort of yellowy and away like he didn’t want to be tely facing away from the camera farm building is not just a random The Urbane, Kino to name a few, ”Map of the Past” which is the it was faded at the edges and I there in the picture. which was king of a strange pic- place to John, he knew roughly retells the story of It Bites. And first ever concept album by It Bi- was kind of fascinated. - He was on the left hand side, ture really. And it kind of called where to find it and so he did. Hallowed PDF-article 3 4 Hallowed PDF-article Design by Daniel Källmalm Design by Daniel Källmalm - I went along this little road John had been growing up with kind of the basic premise of the the story. one rather small historical event place on the album, all the lyrics with lots of trees, it was very this picture but when his pa- story. - It’s kind of in his mind, it’s that is changed, I will not tell you referenced each other. There’s a narrow and lots of leaves every- rents past while he still was very his subconscious imagining. He which because John didn’t tell me scene at the front of the album where and I turned a corner and young, the picture disappeared Writing a story tries to change things and unra- and after all interviews are to pro- with the radio and the radio co- there it was right in front of me from his mind and when he was Trying to change aspects of ones vel things and only makes them mote artists and what better way mes back and it turns out that the and it was exactly like driving given it from his cousin it brought life by altering previous events worse, and eventually he just gets to promote an album that curiosi- guy has disappeared into the an- back into the picture because the back memories of his past and sounds a bit like time travel, and stuck there when he can’t come ty? And a lot of attention was put nuals of history but has changed building hadn’t changed at all, it that thing sparked his imagina- that is in a sense what it is about back and he becomes part of the into telling this story and not just certain key events in history. was bizarre. The only thing that tion and he set out to write this but maybe not quite in the ge- picture. make another progressive rock- And the writing process for this had changed in a hundred years story. neral literary view of time travel Which makes the story possi- or concept album and everything album also meant that they did was that the people wasn’t in the - I kind of wrote a story about a but more in a diffuse and vague bly about the futility of changing was thought about very carefully use all the songs that they wrote picture, obviously they have all guy who tries to change his pre- sense. There is no time machine events to make ones own exis- to make sure that it was told just for the album, there was no dis- passed on by now, it was quite sent, certain aspects of his life by involved and events are triggered tence better even though certain right. carding of songs that otherwise is a chock to me how little it had altering things that happened in by the subconscious mind and key events are changed and we - We were very careful to make usually the case, everything was changed. previous generations and that is the dreams seems to be the key to can hear in the Exit Song about sure that each song had its exact used, they didn’t waste anything Hallowed PDF-article 5 6 Hallowed PDF-article Design by Daniel Källmalm Design by Daniel Källmalm tely surprised me, he brought jamming together or anything. think that so far we have had a two bits of music to the al- It is just John and I and then we very good reaction and hopefully bum which had been writing give the songs to other people to when it gets released the public at at home and recorded them, work out there own parts. large will agree. demoed them up at home and And it would have appeared to Although for fans to be able to they were the tracks Send No have paid off if we are to believe comment and react to the album Flowers and Meadow and the what John thinks as he rates this there has to be some buying said Stream and they run into each as the album he is most proud of album and for that to happen the- other. They were the most re- from everything he has been in- re has to be some buzz or interest cent things that we recorded volved with in regards to writing, around the album and as far as and the things I love the most, recording and singing. For him it John can gather from the band’s they are overly theatrical and is personal in so many ways, with interactive presence there is some I just thought they were so the idea being sparked by a photo great interest from the band’s ac- over the top, not ridiculous in and how that intertwines with his tive fan community. a bad way but ridiculous in a own life and also how he worked - I think everybody has been fun way and they sparked my alongside the guy doing the art- preordering it like mad and I imagination. I love them, they work to make sure that the pages think that it’s going to be a bit of a are my two favourite tracks for each song in the booklet en- nice surprise to the people when on the album. ded up the way he wanted and he it finally is released. These are according to John had a mission to make this album though as already touched as a bit of a journey in a musical Promoting a Story upon not the normal way sense. Touring is sort of the thing it se- for It Bites to write their mu- - he whole thing sort of works ems like every band wants to do sic because normally it starts together and I think when liste- when releasing an album, the with ideas from John Mitchell ning to it that it stands really well goal is always a grande tour all and then John Beck (lots of together as an album, it sort of over the place for most people Johns there) makes arrange- takes you on a bit of a journey though the reality of economy ments for them, often the ph- and that is the thing I set out to dictates that it is not possible.