Frost*Bites 16th December 2012

[Againesis]

It was a cracker but yes..I agree..not as intimate as the best Frost gigs - but I guess as the reputation grows they're going to outgrow the nice little venues.  I hear the queue was hideous - I was near the front (having got there an hour early) but one of my lot was late and there was apparently still a queue when he got to The Scala at about 7:25 (he's an actor so put on a sob story about how his son was already inside and he had to check on him - sorry if he ended up pushing in front of any of you  :? ).

We were right up the front - centre (Sorry MikeEvs - I think I kept putting my mates coat on your head!!) and got JM's guitar full face all the way through hence the vocals and keys were a little quiet (and why my ears are still ringing).
Blunders and Nath were on stonking form.  High point I think was the Survivors section of MT.  There's not much that can force me to look away from Jem flying over the keys but last night I found myself staring open mouthed at Craig most of the gig.

The Brummie speak and spell dual was b.r.i.l.l. and the whole crowd chanting"ARSE" on demand was a classic Frost moment (what was the 4th word - Frost, Arse, Trumpet, ...?).  Really hope both that and the intro will find their way onto the Toys section of the forum at some point.

I'd never seen IB live before despite being a fan since Once Around The World days and thought they were great (although it must've been tough for Bob and John to follow Craig and Jem - Christ...would you want to go onstage and follow those two?!?!?).  It was good to see JM fly though as I feel he doesn't really get to shine in a lot of the Frost stuff.

Sadly had to rush off at the end so didn't get to see anyone (managed a very brief hi to LFE as he passed me in the queue) although spotted a few Forum Tees (and obviously Pedders leading the queue).

BTW - does anyone know what was being used to mic up JM's 4x12 and Nathan's TC Electronic?  Looked like odd blue baffles around the gtr mics and a big red thing on the bass.  Not seen them before and neither had my sound engineer buddy.

[Brom]

Monkey!  :lol:

[Againesis]

Monkey!  :lol:

YES - thanks.  That's been seriously bugging me all morning.

Great comment from Blunders on FB just now:

In other news, on my list of things I wanted to achieve in my professional musical career I can now add, "playing 31/16 and 13/16 over 4/4 on an 80's speak and spell machine"
reeeeeeeeesult

[E.S.]

Finally awake enough to post.

That was a seriously top night out! This time I could actually see the bands, and sound was pretty good for being so close to the stage on one side. Wearing plugs also help a lot, I'm very careful with my mixing ears. 8-)

But most importantly, both bands sounded great! It's so rare to see people having so much fun on stage while playing so intense and clever music. Truth be told, I don't even like going to gigs, especially prog gigs where everyone are just lost in their own world focusing on technical things. So worried about avoiding mistakes. Screw that, I'd rather have a few bum notes and a big smile on my face. Not that I really noticed any of that, I was too busy having fun.

This was my first experience with It Bites live, and holy banana potato salad, what a great band! Not only did they play almost all the songs I wanted, they played them great.

Also, it was REALLY nice to meet you all again. I'm sorry I didn't say hello to everyone, and I just took off right after they finished. I have been gigging myself, and had like 3-4 hours sleep since Friday, I have never felt so terrible. Nearly had to go during the gig, but it was SO worth the pain. For some reason had a total emotional breakdown when I got back to my room, so I guess this could have gone bad if I didn't just get some emergency sleep. Brain got a bit overloaded.

But anyway, this was one of the most fun gigs I have ever been to. I'll keep flying over, can't miss a band like this.

[JakeWorrell]

My thoughts are as follows:

Brilliant as ever!

It Bites were great, very tight sounding etc. I enjoyed hearing songs from the tall ships and map of the past as they are the only ones I am familiar with.

Frost* were on top form. Plenty of japery as expected. I would have happily have seen Milliontown replaced by either TDL or a couple more tracks from EIMA but I know a lot of people prefer to hear Milliontown

The 2 new tracks sounded ace. 100% frost* songs, looking forward to hearing them again!

Overall, a great night. It was great to finally meet Fitzy, I saw a lot of other faces but by the time it was time to leave the venue everyone had moved so sorry I didn't get chance to say hello! I'll try again next time!

[daveyb]

Arrived at the venue for 7.00pm,wasnt expecting that queue,finally got in 7.25,stood at bar- 6 deep,then heard intro"Our name is Frost etc",so raced upstairs couldnt get moved,finally finding a space right at back behind mixing desk.thought Jem,s keys and vocal could,ve been a bit louder at times,still enjoyed gig though,couple of new tunes as well.When It Bites came on,who I also love,moved down onto floor level,sound was a lot better-great set,Had great night 2 of my fave bands,just thought there was too many people for that venue & slow Queueing

[Mouse]

That was one surreal gig experience for me. In a good way, I must add! I lingered maybe a bit too long at the pub and ended up in the queue outside the Travelodge next door. I didn't know what to expect, but bloody hell, I didn't expect it to be that popular! Anyway, I managed to shuffle into the main room itself as the intro was playing and ended up down on the floor by the left stairs. The crowd was mental - properly rammed. I was a bit concerned that quite a few people chose to stand right across the stairways - a good vantage point yes, but not so good for a quick escape in case of emergency. But anyway, it was just about sold out - that would indicate a big, packed in crowd, no?    I was absolutely exhausted, so halfway through BLM I thought I better get out for a breather... and ended up being pointed into the VIP area by a member of staff, which is where I stayed for the rest of the gig. The sound was pumped in through speakers direct from the mixing desk, so it was crystal clear, if lacking that gig atmosphere (and being pounded into submission by Blunders' drums   ). It was surreal being seperated and yet part of the gig. Bizarre. But I got to hang out with Matt Stevens, Lord Twang himself (briefly) and Kavus from Knifeworld, so I can't complain.  8-)

The first thing that I noted was just how damn good Jem's voice sounded. That man's been looking after himself! Especially on the new tracks, which both sounded immense, of course. I particularly liked Heartstrings, it had a good riff thang goin'. The Speak & Spell section was... yeah. Typical.  :lol: While I was down there, the sound was pretty good. It wasn't the most balanced mix, but the volume was a surprise - very comfortable. Quite rare now, I think. Milliontown was great, but I don't think I'll miss it live. It is really rather long, after all. Nice for one last spin, though.  

It Bites - well, they're It Bites, aren't they? Solid. And they played the last two tracks I've been wanting to see / hear live for some time now, so I was very happy.  

The social aspect has become the highlight of these gigs for me, so it was excellent to hang out with so many wondreful people and see so many familiar faces, as well as find a few new ones. Cheers, all! There's never enough time, though, is there? And sorry to those I missed (Mr. Worrell, where the hell were you?), but with a crowd that size, I'm lucky I found the few I did.  

Massive thanks to Fogeyspasm whose gig going stamina is beyond heroic. Thank you again for the lift, mate.  

[JakeWorrell]

Mr. Worrell, where the hell were you?

I saw you!! You walked past me in the queue (followed by Mr Ramsay if I'm not mistaken?). I hoped I'd catch you in the venue but alas it was far too packed, I couldn't see you anywhere

Oh well, tour next year, right?

[SmartUK]

Well, well...

That was quite a night, wasn't it?  Spent an hour or so in the urbane company of Pedro & clan at the front of the queue then got front-centre at the barrier right in front of Jem.  Sorry to anyone behind me who couldn't see past me but I don't get out that often and was determined to get as much out of this as I could!

Stonking set, ace new choonery, plenty of laughs (intended or not - see above) and a lovely feeling of belonging to the whole thing.

Great to meet so many of you at last, something I was really hoping would work out.  Sorry that Security saw fit to relieve me of the custard creams I'd brought along to dish out ("no food, mate!") but I did get them back afterwards and thought of you all as I ate them once I got home *burp*

Happy Christmas one and all

[steevc]

Although I didn't mingle with the Frosties I had a great time last night. I just haven't gotten to know you all properly here. I was a bit worried by the long queue when I got there at 7, but got in in time.

I thought the sound was pretty good, with a few issues with the mix. Not too loud, although I found my ears were ringing on the way home. Maybe I should have brought my earplugs. I noticed they were being sold on the merch stall.

Frost* were excellent. This is my first time seeing either band, but I had some idea of what to expect from the various videos I've seen. I always like to see a band enjoying themselves.

I remember It Bites from their early days and knew a fair few of the songs. I think John does a pretty good job of emulating the original vocals. He and Nathan worked hard, but everyone was on top form.

I also wondered about the mics used on the bass cab. Looked odd.

Oh, and sorry to miss meeting Matt Stevens again. I thought he would probably be there.

[L33VEY]

My offering to Pedro....

//https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF4vvvdmgjs

Had a good vantage as you can tell

[lyn]

V cool, I couldn't see JM from behind the mixing desk.  Thanks!   Great night, all over FAR TOO SOON! Brillant to meet Frosties at the pub... in real life!  Great Hug! Gig was awesome, roll on Frost 3, can't wait.  When's the next gig eith Frost* headlining? (pretty please) Thanks for making it happen x

[robh]

I had a great time at the gig, and managed to nab a good position on one of the raised areas on the lowest level.  It was great to hear a lot of the material again, and new stuff as well.

[Trapezium Artist]

V cool, I couldn't see JM from behind the mixing desk.  Thanks!   Great night, all over FAR TOO SOON! Brillant to meet Frosties at the pub... in real life!  Great Hug! Gig was awesome, roll on Frost 3, can't wait.  When's the next gig eith Frost* headlining? (pretty please) Thanks for making it happen x

Very good to meet you at the pub too, lyn; you should have ventured over to join us earlier and joined in with the usual enjoyable Frost*ie prattle ...  

[lyn]

haha...hasta la proxima¡
How about we persuade Jem to bring Frost* to the Cambridge Rock Festival... it's up the road from me and the telescopes. JM played in the summer with It Bites... that would be Awesome.  We could have three whole days of Frostie*ness!  I could ask Dave...