Arena (band): Difference between revisions

{{refimprove|date=April 2016}}

| name = Arena

| image = Arena2020.jpg

| caption = Arena Promo 2020.

| image_size = 250

| landscape = yes

| background = group_or_band

| alias =

| origin = [[Virginia Water]], [[Surrey]], [[United Kingdom]]

| genre = [[Neo-progressive rock]]

| years_active = 1995–present

| label = [[Verglas Music]], [[Griffin Music]], [[SPV GmbH|SPV]]

| associated_acts = <!--Only bands with two or more members in common with Arena should be listed here.-->

| website = [http://www.verglas.com/arenaworld/ Official website]

| current_members = [[Clive Nolan]]<br>[[Mick Pointer]]<br>[[John Mitchell (musician)|John Mitchell]]<br>Kylan Amos<br>[[Damian Wilson]]

| past_members = Keith More<br>John Carson<br>Cliff Orsi<br>[[John Jowitt]]<br>Paul Wrightson<br>Ian Salmon<br>Rob Sowden<br>Paul Manzi

'''Arena''' are an [[England|English]] [[neo-progressive rock]] musical group founded in 1995. The band's style ranges from [[symphonic]] to [[hard rock]].

Arena was founded in 1995 by [[Clive Nolan]] keyboardist of [[Pendragon (band)|Pendragon]] and [[Shadowland (band)|Shadowland]], and [[Mick Pointer]], the original drummer of [[Marillion]], his tenure lasting from 1979 until 1983. The other founding members of the band were guitarist Keith More, vocalist John Carson, and bassist Cliff Orsi. Orsi was replaced by [[John Jowitt]] (of [[IQ (band)|IQ]]) in the band's inaugural year, whilst Carson and More left the band in 1996 and 1997, and were replaced by Paul Wrightson and [[John Mitchell (musician)|John Mitchell]] (of [[Frost*]]) respectively. Both Jowitt and Wrightson left the band in 1998, to be replaced by Ian Salmon and Rob Sowden, creating the band's most stable lineup to date (from 1998 until 2010). This lineup came to an end with Paul Manzi replacing Sowden in 2010. In 2011, Jowitt rejoined the band to replace the departing Salmon, leaving again in 2014 and being replaced by Kylan Amos. In 2020, Manzi is replaced by [[Damian Wilson]].

Musically the band's style ranges from symphonic to hard rock. Some of the band's recent albums have a similar sound to Nolan's earlier band, Shadowland.

[[Allmusic]] called them one of the dominant [[neo-progressive rock|neo-prog]] groups of the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web |author= Geoff Orens|title= Arena Biography |url= http://www.allmusic.com/artist/arena-p37103/biography |publisher= [[Allmusic.com]]|accessdate=}}</ref>

==Personnel==

===Members===

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

* [[Clive Nolan]] - keyboards, backing vocals <small>(1995-present)</small>

* [[Mick Pointer]] - drums <small>(1995-present)</small>

* [[John Mitchell (musician)|John Mitchell]] - guitars, backing vocals <small>(1997-present)</small>

* Kylan Amos - bass <small>(2014-present)</small>

* [[Damian Wilson]] - lead vocals <small>(2020-present)</small>

{{col-2}}

* Keith More - guitars, backing vocals <small>(1995–1997)</small>

* John Carson - lead vocals <small>(1995-1996)</small>

* Cliff Orsi - bass <small>(1995)</small>

* [[John Jowitt]] - bass, backing vocals <small>(1995–1998, 2011-2014)</small>

* Paul Wrightson - lead vocals <small>(1996–1998)</small>

* Ian Salmon - bass <small>(1998–2011)</small>

* Rob Sowden - lead vocals <small>(1998–2010)</small>

* Paul Manzi - lead vocals <small>(2010-2020)</small><ref>https://www.loudersound.com/news/paul-manzi-leaves-arena</small></ref>

{{col-end}}

===Lineups===

! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" valign=top width=25% | 1995

! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" valign=top width=25% | 1995-1996

! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" valign=top width=25% | 1996-1997

! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" valign=top width=25% | 1997-1998

* '''John Carson''' - lead vocals

* '''Keith More''' - guitars, backing vocals

* '''[[Clive Nolan]]''' - keyboards, backing vocals

* '''[[Mick Pointer]]''' - drums

* '''Cliff Orsi''' - bass

* '''John Carson''' - lead vocals

* '''Keith More''' - guitars, backing vocals

* '''Clive Nolan''' - keyboards, backing vocals

* '''Mick Pointer''' - drums

* '''John Jowitt''' - bass, backing vocals

* '''Keith More''' - guitars, backing vocals

* '''Clive Nolan''' - keyboards, backing vocals

* '''Mick Pointer''' - drums

* '''John Jowitt''' - bass, backing vocals

* '''Paul Wrightson''' - lead vocals

* '''Clive Nolan''' - keyboards, backing vocals

* '''Mick Pointer''' - drums

* '''John Jowitt''' - bass, backing vocals

* '''Paul Wrightson''' - lead vocals

* '''[[John Mitchell (musician)|John Mitchell]]''' - guitars, backing vocals

! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" valign=top width=25% | 1998-2010

! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" valign=top width=25% | 2010-2011

! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" valign=top width=25% | 2011-2014

! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" valign=top width=25% | 2014-2020

* '''Clive Nolan''' - keyboards, backing vocals

* '''Mick Pointer''' - drums

* '''John Mitchell''' - guitars, backing vocals

* '''Ian Salmon''' - bass

* '''Rob Sowden''' - lead vocals

| valign=top |

* '''Clive Nolan''' - keyboards, backing vocals

* '''Mick Pointer''' - drums

* '''John Mitchell''' - guitars, backing vocals

* '''Ian Salmon''' - bass

* '''Paul Manzi''' - lead vocals

| valign=top |

* '''Clive Nolan''' - keyboards, backing vocals

* '''Mick Pointer''' - drums

* '''John Mitchell''' - guitars, backing vocals

* '''Paul Manzi''' - lead vocals

* '''John Jowitt''' - bass, backing vocals

* '''Clive Nolan''' - keyboards, backing vocals

* '''Mick Pointer''' - drums

* '''John Mitchell''' - guitars, backing vocals

* '''Paul Manzi''' - lead vocals

* '''Kylan Amos''' - bass

===Timeline===

ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:22

PlotArea = left:105 bottom:65 top:10 right:55

Period = from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/2021

id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals

id:Keyboards value:purple legend:Keyboards

bar:Nolan text:"Clive Nolan"

bar:Carson from:start till:01/04/1996 color:Vocals

bar:Wrightson from:01/04/1996 till:01/07/1998 color:Vocals

bar:Sowden from:01/07/1998 till:01/07/2010 color:Vocals

bar:Manzi from:01/07/2010 till:14/07/2020 color:Vocals

bar:Wilson from:14/07/2020 till:end color:Vocals

bar:Orsi from:start till:01/09/1995 color:Bass

bar:Jowitt from:01/09/1995 till:01/07/1998 color:Bass

bar:Jowitt from:01/09/2011 till:25/07/2014 color:Bass

bar:Salmon from:01/07/1998 till:01/09/2011 color:Bass

bar:Amos from:25/07/2014 till:end color:Bass

</div>

==Discography - Arena==

[[File:Arena at BalticProgFest.JPG|thumb|250px|Arena at "Baltic Prog Fest 2007"in[[Lithuania]].]]

===Studio===

* ''[[The Visitor (Arena album)|The Visitor]]'' (1998)

* ''[[Immortal?]]'' (2000)

* ''[[Contagion (Arena album)|Contagion]]'' (2003)

* ''[[The Seventh Degree of Separation (Arena album)|The Seventh Degree of Separation]]'' (2011)

* ''The Theory of Molecular Inheritance'' (2020)

===Live===

===EP===

===Compilations===

===Videos/DVDs===

{{reflist}}

==External links==

{{commons category|Arena (musical group)}}

*{{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p37103|label=Arena}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arena (band)}}

[[Category:British progressive rock groups]]