It Bites - The Band - Dick Nolan

Camera! Bites! Action!

John Beck may be a genius when it comes to playing keyboards but when it comes to map reading, he's certainly no Ray Mears!
As we gradually get more and more lost in the Buckinghamshire countryside in our quest to find the location for It Bites' video shoot to promote the re-release of Calling All The Heroes in aid of The Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund, he informs me that this is the first "promo" he and Bob have filmed for about 20 years!

It certainly doesn't show as we eventually find the studio and the cameras start to roll though...

It Bites treat this shoot with the same sense of energy, enthusiasm, passion and good humour as any live performance and get stuck right in. Mr Poms (or is it Badly Drawn Boy?) on bass in particular looks very comfortable in front of the camera. I guess he's become a bit of a veteran after numerous TV appearances with Take That and of course the recent televised Children In Need gig at the Royal Albert Hall.

It' abundantly clear that this project is particularly personal to Bob and JB who know the area of Cumbria devastated by the flooding so well.

And it's their infectious enthusiasm to get something done for their community and fellow Cumbrians that has rubbed off on all of us.
From John Mitchell who has sacrificed a much needed day off and driven down all the way from Leeds mid-way through A's Tour to the video's director, Russell Cherrington and his dedicated film crew who have made the monumental journey all the way down from Carlisle.

They've already been up in Glasgow earlier in then week filming Marillion for the project.

The afternoon is spent filming the band from a number of angles which Russ and his team, who have seemingly limitless reserves of energy and a genuine passion for their craft are going to cut in with footage of the Cumbrian floods.

Mid-afternoon a very jolly John Wetton also makes an appearance and adds his distinctive vocals to the mix. And with that, Russ exclaims, "That's a wrap".

So as another weekend draws to a close, there's still lots do do but it really is all hands to the pump now in order to get this released as soon as possible.

The final track needs to be mixed and the vocal contributions from Francis, Jem, H and John need to be added.

The final cut of the video needs to be edited and produced and the artwork needs to be finalised. Talking of which, I must crack on...

And here's to raising as much money as we possibly can for our friends in the North. Or south, depending on your location.

Paul Tippett.

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