Arena are a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 neo-progressive rock

Neo-progressive rock

Neo-progressive rock is a sub-genre of progressive rock, developed in the UK and popular in the 1980s, although it lives on today....

 band founded in 1995 by Clive Nolan

Clive Nolan

Clive Nolan is a British musician, composer and producer who has played a prominent role in the recent development of progressive rock...

 and Mick Pointer

Mick Pointer

Mick Pointer , originally from Brill in Buckinghamshire, England, was the original drummer and founding member of the progressive rock band, Marillion...

. Most of the band's lyrics are written by Nolan, though Pointer contributed lyrics to Sirens and other tracks on the first two albums.

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

Shadowland (band)

Shadowland are a British neo-progressive rock band formed in the 1990s. The band's music tends towards the pop side of progressive rock, while retaining its melodic and emotional intensity....

.

Personnel

• Clive Nolan
  Clive Nolan
  Clive Nolan is a British musician, composer and producer who has played a prominent role in the recent development of progressive rock...
  
   - keyboards, backing vocals
• Mick Pointer
  Mick Pointer
  Mick Pointer , originally from Brill in Buckinghamshire, England, was the original drummer and founding member of the progressive rock band, Marillion...
  
   - drums, backing vocals
• John Carson - vocals (1995)
• Cliff Orsi - bass (1995)
• Keith More - guitars, backing vocals (1995–1996)
• John Jowitt
  John Jowitt
  John Jowitt is a bass guitarist known for his work with UK progressive bands Ark, IQ, Arena and Frost*. He has been awarded the British Classic Rock Society's award for best bass player ten times, each year between 1993 and 1998 and again between 2002 and 2004, and again in 2010 and 2011.-References:...
  
   - bass, backing vocals (1995–1998, 2011-)
• Paul Wrightson - vocals (1996–1998)
• John Mitchell
  John Mitchell (musician)
  John Mitchell is guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the UK band It Bites. He also plays guitar for a number of other progressive rock bands including Arena, The Urbane, Kino, Frost*, and John Wetton.In 2008, Mitchell joined A, playing bass in place of original bass player Daniel P...
  
  , guitars (1997-)
• Ian Salmon - bass (2000–2011)
• Rob Sowden - vocals (2000–2010)
• Paul Manzi - vocals (2010-)

Studio albums

1. Songs from the Lion's Cage
   Songs from the Lion's Cage
   Songs from the Lion's Cage is the debut album of British Progressive rock group Arena, released on July 25, 1995. This is the only Arena album to feature vocalist John Carson and bassist Cliff Orsi.- Track listing :...
   
   (1995)
2. Pride
   Pride (Arena album)
   Pride is Arena's second full-length album, released in 1996. It is the first album to feature bassist John Jowitt and vocalist Paul Wrightson, but it's also guitarist Keith More's final album with the band.- Track listing :All songs by Nolan & Pointer...
   
   (1996)
3. The Visitor (1998)
4. Immortal?
   Immortal?
   Immortal? is the fourth studio album by the British progressive rock band Arena, released in 2000.-Track listing:All songs by Mitchell, Nolan & Pointer, except where noted# "Chosen" - 6:21# "Waiting for the Flood" - 5:54...
   
   (2000)
5. Contagion (2003)
6. Pepper's Ghost
   Pepper's Ghost (Arena album)
   Pepper's Ghost is the seventh studio album by the English progressive rock band Arena. It was released in 2005 by Inside Out Music.The album tells the story of five heroes in 19th century London, who fight crime and, ultimately, defeat a demon. They are an exorcist, a ninja, a scientist who travels...
   
   (2005)
7. The Seventh Degree of Separation (forthcoming, 2011)

EPs, live and compilations

1. The Cry (1997) (includes reworked material from the first two albums)
2. Welcome to the Stage (1997) (live)
3. Breakfast in Biarritz (2001) (live)
4. Contagious (2003) (EP)
5. Contagium (2003) (EP)
6. Radiance (2003) (acoustic versions of Contagion material)
7. Live & Life (2004) (double live CD + DVD)
8. Ten Years On (2006) (compilation)

External links

• Official site
• The Shattered Room Official Arena Forum
• The Cage Official Arena Fanclub