Currently the lead guitarist with Asia, John Mitchell has played with a number of bands, including It Bites, Arena, Lonely Robot and Frost*, as well as pursuing a solo career and producing other groups. Here he previews an intimate evening at Dingwalls in London.
This gig is billed as John Mitchell & Friends. Who are those friends?
On drums is my longtime compatriot Craig Blundell. I got Craig the job with Steven Wilson, so he owes me a fiver at least. My friend Jez Fielder has done many things, including journalism, and he is on bass. And last but not least Oskar Holldorff [keyboards] from Dim Gray and Big Big Train is on loan for the evening. Oskar brings the average age of the band down by a good twenty years.
Presumably there will be a few walk-on parts.
Oh yeah. Some are already confirmed but I can’t reveal them here.
We would bet good money that your Frost* buddy Jem Godfrey puts in an appearance.
I couldn’t possibly comment either way, but of course it’s possible.
And what about the set-list?
It’s quite schizophrenic. The rule of thumb is that if I’ve had a go at singing something in the past, there’s a good chance we will try to play it.
How much between-song chat will there be?
I’ll try to keep that to a minimum, as this is not a stand-up revue. But of course I’m well aware that I have a tendency to witter on.
Will you wear the space suit that featured heavily in the Lonely Robot live shows and videos?
After being diagnosed with type-2 diabetes, I have lost a lot of weight, so it’s entirely possible that the suit will put in an appearance. You don’t see any fat spacemen, do you?
What is the current status of Lonely Robot?
In all honesty, I don’t know. I did two Lonely Robot albums in lockdown [Feelings Are Good and A Model Life], which are the two that I’m most fond of but they were the least successful. And Lonely Robot was only supposed to be a trilogy. When I next release new music, it will be under my own name.
Last year you became lead guitarist with Asia.
That was a complete shock – and a very pleasant one. When Steve Howe left [in 2013], I did wonder if I’d get the call, but John [Wetton] later told me that he didn’t think I would have been interested. And it probably wouldn’t have been the brightest move, as John was sober and I was still drinking. I suspect that John [who died in 2017] would be very happy to see me here.
Asia have signed up for a new album on Frontiers. Geoff Downes recently told Classic Rock that he’d found some material featuring John Wetton. That sounds exciting.
I can’t go into too much detail, but some of the unused stuff that John did is being used on the record. I’m in the process of recording the guitars for it now, and I will say that it’s going to be a really good record.
Presumably it will be out next year.
That’s correct. But our first hurdle was the three live albums [back in April the band performed Asia, Alpha and Astra in their entirety for live release]. That was a real mountain to climb, but I’m pleased with the way it all turned out.
What else have you got lined up for 2026?
Over the past few years, I’ve done a few things I regret, so I must learn to say no. But the prospect of releasing music under my own name is pretty exciting.
John Mitchell plays Dingwalls on December 18. Tickets are available now.
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