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The Beta Band are a Scottish musical group formed in 1996, currently consisting of Steve Mason (vocals, guitar), Robin Jones (drums), John Maclean (keyboard, samples) and Richard Greentree (bass). Their style is described as being a blend of folk, psychedelia, electronica, post-rock and trip hop, often involving stylistic experimentation and occasional humour. They were praised by members of both Radiohead and Oasis, the former of which chose them to open for their concerts in 2001.

After disbanding in 2004 due to financial difficulties, Jones and Maclean joined former bandmate Gordon Anderson to form spin-off band the Aliens; Mason worked in other music projects before embarking on a solo career. The band later reformed in 2025 to tour Britain and the United States.

History

Formation

The Beta Band was formed in 1996 by St Andrews musicians Steve Mason (vocals, guitar) and Gordon Anderson. The two had plans to call their group The Pigeons but later changed their minds. As they pulled together songs for their debut EP, Champion Versions, they added Robin Jones (drums), John Maclean (DJ, sampler, keyboards), and Steve Duffield (bass). While living in a flat in Shepherd's Bush they met Phil Brown, who after hearing their demo took it to Miles Leonard, who promptly signed the band. Duffield quit the band soon after recording Champion Versions. Not long after they were signed to Regal/Parlophone, Anderson became ill and quit the band. He later produced recordings under the name Lone Pigeon. The remaining members added Englishman Richard Greentree to play bass and solidified their lineup.

The Three E.P.'s

Champion Versions was released in July 1997 to critical acclaim, not only for the music but also for the record's innovative cut-and-paste sleeve design (the work of John Maclean). The trumpet solos recorded for "Dry the Rain" on Champion Versions were played by Jonathan Levien, credited as Jon Levien on the record. Levien was attending the Royal College of Art in 1997 where he met John Maclean in the Art Bar and mentioned that he could make some interesting whale sounds on his trumpet. Levien was invited to Chalk Farm recording studios shortly afterwards where he was asked to play three riffs on his trumpet for "Dry the Rain". To commemorate the E.P.'s release, the band played their first gig at the Water Rats venue on July 23, 1997.

Two further EPs followed in 1998 produced by Chris Allison and the band: The Patty Patty Sound in March and Los Amigos del Beta Bandidos in July. All three EPs received critical praise, and all three appeared on the appropriately titled The Three E.P.'s collection in September 1998. The compilation was rated by Pitchfork in the Top 10 Albums of the year. The song "Dr Baker" featured on the soundtrack of the first series of Trigger Happy TV.

The Beta Band

Despite inner conflict, the band commenced work on their first album recording after being signed to Regal. The record, titled The Beta Band, was released in June 1999. The album was more stylistically diverse than the initial EPs, and was loose and unrefined in comparison to their prior style of production. The mixed press turned decidedly negative when the band announced their own disdain for the record, including Mason who declared that it was "fucking awful": Regal's deadline and tight budgets kept them, they stated, from refining their improvisations into coherent songs, and led to an album that was conceptually incomplete. Also in June that year the band made a four-stop tour in the United States.

The band returned to the studio to record the double A-side single "To You Alone"/"Sequinsizer", recorded by future The Go! Team producer, Gareth Parton. It was released on 24 January 2000. The single was received favourably and was regarded as a return to form for the band. The NME made it their "Single of the Week", and would later select it as one of the 50 greatest singles of 2000 in their end-of-year awards. "To You Alone" was also included on the soundtrack of the 2000 remake of the television series Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), released in March.