And so, it has come to pass. On an evening of elevated emotion, THE BETA BAND played their last ever performance to a sold out ‘home’ crowd at the Liquid Rooms in Edinburgh.
This ‘Farewell Tour’, ironically acclaimed as one of their best, had been greeted with passionate disappointment in some quarters. But, the fact the band were playing their final gig in a venue with a capacity of about 500 clinically exposes the reasons why they’ve decided to call it a day.
With most of the crowd shoehorned into the hall a good 45 minutes before the band arrived on stage, the atmosphere was fuelled further by the DJ’ing exploits of ex-Stone Roses legend Mani, accompanied by band members Steve Mason and John McLean.
The band bounced on stage wearing their customary, well, for this tour anyway, smart conservative shirts and ties. An ironic statement in itself, seeing as the Beta Band have, in the main, been considered a bit too left-field for most of their short career.
The intriguing opening salvo of ‘It’s Not Too Beautiful’, the only song to be played tonight from their self-derided first album; ‘Squares’, the breakthrough single that never was; and the sublime ‘Inner Meet Me’ set the pace for what is, in essence, a night full of fan’s favourites. On tonight of all nights, what else could it be?
Problems with the vocal mix hampered the early part of the gig including ‘Simple’, but the gremlins retired just in time for a truly wonderful ‘Out-Side’, complete with dog-bark, which had the crowd bouncing. The pace was then slowed by the powerful drum- heavy ‘Space’, in which all four musicians displayed the loose symmetry we’ve grown to associate with the band.
As the opening strains of ‘She’s The One’ sounded out, the band looked, at last, as if they were really starting to enjoy themselves. The tensions of playing your last ever gig, and they must have been considerable, had disappeared, and as the song spiralled, almost out of control, the ties came off, the shirts were undone and the sweat was beginning to run down the walls.
The lovely ‘Alleged’ with the vocal refrain of: “Yes it’s true, I love you, How does it feel without you?” seemed an apt choice for an evening which was becoming more emotional by the song. Richard showed his affection by dedicating a couple of songs, one to his wife and one to the other three band members, Steve reiterated a dedication he seemingly “fucked up” in London, but probably the most poignant moment of the evening came when Mason dedicated ‘Dry The Rain’ to co-writer, and ex-band member, Gordon Anderson.
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Easily their most popular song, the crowd sung the words as if their lives depended on it, and as Mason stood aloft a small podium, surveying the masses, I could swear there were tears in his eyes. This was, without doubt, the highpoint of the night, both emotionally and artistically.
Belying its softer origins, ‘Dr Baker’ has evolved into a fast paced, electro, drum’n’bass mountain of a song, and tonight’s rendition is an absolute killer. ‘Lion Thief’, ‘Quiet’ and ‘Broke’, in which John McLean showed how integral he is to the overall Beta sound, also impress highly, and bringing the evening to a shuddering conclusion, ‘Assessment’ was a bone-crunching, full-on rock number fuelled, primarily, by the searing electric guitars.
Even as the stage was plunged into darkness, we all knew they would be back. It’s tradition, ain’t it? And what a finale. The band returned with the laid back harmony filled ‘Dog’s Got A Bone’, which pushed the bongo playing Robin Jones to the front of stage, while the space-jams of ‘B+A’, and second encore ‘The House Song’, left the audience mesmerised.
And so, it seems, all good things must come to an end. And, in years to come, what will we remember most about the Beta Band? The boiler suits? Sliding uphill in a sleeping bag? The quadruple drum solos? High Fidelity? Telling the public their debut album is “shit”? Probably all these things, and more. But, what they’ll ultimately be remembered for is plain and simple: the music. The Beta Band were one of the most eclectic, innovative bands Britain has produced in the last 20 years, and for that fact alone, we should commiserate their passing.
But with solo ventures as intriguing as King Biscuit Time and The Roman Noseband, as well as a possible Pigeon/Alienz reformation, for the members of the Beta Band, greatness could well be just around the corner.
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