The Beta Band split

• 12th Aug 2004

All good things must come to an end. And so it is that after eight years of creating consistently innovative music, releasing three critically acclaimed albums and staging some legendary live shows, the Beta Band have decided to call it a day.

And they¹re going out on a high. This year's album, Heroes To Zeros, met with universal acclaim and is set to be their biggest seller to date. A fitting end to a career that the band would agree has had its highs and
lows.

Steve Mason, Richard Greentree, John Maclean and Robin Jones made an immediate impact with their debut release and the resulting compilation The Three EPs. With their no formula approach to music making, a shared interest in film and art and a desire to push the envelope in terms of their music and live performance, the group continued to puzzle and delight with the release of their debut album, an album which despite the band¹s own misgivings was hailed by critics as one of the year's most important releases.

This experimentation with new sounds continued with the release of their
second album the electronic flavoured Hot Shots II, which again met with
widespread critical acclaim. Bad luck struck however when the release of the first single from the album was delayed when it transpired another band has used the same sample.

Always regarded as something of an enigma by the media but widely recognized to be one of the UK's most influential bands, this year's Heroes To Zeros proved not only their most successful but most cohesive and engaging album to date.

Sadly, eight years of hard work and critical acclaim but little return in
terms of commercial success inevitably takes its toll and a group decision was made to finally lay the band to rest.

With John out of radio contact and Robin currently climbing monroes in the highlands, it's been left to Steve and Rich to say their goodbyes in a
typically idiosyncratic fashion.

Steve Mason: “The minority is always right. I left the room with silent
dignity but caught my foot on the mat, and a thousand, thousand slimy things lived on, and so did I. This is adding insult to injuries. By the way who's your fat friend?”

Richard Greentree: “The Beta Band apple has over ripened and become riddled with maggots, it must fall from the tree and let its seeds return to ground. Sincere thanks to everyone who has helped us along the way, see you in the Spring”.

All four members will continue to work in music and the arts. Steve and
Richard continue to work on their solo albums and a new King Biscuit Time album from Steve is currently in the finishing stages. John, who directed many of the band's videos, and along with Robin was responsible for writing and directing the videos for Assessment and Out-Side, will continue his film work whilst keeping his foot in the musical door. The same can be said for Robin who'll also divide his time between his twin loves, film and music.

The Beta Band will bid farewell with a UK tour in the autumn ­ dates to be
announced shortly. Meanwhile Parlophone are preparing for the release of a DVD featuring a collection of videos and film work made by the band and scheduled for release in 2005.

The Beta Band would like to thank all those who¹ve supported them throughout their career.