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The Beta Band is back together. The iconic Scottish act, which consists of Steve Mason, Richard Greentree, John Maclean, and Robin Jones, announced on Monday they would reunite for a tour of the U.K. and North America. It’s the group’s first reunion since disbanding in 2004. They also announced a reissue of The Three E.P.’s on vinyl.
“The Beta Band, as everyone knows, is an institution, like Arkham, or the Brooklyn Zoo, and as such has its own indelible stain on the bedsheet of Western culture,” the group said in a statement (via Pitchfork). “It was the great Mr Rogers who said ‘you have to shake it out at least once every couple of decades, if you want to know what the moths did.’ So with both those facts in mind, we realise the time has come to show the wall the Luminol, kill the lights and hit the UV.”
The Beta Band formed in 1996 and amassed a lot of indie street cred in their eight active years—as well as a reputation for being outrageous and at times, difficult. “I was suffering a monumental lack of confidence and other stuff. I was so disappointed with the debut album. I mostly used to smash up my own possessions,” vocalist and guitarist Mason said in a new interview with The Guardian. “Then once in rehearsals, I read some comments in the music press slagging us off. I picked up a samurai sword and caused four grand’s worth of damage to our equipment in 60 seconds. I remember John saying, ‘Well, that’s the rehearsal over.'” The band pulled the plug in 2004 amid friction with their label, to whom they reportedly owed £1.2 million.
Now more than two decades later, they’re hitting the road once again, giving fans “A chance to see one of the greatest British bands of the last 30 years – before they turn us into holograms,” Mason joked to The Guardian. You can check out the full list of tour dates below.
An Evening With The Beta Band Tour:
09-25 Glasgow, Scotland – Barrowland
09-27 Leeds, England – O2 Academy
09-29 Bristol, England – O2 Academy
09-30 Nottingham, England – Rock City
10-02 London, England – Roundhouse
10-04 Manchester, England – Albert Hall
10-12 Vancouver, British Columbia – Commodore Ballroom
10-14 Seattle, WA – The Showbox
10-15 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
10-17 San Francisco, CA – Regency Ballroom
10-18 Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre
10-20 Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Music Hall
10-21 Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
10-23 Chicago, IL – Metro
10-24 Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall
10-25 Toronto, Ontario – Danforth Music Hall
10-28 Washington, D.C. – 9.30 Club
10-29 Boston, MA – Royale Boston
10-30 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
11-01 Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel
