Beta Band, Glasgow review: 'a heady, crowd-pleasing brew'
Two decades on from their mid-Noughties implosion the Beta Band are back, and they can still conjure moments of grand, swirling transcendence, writes Paul Whitelaw
The Beta Band, Barrowland, Glasgow ★★★★
When the Beta Band emerged from their Fife cocoon in the late 1990s, they delivered a much-needed antidote to the post-Britpop malaise. Their idiosyncratic melange of foggy folk-strummed psychedelia, cut-up samples and trip-hop beats was quite unlike anything else around at the time.
The dream dissolved in 2004, but to the surprise of pretty much everyone – possibly including themselves – they recently reunited for a series of live shows. Whether they've decided to make new music together remains to be seen; for now, the set-list is dominated by tracks from the three 1990s EPs upon which their legend rests, plus a handful of highlights from the remainder of their short career.
Unsurprisingly, during this performance – the second of two comeback nights at the Barrowlands – they only played one song from their self-titled debut studio album, a record they famously disowned at the time for various reasons.
We were treated instead to a heady crowd-pleasing brew of live sampling, Can-inspired grooves, psychedelic drones, mantra melodies, descending chord patterns (their favourite trick) and instrument-swapping; introduced by sampler-in-chief John Maclean as “the greatest guitarist in the world”, drummer Robin Jones abandoned his kit at one point to perform a charmingly inept guitar solo. Meanwhile, singer Steve Mason issued incantations while whacking his bongos.
There’s no denying that, live at least, some of their more meandering wig-outs tend to blend into one amorphous blob, but they can still conjure moments of grand swirling transcendence. Those plentiful hooks – typified by Dry the Rain, their very own Hey Jude – always set them apart from mere jam bands. Can anyone hum a Grateful Dead song? It was such a pleasure doing their mind-warp again.
The Scotsman’s arts newsletter is now sent twice a week - subscribe today
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.