Steve Mason (vocals), Gordon Anderson (guitar), John Maclean (keyboards/samples), Steve Duffield (bass) and Robin Jones (drums) formed this highly acclaimed UK art rock band while studying at college in Edinburgh, Scotland in the mid-90s. They teamed up with Oasis associate Brian Cannon and began building a strong word-of-mouth reputation. Produced by Nick McCabe of the Verve, the band's debut EP Champion Versions was released in July 1997. The EP's four tracks set the standard for future releases, revealing an approach to record production far removed from the pop-based format of most indie music. An eclectic mix of alternative and Krautrock styles with ambient dub and samples, the band's sound eschewed conventional music categories in preference for a bold, experimental approach.
By this point Anderson and Duffield had left the band, with the former's mental illness forcing him into a mental institution (he later recorded under the alias Lone Pigeon). With the addition of English bass player Richard Greentree, the remaining members released a second EP, The Patty Patty Sound. The EP featured another wildly diverse fusion of sounds, although the 15-minute progressive rock jam "The Monolith' came dangerously close to vacuous noodling. June 1998's Los Amigos Del Beta Bandidos saw the band decamping to a deserted Cornish tin mine for recording. Collected together on one album, The 3 E.P."s broke into the UK Top 40 in October 1998.
In December, while the band was still recording material for an album, Mason released the solo EP King Biscuit Time "Sings" Nelly Foggit's Blues In Me And The Pharaohs. Their self-titled debut album employed a diverse range of musical styles to no coherent effect, although the results were often charming. Promotion was not helped by the band members claiming the album was "rubbish". They appeared to approve of the follow-up Hot Shots II, which retained the experimental edge but achieved the cohesiveness felt to be lacking from their debut. The single "Squares" was withdrawn from circulation because of its similarity to a track by Sheffield electronic pop act I Monster (both tracks used an old sample of the Gunter Kallmann Choir).
The Beta Band retreated from view at the end of 2001 to begin work on their third album. Recorded over the course of seven weeks in Rockfield, Wales, the material then underwent a torturous route to completion, with Nigel Godrich employed to give the album a final mix. Heroes To Zeros was released to a less than rapturous critical reception in May 2004. The band called it a day shortly after the release of a compilation album the following year. Jones and Maclean teamed up with former bandmate Gordon Anderson to form the Aliens.
