BETA BAND CANCEL ILL-FATED UK TREK

THE BETA BAND have called off the remaining dates on their current UK tour...

THE BETA BAND, due to play at Dundee Fat Sam’s tonight, have cancelled the remaining dates on their current UK tour after managing to play only three shows – at Brighton, Sheffield and Manchester.

The band were plagued by illness prior to the ten-date tour’s start date of July 10 but were finally beaten by the compound effects of a sick singer (Steve, pictured) and an unhappy sequence of on-the-road mishaps. The Betas wish to apologise to all their fans who they have been unable to reach on this tour. They are re-scheduling the missed dates.

Earlier today, the band’s publicist emailed NME.com with the news of the aborted ‘Los Amigos Del Beta Bandidos’ trip. Rather than paraphrase, we thought we’d share:

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(Singer) Steve, suffered from tonsillitis the week before the tour but was recovered well enough to play Brighton, Sheffield and Manchester. (In true Beta Band style, on the way to the first show the door dropped off the van before they had even left London, while on the way to Sheffield a burning smell was the first hint that they had been driving across Snake Pass with smoke pouring from the front wheels of their van).

“On the morning of the Portsmouth gig, Steve was unable to move, having pulled a muscle in his back and taken to hospital by their tour manager and given a programme of pain-killers while Rich, Robin and John travelled to Portsmouth in the hope that Steve would be able to play the show – but he was in too much pain and had been advised by the doctor to keep very still for a few days.

“The band aimed to re-start the tour in Middlesbrough when, after sound check, Steve became seriously ill again, this time with gastro-enteritis. As the doors were already open, tour manager Mark Allison bought the audience a round of drinks from the band to say sorry. Hoping to recover quickly, they drove to Steve, Robin and John’s native Scotland for the last four dates on the tour, but the illness got worse and the decision was finally made to call off the rest of the shows.”

The Beta Band’s original UK tour schedule had been Brighton Concorde (July 10), Sheffield Leadmill (11), Manchester University (13), Portsmouth Wedgewood Room (14), Liverpool Lomax (16), Middlesbrough Arena (17), Glasgow Cathouse (18), Dundee Fat Sams (20), Edinburgh Venue (21) and Aberdeen Lemon Tree (22).

Fans of a sympathetic bent can send get well cards, fruit or a new van to The Beta Band, c/o Regal, 43 Brook Green, London W6.

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