Who
The Beta Band
Support
The Beta Band DJ Sets
Where
Manchester O2 Apollo
When
4th October 2025
Price
£35.00
Who with
No-one
Position
Seated, towards the back
Comments
I saw The Beta Band on their farewell tour in 2004, which almost was the halfway point of my life compared to this, and in fact I'd been randomly listening to them quite a bit before they announced their reformation, so it was great timing. Also I saw that this Manchester show was perfectly timed for the day I'd planned to visit Preston on my return from Scotland, forming a dream bookend to my holiday which started with Half Man Half Biscuit in Glasgow. Also the fact that The Beta Band are a Scottish band kept the northern theme going perfectly. The ticket was just £35 (or I should say £45.50 after fees), and it sold so fast that I could only bag a seated ticket. I can't recall what happened on the day but suspect that it genuinely sold out that quickly, and The Beta Band could certainly have doubled the ticket price and still sold out easily. Given that lack of financial success was a key reason I understand to be behind their split, it does seem unusual that they'd set their prices so low, but perhaps a determination not to rip off fans or pessimism about the enthusiasm for seeing them was behind this? I booked a hotel in Wigan as that seemed convenient for my drive back and also my intention to visit Preston, and I knew that Manchester hotels are difficult to drive to and often horribly overpriced at weekends too. The venue was "upgraded" from the conveniently located Albert Hall to the Apollo in the middle of nowhere and that was not appreciated as once the time approached and I started to plan the details, I realised that travelling there by train was no longer practical thanks to this venue change.

I also didn't realise that this was billed as The Three E.P.s show, but as I already had strong faith that The Beta Band weren't going to reform and play just unknown shite, this was not necessarily good news as it meant that time could be spent on unwanted b-sides from their earliest days rather than stone cold classics that I was much keener to actually hear. But then again the 2004 show had been a near-perfect greatest hits set, so the flipside was that at least it would be something a little different. I heard through the songs once or twice and didn't manage to plan until just before departing, and in fact I'm writing up this review a full four weeks after the concert, having made practically no notes at the time beyond those for the build up to the main performance. I'd had a fabulous and ambitious holiday, starting with Glasgow, Edinburgh and Perth before heading up to Orkney, Wick and Inverness before one night on Loch Lomond and back down for this show. I came away thinking that I could comfortably do two more two week holidays in Scotland and still feel that I was just scratching the surface, as there was just so much more I could see. Also I was thoroughly shafted by Inverness Castle and Paisley Museum failing to reopen as promised after I specifically delayed the holiday for that reason. But throughout I'd kept the glimmer of optimism that at least I'd visit the reopened Harris Museum in Preston on the way back, and it was only the night before that I realised that its second weekend after reopening had been inappropriately categorised as part of their opening weekend, and despite being completely free it was fully ticketed and it had sold out.

I wrote a Facebook message to the museum and they couldn't be arsed to respond, pointing out that I was driving from Loch Lomond and had specifically planned everything around this moment, and I strongly suspect that they'd changed their website to make the second weekend ticketed after I'd planned everything out, and unfortunately for me I hadn't been paranoid enough to have considered that possibility as the front page of the website very clearly stated that no tickets were needed except for opening weekend, and only on closer inspection did the small print state that second weekend was opening weekend too! I felt better once I realised that I could head back up another weekend, combining it with the Turner Prize in Bradford that I had long intended to see, and in fact I did this successfully three weeks after the concert, which is part of the reason why this review took so long to write up. But anyway, I'm jumping ahead a bit, and there is so much I could say about things but most took place after this show and are irrelevant to this review. The holiday weather had been like a dream, although once 1st October came around the sunshine was replaced with rain and storms, but I was driving back down and missed the worst of it, plus was fortunate enough to explore most of Oban the morning before the weather went to shit. The weather at Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness was supposed to be terrible but ended up as more beautiful sunshine after a so-so start to the day, but the luck of securing a last minute ticket on the Jacobite Steam Train was offset as I had to sit on the wrong side of the carriage as it went over Glenfinnan viaduct and couldn't get any photos of it, and on the way back the weather had turned so badly that it was almost impossible to take pics. To rub it in we were forbidden from opening the top window to take unobstructed pics out of there, and it's a nasty reminder that riding a steam train and enjoying a steam train are two totally separate activities.

Again it made me think that I could revisit and see the train pass over on a nicer day, but it was frustrating to feel I'd done justice to almost nothing as so many things were closed, and due to lack of time. On the day of the show after realising that the Harris Museum in Preston had fucked me over and that the weather wasn't too great I instead decided to visit Lakeland Motor Museum in the Lake District, which was absolutely fantastic and a totally indoor activity to enjoy, which even had a DeLorean. It was a stark contrast to the thoroughly unpleasant Nazi motor museum that used to be in the Lake District which forbade photos of the vehicles, which is the most ridiculous and inappropriate instance of this policy I believe I've ever encountered. I then drove to Wigan, and the storm and increased risk of train cancellations made me realise that driving into Manchester was the best option. And at least the bookend of Half Man Half Biscuit and The Beta Band had given me a justification for visiting Scotland over these specific weeks, as without that I'd probably have just wished I'd postponed the whole thing for another year. I parked at Wigan and despite contradictory information I eventually confirmed that it was free parking rather than £1, and checked into my first and last Premier Inn of my trip. I had a shower and got changed then headed into Manchester, storming there until after the M602 where the traffic slowed to a crawl as everyone was funnelled through tiny streets, and when I spotted a McDonalds I decided to turn right and got a five chicken selects meal, figuring that I didn't want to rely on the dubious fast food joints near the venue. I somehow resisted a McFlurry, and once I reached the flyover motorway section the traffic sped up again, and I parked in the dodgiest possible industrial area under a bridge, which was around 15 minutes walk from the venue but felt closer.

I wasn't prepared to pay the fee for the official car park - which seemingly has increased from £5 to £7 and now £10 I think. The fact that they are dumb enough to say it's cash only put me off, as nobody carries cash in the 21st century, and as I walked towards the venue I felt that I could quite easily have parked nearer, but in the end I was far enough away that there was no traffic getting out, as nobody else had parked there, and an industrial area despite its appearances is probably way safer than a residential area. The Manchester Apollo was on the corner of a roundabout and lit up nicely, although the band name was sadly on a TV screen rather than properly illuminated as it should be. Thankfully I knew that I had a seat and that arriving later wouldn't be too much drama, and I'd also set out so early that I was still there by just a little after 7pm. I got in quickly without any fuss besides having to use the stupid app, and could see that they were checking tickets to enter the stalls area so decided not to try it. I was intrigued to at least see my seat, and without anyone with me to try the trick of swapping tickets to gain access I just accepted my lot. The toilets were nice and I went upstairs, getting a pint of a fancier version of Brooklyn Lager, turning down the cheeky offer of a two pint cup as I would be driving back and was fully aware that Manchester driving is as difficult as it gets. Despite the plastic cup it was nice, and t-shirts were priced at £35, which was a little unexpected given that tickets had been cheap, but perhaps the band had felt that they deserved to make more money at least some way? I entered the balcony and my seat was pretty high up and a little to the left, but it had a good panoramic view, including of the fancy rounded ceiling of the venue that I don't recall noticing before. After the show when I checked my photos I saw that my distance from the stage had meant most of my pics were lousy, and I also had the frustration of endless twats in front of me walking past. Although not on my row so I didn't have to stand up for them, they did comprehensively obstruct the views when passing.

A back screen and equipment were all set up and The Beta Band were supported by... The Beta Band! Not quite as cool as it sounds as the band members were DJing individually, but it meant that I didn't have to pay such close attention and was able to draft my notes that make up this overly detailed account of the pre-gig and also to catch up on 22 hours of internet that I'd fallen behind on. The Beta Band band name was projected on the top-right of the video screen with the classic curved logo as seen from the Champion Versions or Hot Shots II sleeves, and the members were taking it in turns to DJ. I think just three of them, but two of them did most of it. Once this started the glaring lights above the stage were deactivated and my view felt better, but I barely recognised any tunes beyond a stop-start version of God Only Knows deep into the set. A horrible smell permeated the balcony at one point as I had unpleasant flashbacks and hoped that the disgusting Happy Mondays fan who seemingly shat themselves moments before two of their shows was not in attendance tonight. Thankfully the smell dispersed, and by the time the third member appeared things improved as a cool video giving snippets of Beta Band song videos and clips such as That Moment in High Fidelity were played, which definitely got me in the mood. And that's where my notes end, almost everything I document now is from the setlist I found online, the videos I took and my incredibly limited memory. I hope that I haven't forgotten anything too important, but I think that the band were pretty straightforward and focused on playing great tunes with minimal chat, so fingers crossed. The Beta Band appeared onstage promptly at the advertised 8.40pm, although I couldn't get this information in advance and only saw it printed once in the venue.

Apparently their walk-on music was Memory Of A Free Festival, which is a David Bowie song I've not heard before. I hadn't anticipated a chronological run-through of The Three E.P.'s, and opening with Dry The Rain would have been a mad idea, so I was very happy with the choice of Inner Meet Me. The lights were initially dark and there were whooshing noises and a space backdrop before the guitars kicked in. Infuriatingly people were walking past and blocking my video footage constantly, but given that the start time hadn't been clearly advertised in advance I guess it was understandable, although as the night wore on it became inexcusable. Next up was She's The One, with purple lights and chilled singing as Steve Mason also played the tambourine. Four members were onstage, and it looks that The Beta Band have retained their line-up, with two members leaving after recording Champion Versions, which is a bit of a shocker and may explain why the band used to have a reputation for overlooking their biggest and best song, given that their briefly sustained original line-up hit heights that they could never quite reach again. The ending bit featured excellent distorted vocals and swirling lights, and next up was It's Not Too Beautiful, although my video shows that twats were still constantly walking past. Missing three stone cold classics was their punishment, although I still preferred the 2004 opening duo of It's Not Too Beautiful followed by Squares, as it was a dynamic choice that better demonstrated that The Beta Band still did plenty of good after their first E.P.s. Beautiful featured blue lights and a mountain backdrop, and I could see foliage on the stage which reminded me of British Sea Power, who I refuse to call Sea Power as it just isn't their name, even though I pretty much share their frustration with Little Englanders and am embarrassed by Brexit and by the tatty flags draped everywhere. Although I don't like how on the chorus of It's Not Too Beautiful they do an anti-climactic refrain rather than sing the song title, arguably its introduction and build up is the best that they've ever done.

Assessment abruptly stopped and was restarted due to a guitar issue. By this point the keyboardist was bouncing around a bit and my video footage showed that Steve was bald and was often still. It's a tune but it wasn't as focused as on the album, although I had heard that the Heroes To Zeros L.P. had been heavily remixed prior to release to make it more coherent, and unusually this "interference" in the bands creative vision seemed to massively improve the end result. It also sounded a bit tinny on my video recording, but I think that was mainly down to my camera and sitting so far back from the stage, as I don't recall any sound issues on the night. After Alleged and Push It Out was Needles In My Eyes, and The Beta Band were showing no respect for the running order of the E.P.s but I'm glad as it freed them to deliver the strongest set rather than following a pre-determined order that makes little sense in a live environment. The video backdrop featured a digger slowly tearing up a green landscape, and Steve had switched to keyboards. I did hear someone behind me commenting on how good and versatile the band were, and my photos do indeed demonstrate that they were swapping places continuously, sometimes during the songs themselves, but in such a seamless manner that I never even noticed this at the time. Dog's Got A Bone featured an inevitable video collage of dogs running, and one of the band was now on bongos. It's a lovely song and I always felt that it and The House Song should have been included on their 2004 Greatest Hits album, along with Out-Side and Life. There definitely was a focus on their early material as promised, and Dr Baker was delivered differently to in 2004, as the band no longer did the fast first verse that they used to do. I think that was a smart move although it then loses the impact of them segueing into the "normal" version for the second verse. There were dark blue lights and the twats walking past blurred my video footage, but I still recorded longer than I'd done so far and shot the first two minutes, including some great building up of the lights for the loud bit prior to the chorus.

B + A was one of the best moments that I hadn't got to enjoy last time, and the crowd applauded its intro then clapped along and cheered as the Champion Versions logo swirled onscreen before finishing it with a reprise of Dr Baker. For a chilled moment it had considerable impact and energy for sure. The Beta Band launched into Dry The Rain as I kind of expected without too much fanfare, and I shot a very long video from the start of the second verse to try and capture the build up. It was backed by a minimalist yellow sun on the screen, and as it build up the crowd gradually rose to their feet and got more and more into it, as I zoomed out my footage to try and record the crowd reaction. My video was nearly four minutes long and captured some of the excitement, although I was disappointed that it didn't get more likes when I posted it on Facebook. I actually shot two more videos, the middle one on my phone to catch the fans singing to the refrain as the band stopped singing and let us take over as they jammed along before launching back into it. The crowd absolutely loved it and it was a solid 10/10 moment and one of the most exciting live moments I've experienced in a long time. I can't exaggerate how much I love this song, and the fact that the crowd continued singing it after it was finished said it all. Although my attempt to engage with the guy next to me was a total failure as he just blanked me and wasn't even prepared to share an affirmative opinion that it was great. This rudeness is why I so often go alone and have so little faith in people, and almost never start conversations! Steve wore nice sunglasses during I Know, which featured some studiously cool noodling before other members did the initial singing. Around this point I was annoyed by a twat who stood in the gangway next to a seat blocking the view of dozens of us, making it exceptionally hard to crop his idiotic head out of my footage. I was thrilled when a steward eventually checked his ticket then ejected him, barely managing to resist applauding and swearing at them as choosing to stand there was unforgivably rude and given I'd accepted my lot and stuck to my seat, so should that twat have done. Squares was an absolute highlight, as the lights were darkened and Steve's sunglasses were lit up in a manner that was worthy of a Tron film. It was brilliant and very exciting, and a good way to draw things to a close before the obvious finale of The House Song!

The moment it started up I rose to my feet before seeing that the audience reaction was far too slow and having to sit down again. I think that the intro is the best bit and surely the crowd know that the song builds up, so much like Dry The Rain I didn't get why they needed to be convinced to "get into it" when they surely knew what was coming? My video focus was initially terrible, I think because I was standing then sitting, and I shot a stonking four videos here but sadly didn't get the brilliant rap segment in the middle as the lights changed and for a few seconds it became a totally different show. As the song climaxed a second member got onto the drums and by this point the crowd were getting into it and I stood up again. The video footage was simply a train drivers view of a journey along the tracks, and I recorded up until the first false ending. I'd been joking with my friend on WhatsApp about having to endure their playing Monolith and was thrilled that they didn't, although they also omitted It's Over from the gloriously named Los Amigos Del Beta Bandidos E.P. And thank fuck for that, wasting 20 minutes of set time on these two tunes in place of more hits would have been rubbish, and apart from those who demanded completion, I struggle to see who could have been unhappy with this choice. The band also didn't play Life, The Beta Band Rap, To You Alone or Out-Side, but given that it wasn't advertised as a greatest hits set, they did come pretty close. I safely got back to my car and had a much easier drive back to Wigan, whilst this was the last show of The Beta Band's UK tour before they took a completely unchanged setlist over to Canada and the U.S.A., which is unexpected as I doubted that there could be that much of an audience for them out there, although I'd love to be proven wrong on that point. The next day I went to Lytham St Annes after a wander around Wigan, and The Beta Band formed a brilliant finale to my Scottish adventure. My distant seat probably prevents it getting a 9/10 score, but the best moments were unforgettable and I'll be delighted to see them play again, as indeed I am planning to do in 2026, but more on that when the time comes.
Setlist
Inner Meet Me
She's The One
It's Not Too Beautiful
Assessment
Alleged
Push It Out
Needles In My Eyes
Dog's Got A Bone
Dr Baker
B + A
Dry The Rain
Broke
I Know
Squares
The House Song

Mark: 8.5/10