King Biscuit Time: Single + Tour Dates!!!

Steve Mason is dead….Long live Steve Mason! King Biscuit Time, the new project from former Beta Band frontman Stephen Mason is going on tour around the UK & Ireland in May to promote his latest single 'Kwang Chow' which is out on 24/03/06 on No Style records. The album 'Black Gold' will follow on April 24th.

May 2006

12 Belfast Spring & Airbrake

13 Limerick Dolans

14 Cork Cypress Avenue

15 Dublin Whelans

17 Edinburgh Venue (0870 169 0100)

18 London Scala (020 7827 0932)

19 Birmingham Barfly (0870 907 0999)

20 Brighton Hanbury Ballroom (Mojo Stage - Great Escape) (01273 325 440)

22 Manchester Academy 3 (0161 832 1111)

23 Glasgow Oran Mor (0870 169 0100)

24 Hr CC hotline: 0871 2200 260 or buy at Gigs and Tours

The live band will also include C-Swing/Colin Emmanuel/Space Bar and Pete Rankin/Les Bell.

So, who is Steve Mason?

When the Beta Band broke-up, a psychedelic people's nation mourned their death. Now they have cause for celebration with the rebirth of Beta Band frontman Steve Mason under the guise of King Biscuit Time. Beta Band obsessives should already be familiar with Mason’s alter ego from the release of the two KBT eps which was met with critical acclaim back in 1998 and 2000. Mason has set up a new record company ‘No Style' with fellow maverick Alan McGee, in order for this 21st century Phil Spector to pursue his music without major record label interference. Things will undoubtedly get weird again. As King Biscuit Time, Mason employs a combination transmogrified of psychedelic, house, dance hall, pop, hip-hop and electronics into his wide-screen, surround-sound international around-the-world-in-a-day dada pop that exists in isolation to everything outside his own planet...

And yet, people never realized why Steve Mason called it a day for the Beta Band: ‘Yeah, but I have a bigger sense of relief that I'm not in the Beta Band anymore. A lot of the fans of the Beta Band didn't understand why the break up was happening because we’d just made our best album. They didn't understand that we owed the record label a million quid, none of us were making any money and everyone around you is getting paid. Except you.'

With their first release ‘The Three EPs'; the Beta Band were omnipotent. They were the Neptunes of Space Rock; creating new beats and signature sounds for others to follow. They invented a new genre. Their name was the name of the new genre. In 1999 and 2000, it was de-rigueur to have a song influenced by the Beta Band – from Super Furry Animals, Oasis, Radiohead, Beck.

And they weren't complacent. They instantly got their freak-on with their self-titled second album. And in the tradition of the grand English eccentric Lee Mavers, they instantly dismissed it as rubbish; ignoring the moments of sublime beauty and space. They released the ragga/dance hall of Hot Shots II; a seemingly reactionary album to their own critcisism. ‘Heroes to Zeros' demonstrated that mélange pop was still the new disorientating drug; Heros to Zeros' was a stunning album and a welcome return for anyone who has found the pop-earth boring and wanted to get off now.

When asked: How does it compare to the Beta Band? Steve Mason answers: ‘I'm not qualified to answer that at all'. Instead, it’s up to you. Having already been praised by Radiohead, Oasis, U2 and compared to The Stone Roses, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Primal Scream and DJ Shadow, Mason knows that comparisons are dead. Let KBT invent a world for you and take you to the heart of the sun. Doesn't that sound like more fun?

Colin Emmanuel / C-Swing / Spacebar

Colin Emmanuel is that rare individual - a UK producer who understands and can work with the best of R&B talent from around the world. He has an impressive discography and has worked with many major artists including Mary J. Blige, Terri Walker, D'Angelo, En Vogue, KRS1, Beverly Knight and Wyclef to name just a few. Alongside producing, mixing and remixing, Colin has also carved a name for himself as a talented songwriter and regularly schedules studio writing time with the cream of UK talent and worldwide talent. This has led to him writing, producing and mixing most of Jamelia's platinum selling "Superstar" album aswell as 2 major tracks for Estelle's new V2 album. Colin has also shown his versatility outside of the R&B arena after successfully producing and mixing the entire Hot Shots II album for The Beta Band.

http://www.myspace.com/emmanuelakacswing

http://www.iamproductions.co.uk/

Pete Rankin/Les Bell

The man from Comfy Cabs / Old Jock Radio...who is the ginger geezer/enigma called Les Bell?

He may be a man called Pete Rankin, we're not sure. We do know that he presents Scotland best internet (and interactive) radio show and it's called Old Jock Radio, Thursday nights, 9pm until 11pm. Dod, Twig, Mason, C-Swing...the guests are many. There may be other guests, there may be chat, music might get played.  Social commentary, jokes, the unexpected, who knows what will happen from week to week. If you're offended by bad language, talk of various subjects that might make you hurl, such as shoulder-jacking, the Dirty Bristow, how not to win a fucking Gareth Gates DVD (thanks Steve), and wine appreciation, then this is the show for you. Franky, I'd be fucking bored without it on Thursday nights. 'Old jock radio, old-jock-radio...'go here to find out everything you need to know about OJR:

www.oldjockradio.com

http://www.myspace.com/oldjockradio