FAILURE IS ALWAYS AN OPTION: GLORIOUS ADVENTURES ON THE BETA BAND FRONT LINE AND OTHER TALES’ with STEVE MASON

Scottish singer songwriter and founding member of the Beta Band Steve Mason has long been at the centre of tales of unruly non-conformism and destructive self-sabotage. Now in this long-awaited autobiography he sets the record straight (well, straight-ish) with his wildly funny, brilliantly told memoir of youth culture, failure, success, sadness and redemption.

Over the course of these pages, I will airdrop you in – and implausibly – extract you out of some of the most interesting moments of my life. I will try to stick mostly to the truth, or my truth anyway, but I never ever let the truth get in the way of a good story so, you know, think on.

Now, allow me to push you out of the aircraft and straight into the action. Not the heart of the darkness but a relatively relaxed period in which me and my bandmates really were Rock Stars. Or a kind of rock star anyway. What kind? Well, that plays out over the course of these pages, but certainly not your average reactionary rock stars who are rebels right up to the point when the first royalty cheque arrives. Anyway, no time for that now, don’t bother checking your parachute, I did it earlier, you are up next and GO! GO! GO!

Mason rose to widespread critical acclaim in the late ’90s as front man of the Beta Band. Famously impossible to pin down and fiercely independent with intense live shows and a reputation for difficult press interviews, the Beta Band created music that was completely original: captivating blends of guitars, house, blues, psychedelia, folk, ambient drone and poignant, enigmatic lyrics.

Even whilst the band railed against the bloated death throes of Britpop they were praised by their most successful peers, including Oasis, the Chemical Brothers, the Verve, Primal Scream and Radiohead, who they toured with in 2001. Constantly reinventive and experimental, lavishly praised with all three of their studio albums reaching the top 20, the Beta Band story appeared to end in 2004, with the band owing their label £1.2 million and seemingly forever tagged as one of the most infamous ‘should have been massive’ bands.

Following a twenty-year break, in 2025, the Beta Band announced their return, selling out an Autumn UK tour within two hours. 2026 sees the band build on this huge success and outpouring of love with live dates in the UK, Australia and Japan.

Steve Mason said: ‘I started writing this book twelve years ago at a point in my life when everything was about to change. The hermit was coming out of the woods (metaphorical and real) and re-introducing himself into polite society by moving from a minuscule village in Fife to Brighton. I, obviously very, slowly kept at it. Writing down snippets of stories, things that have happened to me in and out of music. I found it cathartic in a way songwriting has never been. To look at your life and remember events through the eyes of middle age is a real privilege. I found myself putting an arm around me as a ten-year-old kid and saying, “Don’t worry, it will be OK. It will be crazy, but OK!” Jump in and have a dig around my world, these stories bear re-telling. Even if it’s what NOT to do.’

Copies of Steve's book will be available to purchase at the Festival and there'll be a dedicated book signing after Steve's event.

About the Author:

Steve Mason is a founding member and front man of the Beta Band and a critically acclaimed Mercury Music Prize-nominated solo artist who has released five albums under his own name.

He lives in Brighton.

Description supplied by the event organiser.