The Temebeats

The Temebeats were a guitar instrumental rock band from Worcestershire, England, who were part of the 1960s guitar instrumental revival scene of the 1990s. The BBC reported in 1997 that they were the youngest band in the country playing 1960s guitar instrumentals.

History

1994–1995: Origins of the band as Martley Primary School guitar club

The band sprung from the guitar club at Martley Primary School, Worcester, and at the time of interview in 1995 the line up was reported as Dominic O'Brien on lead guitar / rhythm guitar, Michael Munro on rhythm guitar / lead guitar, David Haydon on rhythm guitar, Ben Taylor on bass guitar, and Clive Webb their tutor on backing rhythm guitar, but also that the youngsters would swap the lead guitar role. The band's first public performance was for National Music Day in June 1994 at County Hall, Worcester and they performed at the same event again in June 1995.[1][2] In February 1995, the band performed at a charity concert to raise money for a local playground project.[3][4] It took place at Martley Memorial Hall and tickets sold well.[5] Rob Bradford, editor of Pipeline Instrumental Review, saw the band at another concert in June 1995 where their seven-song set included what he described as a "gutsy" version of "Diamonds" and a "thrilling performance" of "The Frightened City" which was "delivered with a lot of verve and style". Munro played lead on both.[1]

1996–1997: Local and national fame

By January 1996, the Martley Primary School guitar club had been renamed The Temebeats as most of the band members were now at high school.[6] The band name comes from the River Teme in Worcestershire.[7]

In June 1996, the band supported Vince Berkeley, frontman of Pink Peg Slax, at Guitar Fest '96 which took place at Huntingdon Hall, Worcester.[8] In July 1996, the band performed on a float at Worcester Carnival, where, like other performers, it was reported that they were pelted with coins. Notably, O'Brien's guitar was damaged, as reported by Melissa Kite.[9]

On March 30, 1997, the band was one of the headliners at the fifth national annual Pipeline Instrumental Rock Convention which took place at International Students House, London.[10] At the time, BBC Radio 2 DJ, Brian Matthew, reported that The Temebeats were the youngest band in the country performing 1960s instrumental music.[7] The band's setlist included the tunes "Pipeline", "The Man Who Sold the World", "Sleep Walk", "Widow McMurphy's Cat", "The Rise and Fall of Flingel Bunt", "The Truffle Snuffler", and "The Frightened City".[11]

Discography

  • 5th Annual Pipeline Instrumental Rock Convention (VHS) (1997)
  • 5th Annual Pipeline Instrumental Rock Convention (DVD) (2006)[12]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Bradford, Rob (1996). "The Temebeats". Pipeline Instrumental Review (33): 7–9. ISSN 1470-8353.
  2. ↑ Don, Kathy (June 24, 1994). "Musical extravaganza". Berrow's Worcester Journal. p. 17. Retrieved August 26, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Tuneful trio". Berrow's Worcester Journal. March 10, 1995. p. 16. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Stringing along to raise charity cash". Worcester News. March 3, 1995. p. 15. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Guitarfest will boost a playground project". Worcester News. January 7, 1995. p. 26. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Never fret! We'll soong get the twang of this". Worcester News. January 31, 1996. p. 9. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
  7. 1 2 A History of The Temebeats. United Kingdom. 2024. Event occurs at 0:45. Retrieved August 23, 2026 – via YouTube. Brian Matthew reporting on BBC Radio 2, and, The band name comes from the River Teme which flows through the village where most of the band members lived in Worcestershire
  8. ↑ Guitar Fest 1996 Huntingdon Hall Worcester Part 2. United Kingdom. 2025. Retrieved August 23, 2026 – via YouTube.
  9. ↑ Kite, Melissa (July 12, 1996). "Carnival contestants pelted with pennies". Worcester News. p. 18. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Young band plays the sounds of the 60s". Worcester News. April 3, 1997. p. 8. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
  11. ↑ Arijs, Werner (1997). "Pipeline '97 - The Temebeats". Pipeline Instrumental Review (36): 19–21. ISSN 1470-8353.
  12. ↑ Taylor, Alan (2006). "Reviews". Pipeline Instrumental Review (72): 56–57. ISSN 1470-8353. Apart from the convenience of the disc format, there is also a gain in quality as two generations of tape copying are removed from the chain
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