Who are The Austin Beats?
Lee Chapman (Vocals & Guitar)
Lee has been performing in bands since the age of 15, giving him a great deal of live music experience. In 1997 Lee formed
Watershed, an alternative indie outfit that eventually, in 2001, found their sound moving towards funk and acid jazz. During this time,
Watershed played numerous live gigs. In 2002 Lee formed
The Len ‘n’ McCartney Band with the help of top singer/songwriter Kevin Harrison. The band went on to perform Beatles hits on
BBC T.V and radio, at festivals, venues and at Liverpool’s famous Cavern Club. In 2003 Lee divided his time between
The Len ‘n’ McCartney Band and original song writing, forming
Vinylwave with fellow
Austin Beats musicians, James Burrows and Andrew Robinson.
Vinylwave went on to record The Way To Distraction, a 10 track indie album that gained radio play and internet downloads. When T
he Len ‘n’ McCartney Band ceased performing in 2004, Lee decided to continue with the
Beatles theme and formed
The Austin Beats.
Tom Gladwin (Lead Guitar)
At the age of 14, Tom discovered his great uncle's old acoustic guitar that had been left to his parents. It soon became clear that Tom was a natural guitarist, teaching himself many of the basic skills. At the age of 16, Tom studied the guitar to a high level, focusing on various styles such as blues, rock, indie and jazz. This led to Tom developing his own unique playing style, taking influences from the likes of George Harrison and Jimi Hendrix along the way. Tom has spent much of his time developing his skills and knowledge of sixties music which has been a valuable study for his role in The Austin Beats. When not performing on stage, Tom is an A grade music student. He is currently studying composition, arranging and the history of music with AQA as well as sequencing, recording and production with Edexcel. Now at the age of 18, Tom is the youngest member of The Austin Beats but has gained a great deal of experience performing live, with highlights including a gig on the 60’s styled set of ITV’s Heartbeat for the actors and crew.
James Burrows (Bass Guitar & Vocals)
As another experienced professional musician, James spent most of his early music career playing original material in various bands around Norwich, Portsmouth and Birmingham, performing several gigs in London before returning to Norfolk to work with Lee and Andy on various projects culminating with The Austin Beats. James' style is heavily influenced by 60's and 70's rock and tempered by the smoother sounds of 70's and 80's funk and disco, so he knows just how to get a versatile and authentic sound from his bass. James is also a double bassist and can occasionally be found toting his double bass on stage during Elvis Presley and other rock and roll tracks!
Andy Robinson (Keyboard & Vocals)
Andy has been performing live music for many years with original, function, corporate and covers bands. His credits include Watershed, The Someones and The 45s. As a well respected song writer and arranger, Andy has also contributed to projects such as Mondatta Funk and Vinylwave, with many of his own compositions being used for soundtracks on various industry DVDs. Andy is recognised as a versatile live and studio session player, specialising on piano and keyboards, however he is also a skilled bassist and is presently learning drums. Blues and 60s Rock 'n' Roll are Andy's main influences, most importantly The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Otis Redding and the music of Stax and Motown Records; this is clear when you hear Andy’s performance style. Asides from playing, Andy is a skilled sound engineer, having spent many years as part of a sound and lighting team, responsible for the hiring of audio equipment and live concert engineering. During his time as the sound engineer with The Len 'n' McCartney Band, Andy found himself learning to mix an authentic sixties sound effectively. Andy regularly promotes and plans events, as a senior member in the organisation of many successful concerts and charity gigs.
Paul Emery (Drums & Percussion)
Paul joined the Austin Beats in 2011 having previously been involved in function bands and original material projects. Paul was the drummer for well respected alterentive rock/rap outfit Cthru 27 where he travelled around the world to various festivals. Paul is no stranger to the party and function scene due to racking up a number of gigs with East Anglian favourites - Mister Pink. Asides from playing drums, Paul is also an accomplished chef and appeared on the Channel 4 hit show - Come Dine With Me and then went on to win BBC's Weakest Link! Paul brings energy and enthusiasm to The Austin Beats
