Filthy Beast

From the late 60's to the early 70's the rock band Filthy Beast, based in the Hampshire market town of Andover, were actively gigging around the South of England.

Working under various names over the years the band were sometimes a 5-piece, sometimes a 4-piece, but for the longest continuous period of operation they were a 3-piece known as Filthy Beast.  An unusual 3-piece in that they never used a bass guitar; instead the rhythm guitar used a bass booster box to give a full and very variable sound.

A total of 6 people were members of the band, but for the longest and most successful period the line up was as follows.

Mike Parkins

Guitar and Vocals

Filthy Beast's rhythm guitarist, laying down the background beat and giving the band it's full and solid sound.  He was also a vocalist and took the lead vocals on some songs.

Terry James

Drums and Vocals

Terry was Filthy Beast's drummer and also provided backing vocals and harmonies.  He was usually the announcer, with a repertoire of humorous quips - in particular the "commmunal swear" always went down well. He also performed comic skits based on TV advertisements.

Peter Yates Top

Guitar and Vocals

Peter played lead guitar for Filthy Beast and took the lead vocals on most of the songs.  He also wrote some of the original material for the band.