Biography All Music Guide Wikipedia
All Music Guide:
One of the U.K.'s stranger hard rock outfits, Ten Benson mixes the raw, basic sound of bands like Black Sabbath, Kiss, and AC/DC with lyrics ranging from the obvious (sex, evil) to the peculiar (robots, consumerism, Christmas). The band, led by singer/guitarist Chris Teckkam, formed in the late '90s and released their debut album, Hiss, in 2000. Satan Kidney Pie followed in 2002, and the band released two albums, Danger of Deaf and their U.S. debut Benson Burner, in 2003. Bitch City was scheduled to drop later that year or early in 2004.
Wikipedia:
Ten Benson are a rock band from London, United Kingdom formed in 1997. Their early releases saw them described as "psychedelic hillbillies", but they later moved on to a (cod-)heavy metal sound.
History
The band was formed in 1997 by ex-Swimmer singer/guitarist Chris Teckkam, with Shiva Affect drummer Napoleon Catilo, and bassist Duncan Lovatt. Three 7" singles were released in 1997 and 1998, the latter ("Evil Heat") getting considerable airplay on BBC Radio 1. These singles were compiled onto the 6 Fingers of Benson mini-album on Deceptive Records. The United Colors of Benson EP followed in November 1998, these early release seeing them described as a "geeky gaggle of quirk-rock experimentalists".
The band recorded two sessions for John Peel's show, in 1998, and 2000. "The Claw" reached #4 in the 1998 Festive 50, "Evil Heat" also making the chart at #47.
Their next release, "Rock Cottage" saw them spoofing Heavy Metal. First album proper, Hiss followed in 2000. Next album was 2002's Satan Kidney Pie. The United States debut album Benson Burner was released in 2003 on Jetset Records, and was described in one review as "ZZ Top in bed with The Strokes -- infectious hooks with primal leanings" and gaining comparisons with Tenacious D in another. Village Voice compared the band to Nantucket, and described them as "foreigners with bad hick accents growling, 'Mmmmmmm, hot sausage!'". A 2003 Drowned In Sound live review described them as an "inbred family of redneck truckers resplendent in mesh caps and string vests and hirsute faces". Danger of Deaf was also issued in 2003.
After a two and a half-year sabbatical, the band returned in late 2006. Their live shows sometimes include unreleased songs Third Eye and 500 Miles. Ten Benson continue to play live albeit seldomly, their most recent performance was at the Buffalo Bar on 2 September 2011.
