The
band was formed in
Birmingham by Richard March, formerly with the group
Pop Will Eat Itself, and Mike Stokes formerly with Bugweed Centipede. "Both more or less penniless, they drank in the same pub and were forced to buy their records at the cheapest place possible -
car boot sales". Their live drummers include
Keith York and Car SOS's
Fuzz Townshend (alongside whom March previously played with in Pop Will Eat Itself), while
EMF's James Atkin is also involved with BRA as a touring member. BRA signed on the
Brighton based
record label Skint and released their eponymous debut album,
Bentley Rhythm Ace in 1997, which spawned the popular
single "Bentleys Gonna Sort You Out!". The group epitomises the
big beat era. Signed to
Skint Records, they enjoyed commercial success with their music being used on television
advertisements and having an underground following. The group split in 2000 after which they played the occasional low-key
DJ set. In 2016, the duo reformed and played live sets across the UK at festivals, supporting
the Wonder Stuff's December tour and headlining a few of their own shows. ==Band members==