The Pad Presents

18/07/2024

**NEW SHOW**

We're very pleased to be welcoming She drew the gun to the Bedford Esquires for the first time since 2019 as part of an intimate tour next February. Tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10am.

17/07/2024

Pleased to announce Holy Youth Movement tour in November, calling at Bedford Esquires, EBGBS, The Portland Arms, Voodoo Daddys Showroom, Camden Assembly, Dust Brighton and Heartbreakers Bar / Venue. On sale from See Tickets on Friday 19th July at 10am.

16/07/2024

We're very pleased to be welcoming The Dream Machine back to Bedford Esquires in November, as part of their UK tour.

The band come to us following recent support shows for The Coral, The Lathums, Noel Gallagher and The Charlatans, while gearing up for the release of their James Skelly produced second album, Small Time Monsters.

“The Dream Machine are one of my favourite bands. They bridge the gap between pop stars and psych punks effortlessly. Small Time Monsters is an incredible album.” James Skelly, The Coral

“Taut, melodic tunes that lean brilliantly into that classic scally cocktail of psych, garage and guitar jangle… a leap forward both in terms of lyrics and songwriting. Expect great things.” Shindig! 4*

Tickets are on sale at 10am, Friday 19th July from Seetickets and local outlets.

11/07/2024

*TONIGHT*
Ruts/Ruts DC are back at Esquires for 2 sets of stripped back classics !

Times for this evening:
Doors 7.30pm
Set One 8.15
Set Two 9.45
Finish 10.45

Tickets online from See until 6:30pm then on the door from 7:30pm

10/07/2024

**NEW SHOW**

We're very pleased to be welcoming britpop heroes, Sleeper to Hitchin, for an intimate, unplugged show in October. This show is mainly seated and tickets are limited, so set an alarm for when they go on sale at 10am Friday.

09/07/2024

**NEW SHOW**

We're very pleased to announce that we've finally snagged a date with the wonderful Benjamin Francis Leftwich, over at Bedford Esquires! Tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10am from See and local outlets.

01/07/2024

**NEW SHOWS**

We're very pleased to be bringing Hayseed Dixie back to Bedford for the first time in over 5 years and to Hitchin for the very first time this October!

Tickets are on sale right now from See and relevant local outlets.

29/06/2024

🛹 👦

Tonight, whether you're heading to Avril in the park, or just want a party - we're hosting the only official aftershow, right here at Esquires! Loads of tix gone for later, but you can still grab one online until 9pm from See 👅

26/06/2024

Our tour with Detroit's finest, Electric 6 kicks off this evening at Bedford Esquires, before we visit another 13 towns and cities across the UK. Less than 10 tickets remain for Dover and Nottingham, with less than 40 in Newcastle, Southampton and London! Last tix available only at Seetickets.

26/06/2024

*NEW SHOW*

All the way from New York City we are pleased to announce a new show with A Place To Bury Strangers the loudest band in the world.

The trio is currently composed of Oliver Ackermann, John Fedowitz and Sandra Fedowitz. Commonly known by the initials APTBS playing a heavy, atmospheric Wall of Sound–influenced blend of noise rock, punk shoegaze and space rock.

Tickets on sale now from Slide Record Shop, Bedford Esquires Bar & Seetickets online

25/06/2024

4 TICKETS LEFT for The Lottery Winners evening show and 20 left for the matinee show , ticket link in the post below 👇

24/06/2024

*NEW SHOW*

Dreadzone - Sat 26th October, Bedford Esquires

After numerous sell out shows at Bedford Esquires we are pleased to announce Dreadzone return as part of their autumn tour to promote their new album NINE.

Nine is the ninth official studio album from Dreadzone which is due for release in October 2024 on CD & Double Vinyl. It’s a reflection of the last 5 years and a culmination of growing and re-inventing the Dread sound. Dreadzone have been releasing albums and progressively bettering, refining and perfecting their own unique and inimitable take on dub since their inception in 1993. They have successfully navigated through an ever-changing musical landscape and have been a creative force now for over three decades.

Tickets on sale this Wednesday from 10am from Seetickets and the local outlets of Esquires Bar & Slide Record Shop.

19/06/2024

*Support Announcement*

British Birds will be joining The Bug Club at Esquires on Saturday 9th November.

18/06/2024

*NEW SHOW*

HIGH FADE + Guests
6:30pm, Sunday 4th August, Bedford Esquires

On a three man crusade to set dance floors alight with their inimitable brand of razor-sharp funk and disco, High Fade can already count Jack Black, Cypress Hill, Deep Purple’s Glenn Hughes,
and Brad Wilk from Rage Against The Machine as fans.

Honing their sound on the streets of their native Edinburgh, the band are at their best when up close and personal with audiences; with over a thousand gigs now under their belt, their refined, infectious live performance has become an integral part of the band’s DNA, allowing them to put on a show that supersedes anything their fans have experienced before.

Tickets priced £15 are on sale from Thursday 20th June from Seetickets and in person from Slide Record Shop and Esquires Bar.

15/06/2024

*TONIGHT AT Bedford Esquires

*TONIGHT
Triple punk bill with 999 headlining, Eastfield & Cold Caller on support duties. Doors 7.30pm, first band 8pm, tickets online all day, from Slide Record Shop & on the door.

12/06/2024

*NEW SHOW*

SNAYX head out this autumn on their biggest headline tour to date calling into Bedford Esquires on Friday 4th October.

Formed from a mosh pit, the Brighton & Sheffield based trio have been in other bands before, dabbling in everything from indie rock to ska, but those groups never incited the communal carnage that Charlie Herridge, Ollie Horner and Lainey Loops crave.

Last seen ripping up the Esquires stage at Ceremony #3 Festival we have been craving to get the band back to the venue for more of the same!

Tickets on sale from this Friday at 10am from Seetickets onliine & in person from Slide Record Shop / Esquires Bar

07/06/2024

We're gearing up to welcome Electric 6 back to the UK later this month and very pleased to announce that T is for Thomas Band, Vanity Fairy and Balter will be joining the ride!

Very limited tickets remain for all dates that aren't s*ld out.

05/06/2024

*NEW SHOWS*

Our faves HENGE are back in the orbit & have agreed to land their spaceship at two of our favourite venues this autumn.

You can catch the band at The Craufurd Arms (Live Music Venue) on Sat 23rd November & the following day for a special 4pm Matinee show over at Club 85 in Hitchin.

(Please note there in note there is no Esquires show on this run of dates but you can see them on the main stage at Bedford River Festival on Sat 20th July)

Tickets are on sale now from Seetickets on the link below 👇

05/06/2024

**NEW SHOWS**

We're excited to be working with Dekker on a run of shows as part of his Autumn tour. We caught his sold out show at The Lexington earlier this year and instantly wanted to work with him.

American singer/songwriter Brookln Dekker, better known by his surname-moniker, DEKKER (and for wearing his unique wide-brimmed hat) released his third album earlier this Spring, again collaborating with Berlin drummer Stefan Wittich and mixing & mastering from Zach Hanson (Bon Iver, The Staves, Whitney) the album has a familiar yet fresh sound and feel - go and give it a spin!

You can catch him with us at Heartbreakers Bar / Venue, Southampton, Bedford Esquires and Voodoo Daddys Showroom, Norwich - tickets on sale this Friday at 10am.

05/06/2024

*NEW SHOW*

Millie Manders and The Shutup make a welcome return to Bedford Esquires for a special 4pm matinee show on Sunday 27th October.

Millie Manders and The Shutup create cross-genre punk that is hard to ignore. With lyricism that pokes fun, draws you in or leaves you questioning social norms teamed with incredible vocal dexterity, grinding guitars, irresistible horn hooks and a pumping rhythm section, the Millie Manders Music Machine churns out more raw punk fusion than you can shake a stick at, with a huge amount of Pop appeal.

“High-octane, fierce, bursting with attitude and almost obnoxiously addictive” – Fortitude Magazine

Tickets on sale this Friday 7th June from Seetickets & available in person from Slide Record Shop and Esquires Bar.

03/06/2024

**NEW SHOWS**

UK rap royalty Goldie Lookin Chain (GLC) will be joining us for some more shows in 2025, stopping at two of our favourite venues, Roadmender and Chinnerys Southend.

Straight outta Newport and best known for classics “Guns Don’t Kill People Rappers Do” and “Your Mother’s Got A Pen*s”, The GLC are officially Britain’s biggest rap group.

Maggot, Eggsy, Dwain Xain Zedong, Mike Balls, Adrian Fandango, 2hats, The Wibbler, Mystkal and Grayham The Bear are COMING TO ROADMENDER IN NORTHAMPTON and KEEPING IT REAL.

Fuelled by Lambrini, f**s, Chicken Tikka Masala and w**d they all took to the mic and in 2001 The GLC’s first album “Don’t Blame the Chain” was born.

And so it began, a journey which has seen The GLC top the charts, perform around the world and at every major festival in the Western Hemisphere making millions of people laugh along the way.

To date The GLC have released 18 albums… and amazingly none of them have died yet.

Tickets go on sale Wednesday 10am from See and venue outlets.

01/06/2024

Today is Ceremony day - our new music alldayer at Bedford Esquires! There are limited tickets available on the door - open from 1pm. Set times and info - CEREMONY 4 - New Music Alldayer.

31/05/2024

Tonight! The first and last chance to ever see Porij grace the intimate surroundings of Bedford Esquires. Strangely, there are still some tickets left for this one - available at See, remaining on the door from 7.30pm x

31/05/2024

**NEW SHOWS**

We're really pleased to have the legendary Mr. Scruff coming to both Cambridge Junction and Bedford Esquires in December! Tickets go on sale at 10am Monday from See and local outlets (Bedford only). Get those potato fingers at the ready.

30/05/2024

**NEW SHOW**

We're super excited to have Smoove and Turrell coming to Bedford Esquires for the very first time on Friday 8th November! Smoove and Turrell are a funk & soul group hailing from Gateshead in the North East of England. The Geordie soul crew play a style of music they describe as 'Northern Funk' - a contemporary fusion of funk, soul, northern soul, hip-hop and electronica. They join us on their 'Red Ellen' tour, don't miss it - tickets on sale tomorrow at 10am from See, available from local outlets next Wednesday.

29/05/2024

Just a quick update on The Lottery Winners 'House Warming' event here in July. We only announced this last week, the joint, afternoon and evening tickets are now gone - very limited tix remain for the standalone shows! Available only at See - don't say we didn't warn ya x

28/05/2024

**NEW SHOW**

We are extremely excited to announce that we have secured a date with the incredible Tom Vek in October! Anyone who came to our weekly ‘Loaded’ club night at The Pad (RIP) will have heard us pumping out CC (You Set The Fire In Me) and Nothing But Green Lights on a weekly basis.

Tom’s first album, the cult classic ’We Have Sound’, was (and still is) one of our favourite albums from a period where indie-rock exploded on the airwaves and the dancefloor; a loosely based driving concept album that was a breath of fresh air and shot in the arm at the time. Tom has rarely toured over the years, so for us to be able to get a date here in Bedford is somewhat of a coup.

Following his recent self-released EP Confirm Yourself, Tom will head out on a 12 date UK tour, his most extensive for ten years You can access pre-sale by signing up to Tom’s mailing list.

After the avant-garde mix of sounds of Tom’s fourth album New Symbols, the Confirm Yourself EP saw a return to a raw guitar-based live sound. Always fiercely independent, Tom played every instrument, produced and mixed every track. The EP is a collection of self-assured personal mantras, indeed encouraging the listener to “Confirm Yourself” too.

Tickets go on general sale at 10am, Friday 31st May – available from Seetickets and Local outlets

28/05/2024

*NEW SHOW*

We're welcoming Maruja, a ferocious combination of punk and harsh noise, to Esquires on the 22nd November 2024. Tipped by Anthony Fantano, they have relentlessly honed their craft for the better part of a decade, pouring over every note with a precision that borders on the obsessive.

Their debut project, Knocknarea, is the highest rated EP of 2023 on Rate Your Music and Album of The Year.

Presale opens on DICE 30th May at 11am and general sale is from 10am on the 31st through SeeTickets and Local outlets.

27/05/2024

*THIS TUESDAY*
We are officially extending the Bank Holiday in our eyes with a gig on a Tuesday night, that's right a Tuesday ! The fun times keep rolling, with the return of Dutch 3-piece & former Ceremony headliners Pip Blom tomorrow evening 28th May. The band recently lost their drummer & turned it into a positive by releasing a banger of an indie disco-infused party album. If you've not heard their collaboration with Alex from Franz Ferdinand give it a spin!
The ticket buying public of Bedford Esquires have voted with their feet (and mouse) and there are just 30 tickets left for this show so if you want in head over to Seetickets and pick one up.
Support just added with the lovely Enjoyable Listens opening up.

25/05/2024

Over at Bedford Esquires throughout today is the annual FoodDrunk Festival 009: Street Food - Live Music - DJs - Pimms | Free entry

Thank you to the weather gods for blessing us with the only good looking day of the weekend!

Open midday, with our guest street food vans Crown & Heel Smash burgers, Fold Me Close Pizza and Taco Diablo. There are still around 20 tix left for the Family Silent Disco from 12.30pm and around 50 left for the 80s/90s/00s adult edition later.

DJs on the patio, bands throughout the day and free entry - pop down for a Pimms or five x