RDGLDGRN,
with Karl Phillips And The Midnight Ramblers, Zedo And The Method, Gingerbread Men.

Bedford Esquires Lev 2 Thursday 16th May 2013.

Never afraid to take a risk in their selection of bands, The Pad Presents scored a direct bullseye tonight with their presentation of RDGLDGRN. Hailing from Washington, DC, this trio are nameless, known only as Messrs Red, Gold and Green. They are joined onstage by a drummer (sadly not Dave Grohl who played drums on the band's recent album recording) and an extra guitarist/percussionist. As well as rubbing shoulders with rock royalty, RDGLDGRN had the added extra services of Pharrell Williams who co-wrote half of the album. Green does most of the communicating and is assisted by Gold. As they position themselves on stage, the former beams a broad smile and graciously gives a loud shout out to all of the preceding bands; "That shit was awesome". He adds that "so far it has been a great trip to the UK".
Obviously, Bedford is the smallest and least known tour date for our American cousins, but I sense that by the end they will remember their trip here very fondly. The room is packed and contains such a party atmosphere and it's only a Thursday! This collective really do mix their music styles. It seems to be indie rock coalesced with hip-hop in a local Washington DC sort of way and this musical brew is truly amazing. With an almost singalong feel to "Doing The Most", the groove laden waves cascade over everyone present. As Green sings "Bang Bang" he suddenly pauses and shouts "Hey dude!" to one member of the crowd before inviting the initially reluctant individual to join them onstage. Several more people are given the opportunity to sing "Zoom Zoom". Gold seems to be the joker in the pack as he gets an already hyped up crowd yodelling in unison "adi adi adi ayo ayo" before embarking on "ole, ole ole ole...".
With "Hey ya", "Build a home" and "Girls", the latter with a heavy intro, their spiky rock guitars display such an understanding of soul fusion lineage. Quite simply, if this groove fails to massage your yin meridian then your pulse must have stopped. The two songs most known to the audience (because of RDGLDGRN's recent Jimmy Kimmel TV show appearance, seen in the UK courtesy of Youtube) are saved for the finale. "I love lamp", which sparked Mr Grohl's initial interest, is met with so much crowd reaction. They sway and join in with some "wo, wo, wo, wo's". This break up song is almost an indie vignette of yore and is pure and unassuming. It strives to tell a story rather than sound egocentrically uber-hip. They save "Million fans" until last. This is a complete rapper's delight and naturally everyone present here laps it up. They certainly know this one. As well as being one of the most original bands that I have seen at Esquires for a long time, RDGLDGRN were such lovely people. They endlessly signed autographs and had their photos taken, especially with the tall, cool and charismatic Red with those amazing long flowing dreads. Nothing was too much trouble for them. A memorable show.

Main support comes from KARL PHILLIPS AND THE MIDNIGHT RAMBLERS. The inimitable KP sets Esquires alight with his non-stop incendiary wordfire. A performance that instils pride in the hearts of his fans and loathing in the bowels of his detractors. Indeed, I could swear I almost heard duelling pistols being loaded! One such member of the front row does feel his wrath. His rapping matches the relentless dynamic of The Midnight Ramblers. The lyrics are to the point, at times humorous, but not too aggressive. The songs act as a snapshot of life lived at the crossroads of hope and hate. KP's dry sardonic humour is best encapsulated by his song introductions such as "this song's dedicated to me and it's called the f**king Drug Song"! "Radio" goes out to "all the haters" and "Okey Dokey" is by "quite a decent writer"! With two local bands appearing before KPATMR, this Bucks/Northants band certainly dismantled the Bedford 'love in' developing. With The Ramblers rocking out courtesy of RATM at the close, it's nice to see these likeable lads are a proper band. Real drums and no laptop - that's keeping it real. Energising!

Although known for his many appearances with local sensations The Wholls, this is ZEDO AND THE METHOD's first gig with his new band. Zedo is truly excited and booms out "This is it Bedford, you know what time it is". The six piece is made up from some of Bedford's finest musicians and features the divine vocals of Daniela. These contrast well with the main man's rapping and the sax and keyboards give it a broad range. A heady cocktail for sure. A quality beatsmith, Zedo has both his feet firmly in the hip-hop pool, but The Method sees everyone dipping their toes into soul and funk. His EP entitled "Something you can vibe with" sums up everything perfectly with the highlight being "Things ain't the same". This is a set that charms the clubbers as well as the gig goers. A fine debut performance that they should be proud of. A big up to them all!

Opening are MC's Framework Dopey and Junior Canavan, otherwise known as GINGERBREAD MEN. They are joined for this show by a guest DJ. After debuting at the recent Jebs gig, this pair seem more confident tonight. The set flows well but it doesn't exactly set the night on fire. However, it is good to see this genre of music getting maximum exposure at Esquires. For far too long it has been neglected but the underground