The Pad Presents 

The Selecter / The Beat Feat. Ranking Roger

Bedford Corn Exchange, St Pauls Square

Doors open at 7.30pm

 2 Tone legends The Selecter and The Beat are teaming up to give fans a rare treat, hitting the road together for a number of dates around the UK, Ireland, Holland and Belgium in 2017. Originally a six-date tour, due to demand they added 8 more dates and now another 22 dates have been added in September, October and November!

Life-long friends, they are two of the main bands to come out of 2 Tone – a crucial musical and cultural movement which is still as relevant today as it was over 30 years ago. Renowned for their energetic live shows, longevity has not diminished either band’s ability to put in a performance and get everyone in a room, or field, dancing. Don’t miss arguably two of the best live bands around playing full sets of their many hits, and more each night.

The Selecter is led by their iconic frontwoman Pauline Black, alongside an incredible talented band of musicians, and co-fronted by original member Arthur ‘Gaps’ Hendrickson. The anarchic passion that fuelled Selecter gigs during the 2 Tone era is still there, except the pair (Pauline & Gaps) are more driven than ever. Their confidence is sky-high and they’re also writing the best songs of their career, which is saying something given the enduring popularity of hits like Three Minute Hero, Missing Words and On My Radio. Their latest album, Subculture, was mixed by UK dub-master Prince Fatty and released to critical acclaim in June 2015.

The Beat fronted by Ranking Roger released their spectacular fourth album Bounce (the first in over 30 years) in September 2016. The album shows off every gleaming aspect of one of the most musically diverse bands to come out of the multiracial, multicultural explosion that remade British pop from 1979 onwards. Joining Roger in the revitalised band is his son Ranking Junior AKA Matthew Murphy a powerhouse MC who brings to the band an update on the toasting that made Ranking Roger such a pivotal part of the original Beat. The same energy that drove the hit singles of the 80s; Mirror In The Bathroom, Stand Down Margaret and Too Nice To Talk To – is here again on the new album.

No strangers to Bedford Corn Exchange, this will be The Selecter’s 3rd visit to the venue packing it out in their own right in Feb 16.  The Beat feat Ranking Roger are no strangers to Bedford either headlining the River Festival in the past as well as a sell-out headline show at the Corn Exchange in 2011 with Neville Staple, as well as packing out regular club shows at Bedford Esquires.  The two bands touring together takes these shows to another level which has seen all the shows selling out up and down the UK.

www.bedfordcornexchange.co.uk