Bedford’s iconic Esquires to be included in community ownership campaign as landlord decides to retire
The venue which has brought you some of the most iconic bands needs your support to secure its future.
Following a successful campaign in 2023 which raised £2.88 million and saved venues in Atherton, Preston, Newport, Swansea and Dover, Music Venue Properties (MVP) is at it again.
And this time, it has our very own Esquires in its sights.
As part of MVP’s groundbreaking Own Our Venues project, it’s calling on music lovers and the people of Bedford to take action in order to protect the the Greyfriars grassroots venue.
And it couldn’t come at a better time for Esquires’ director Gareth Barber, who said: “Unfortunately, we face the real prospect of Bedford not having this venue within the next five years. Our landlord has decided to retire, and we are unable to extend the lease.
"The reality is the venue sits on prime development land and any prospective buyer will undoubtedly want to do the unthinkable. Without being part of Own Our Venues, there is no feasible way of being able to raise enough money to keep the venue for the town, which would rip the heart out of the community.
"With MVP behind us we can continue to grow, with a solid foundation for our future.”
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, Esquires has most definitely earned its iconic status.
For this writer who spent most of the 90s in the venue, it was a must for any Brit Pop or Acid Jazz fan under the direction of Neil Primett and Kevin Bailey.
On my doorstep, I got to see The Bluetones, Echobelly, Sleeper, Ocean Colour Scene, The Farm, Dodgy, to name a few – plus a very young Supergrass.
I was even lucky to see Olive, and Freak Power with Ashley Slater and Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim to you and me).
Hosting tens of thousands of performances across its three rooms, the venue has also welcomed Muse, Coldplay, Elbow, Franz Ferdinand, Wolf Alice, and Biffy Clyro.
It’s even played a pivotal role in launching Bedford talents like Tom Grennan, Don Broco, and Alfie Templeman. Suffice to say, I’m a fan.
MVP is a charitable community benefit society created by the Music Venue Trust (MVT).
So how does the Own Our Venues initiative work?
Well, it focuses on removing grassroots music venues from vulnerable commercial leases by placing them into community ownership. The aim is to provide long-term stability to venues that are essential for fostering local talent and providing cultural value to existing, local infrastructure.
The ‘cultural lease’ provides long-term security by offering stability that typical commercial leases – averaging just 18 months – cannot. These leases ensure fair, sustainable rent, annual contributions toward essential maintenance, and ongoing support in areas such as financial sustainability and operational best practice.
The community share offer opens today – May 15 – and close on July 31. Visit the website to find out more and pitch in.
The other six venues are in Stoke-on-Trent, Southampton, Bristol, Nottingham, Newcastle and Brighton.