Review: This ageing ‘Sk8ter Boi’ still has a crush on Avril

The sun was shining, people were smiling, it was the perfect day for Avril Lavigne to kick off this year’s Bedford Summer Sessions – and what a gig it was.

While live music in Bedford Park is no new thing, the recent takeover of the former Bedford Park Concerts by Cuffe & Taylor in 2022 has given them a glow-up that really kicked in this year.

2023’s gigs, with a new set-up to feature garden areas and the promise of bigger acts, certainly gave us a taste of what was to come. This year though, even with only one gig ticked off, it feels like they’re really going to deliver.

First of all the garden and VIP areas have been moved to the other side of the stage, with an entrance alongside Park Avenue, leaving the Pavilion Cafe relaxed and free from larger crowds.

The space they used last year is now home to the accessible platform which, along with BSL signers for every act, means everyone can come along and enjoy the show.

MC Sam Roberts, who most of you will know from previous gigs or as host of many a Bedford Blues match and dinner, got the crowd in the mood as first support Phem kept the momentum going and got things off to a great start.

Described as a Los Angeles-based genre-blending artist, Phem soon had the crowd in the palm of her hand as she belted out sing-a-long tracks such as ‘Sorry Mama’ and ‘Cheerleader’ and a very cool cover of Wheatus’s loser Emo anthem ‘Teenage Dirtbag’.

Despite Phem only being joined on stage by drummer/guitarist ‘Max’ the wall of sound from them both really got Bedford Park in the mood and it just kept getting better and better.

Thom is the king

A lot of Bedfordians will already be aware of second support The Lottery Winners. They played our own river festival a few years ago and Esquires has been home to them while on tour a couple of times too.

However, playing the Bedford Park stage, if lead singer Thom is to be believed, was the pinnacle.

“I woke up at Glastonbury this morning and now I’m on stage at Bedford, life doesn’t get better than this,” he said.

What followed was a wonderful mix of humour and blinding live music as Thom, Robert, Katie, and Joe took us through what it means to be human.

Stand-out tracks were ‘Letter to Myself’, ‘You’re Not Alone’ and ‘Burning House’, the lyrics of which connected with me in a way that seems a bit too personal to be a coincidence.

Joking with the crowd, his bandmates, and Marie the BSL signer, Thom’s presence captivated us all as he spoke of struggles growing up with neurodivergence, and entertained us with a hilarious rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody that I’m certain Freddie Mercury would have loved.

I’d recommend you check out their album ‘Anxiety Replacement Therapy’ if you haven’t already (it got to number one in the UK album chart) and see if you can get your hands on some tickets to see them at Bedford Esquires as they’ll be back in town on 26 July.

And there was a little bit of gig serendipity at play too. Bassist Katie picked up a guitar when she was younger because she was inspired by seeing Avril Lavigne playing a guitar, and here she was now sharing a stage with her.

Emo Princess

The main event was coming and by now 15,000 people had taken their places to see the emo princess, Avril Lavigne, in our little (not shit) town of Bedford.

It already felt surreal seeing her name alongside a place where I have walked my dog and (used to) go for a run. But now, there she was on stage telling me that SHE wanted to be MY girlfriend (OK, maybe not but one can dream).

What a start. 15,000 people singing along, “Hey, hey, you you…”, this was going to be a great gig.

As those of us who have been there from the start were transported back in time, the unison of us all joining in with ‘Complicated’ the song that kicked it all off was spine-tingling and gave me goosebumps.

I remember seeing Avril at Brixton Academy in 2003, and while that was new, fresh, and I suppose more relevant, this time it felt much more exciting and the big smile on her face was perfect proof that she was joining us in having the time of her life.

Avril then took us through her journey from 17 to today, all part of her greatest hits tour, acknowledging many of her fans are now in their 30s and older, she’s now 39 herself, and that there’s a new generation of rebellious girls and boys connecting with her lyrics.

She invited some of them on stage to help her and Phem (who came back on briefly) to cover Blink 182’s ‘All the Small Things’, and then treated us to a packed setlist with old favourites and newer tracks to a back-drop of old MTV videos and interviews.

Even once the main set was done, a three-track encore with Avril all dressed in white ended the night in true emo fashion with the broken-hearted ‘I’m with you’, the crowd singing back telling her that they always would be.

Thanking the crowd for a great night, and a “blessed life”, Avril said that coming from a small Canadian town she feels privileged to be able to travel the world, and it’s thanks to the fans who have supported her career.

New friends

There were times when it felt like Avril wasn’t talking to a crowd of thousands but instead having a personal moment with every individual there.

Fans came from all over to see her and while I spoke to ecstatic visitors from Leicester, Devon, Kent, and two from as far away as Japan, it was her local fans who were really blown away.

“Avril’s in Bedford, we can’t believe it,” said a group of new friends who formed a friendship in Bedford Park last night thanks to their shared love of Avril. “I was 12 when ‘Complicated’ came out and now Avril is here on our doorstep, it’s mental’.

And that’s what I love about live music so much, those four girls singing their hearts out, dancing like there is no tomorrow, and just having the time of their lives is what going to gigs is all about.

They each came with one friend and now they have two more to share this memory with. Sometimes you may go to a gig alone, but as The Lottery Winners Thom said, “You can end up going home with 15,000 new friends”.

TK Maxx presents Bedford Summer Sessions continues tonight with Jess Glynne and then next week with gigs from Sir Tom Jones, Pete Tong Ibiza Classics, James and Nile Rodgers & CHIC.

Tickets are available here.

Transparency: The reviewer was given two garden tickets as part of the review process