LIVE AT THE BEDFORD

8:30 PM MARK SHEPHERD

Mark Shepherd is a singer-songwriter from Cambridge with a strong, distinctive baritone, and a dark brand of folky, thought provoking Acoustic Rock/Americana that explores the stygian side of life with a rough warmth sure to stay with you long after you finish listening.

“Americana, as you’d expect, is pretty much the preserve of the Americans. Mark Shepherd, a very clever Englishman indeed, provides a glorious, emotional and insistent offering of the highest standard.” – Fireworks Magazine

Mark has featured on BBC Introducing and a host of radio stations and blogs. Performances all over the UK and USA have included The Cambridge Folk Festival, Cambridge Rock Festival, Camp Bestival, London: 02 Academy Islington, Borderline, 229 the venue, The Islington, The Spice of Life… New York: Rockwood Music Hall, The Bitter End, Pianos, Arlene’s Grocery, and many more. A musical omnivore, Mark grew up listening to Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel, Jimi Hendrix as well as Miles Davis, Kraftwerk, Devo, and Gary Numan. School bands led to a recording deal with a label that went bust before the band’s music was released. Mark played in local rock bands for several years and in 2017 released his first solo acoustic album, “Bad Man”. He followed it up with a string of releases: The Grand Scheme of Things EP (2019), and singles She Didn’t Answer (2019), The Grand Scheme of Things (2019), Driving (2020), Devil in The Mirror (2021). I Wish I Knew and World on Fire were released in 2022 on The Animal Farm label. 2023 has so far produced two singles – Would You Help Me and Don’t Stop Walking. More are coming.

The music was enthusiastically received on BBC Introducing and BBC Cambridge who invited Mark for sessions.
“Awesome!” – Tom Simkins, BBC Introducing

Pre-Covid, Mark made trips to the US twice a year, performing a host of gigs in small venues from New York to Austin and the Bay area, recording a session for Radio Free Brooklyn and drawing favourable comparisons to artists as different as Paul Weller, Garth Brooks, and Danny Vaughn.

Find out more here!

9:30pm SAMFIRE

London singer, songwriter, and producer Samfire has a fresh experimental sound which is accompanied by her ethereal voice and thoughtful lyrics. She oozes authenticity making her music easily relatable. Her mother working in the classical music industry fueled Samfire’s passion for music early on. After being encouraged by a teacher to take lessons to strengthen her talent, she attended the school choir as a soprano. This filled her with a love for harmonies and a rich epic sound which has translated beautifully in the music that she makes now. Taking her obvious calling for music seriously, Samfire started an indie-pop band with a university friend (who were picked up by BBC Introducing as upcoming artists) called With What Eyes.

Now taking on the journey by herself, she is set to release her EP Time, debuting her one-of-a-kind sound. Influenced by artists such as FKA Twigs (particularly her industrial-sounding beats), Lana Del Rey, and Kate Bush, you can be assured that Samfire’s music is sonically pleasing. Her music introduces you to a sound that will purposefully provoke your thoughts and move you to feel new extremes of emotion. Although Samfire is spirited and imaginative, she is also quite private. Although, through her music she is able to safely tackle her thoughts and actualize them in a healthy way, satisfying the daydreamer inside of her.

Find out more here!