THEATRE OF HATE RESCUED BY THE PAD PRESENTS FOR ESQUIRES GIG

This weekend, Alt-Fest was supposed to swamp Kettering in a sea of goth and alt-metal with the arrival of the three-day Alt-Fest. But that event - set to feature headliners including The Cult and Marilyn Manson - was called off with less than three weeks to go. But not all is lost - Bedford promoting team The Pad Presents has pulled in two acts that were Alt-Fest bound, and has booked them to play at Esquires instead. Kirk Brandon's Theatre of Hate were welcomed onto the scene at the turn of the eighties, and their debut album was produced by Clash-man Mick Jones - that album went to the top of the independent charts where it sat, stubbornly for more than five months. The band was short-lived though, and in 1982 they imploded, and Kirk moved on to form Spear of Destiny with his TOH cohort Stan Stammers. There has been the odd live date over the years though, not least a gig at London's Roundhouse at the tail end of last year, at the invitation of The Damned. At Friday's (August 15) show, they will be joined by Leeds-based goth group (and fellow eighties players) Skeletal Family. For more information, or to make a booking call 01234 340120.