Q: So tell me, what was the moment you first embraced the chaos of Beyblades?
Someone else in Bedford advertised a meme tournament in 2023 and their post went viral so they had to do it. They kept their identities secret. Buying lead-filled beyblades for 50p from Pound Stretcher, filling them with solder and nearly poisoning myself.
THE EXCITEMENT OF THAT SUMMER, DESPERATELY SEARCHING FOR BEYS AND PRACTICING A BRAND NEW THING WITH NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOOD OR WHAT WOULD WORK, IT WAS DESPERATE AND SUNNY AND WE DANCED AT RY (BEDFORDS SADLY DEPARTED UNDERGROUND DANCE CLUB) TWICE A WEEK, MAGICAL TIMES.
Q: And when did you first realise Beyblades and raves belonged together? Tell us about the creation of Bedford Beyblades.
THEY ASKED IF WE COULD CARRY IT ON AND WE WANT EVERY EVENT TO BE BETTER AND NEVER DO THE SAME THING SO EVERY TIME IT SEEMS MORE OUT OF HAND, WE LOVE DRUM N BASS AND WITH THE ONLY CLUB IN BEDFORD THAT CATERED TO THE RAVE SCENE SHUTTING DOWN WE KNEW WE HAD TO STEP UP SO PEOPLE DIDNT JUST SIT IN THE PUB GARDEN FOR £50 A NIGHT
Q: What story do you think Bedford Beyblades tells about Bedford itself?
The tournament shows that Bedfordians and those who come from elsewhere want to create a motley crue. We have ravers, hippies, gamers, goths and roadmen. Bedford loves silly gimmicks and people of all ages (18+) are choosing to be less embarrassed about taking part in unconventional things.
Q: What’s the story behind choosing Longholme Bridge as your battleground?
THE BEST PART OF OUTDOOR RAVES IS THE WORST PART OF INDOOR RAVES, RAVERS AND AUTISTS LOVE THE SMOKING AREA AND SPEND THEIR WHOLE NIGHT THERE, AND THAT OFTEN LEAVES A DJ PLAYING TO AN EMPTY FLOOR (VERY OFTEN IT HAS BEEN JUST US TWO BUSSING ALONE) UNDER THE BRIDGE YOU ARE ABLE TO SMOKE AND CHAT UNDER COVER THAT CRADLES THE SOUND QUALITY WITH FRESH AIR SO EVERYONE IS HAPPY, CAVEMAN LIKE EAT BREAD AND CHEESE AND DANCE BY FIRE TO DRUMS.
Q: You've previously described Beyblading as a “danger sport.” What’s the most dramatic thing that’s happened at one of your events?
Definitely just the mere presence of Danger Dave…
Oh and our Beyblade bouncer falling in the river during a baptism, but he managed to preserve his packet of cigarettes.
Q: Do people really “bring anything that spins”? Do you have any stories for us?
YEAH FUREAAL, BIG TOM’S RIPPED MATE BROUGHT AN ORIGINAL SPINJITZU ZANE AND IMMEDIATELY LOST, ALSO GOT A GREAT VIDEO OF THIS ONE DREMEL SAWBEYBLADE THAT THANKFULLY FAILED ITS RIP EVERY TIME BUT IT DID SKANK INTO THE CROWD LIKE TWICE.
Q: We also use absurdity marketing in our promotion. Your events promise everything from fire to becoming a Mormon. What about this kind of marketing makes your brand really special or unique?
Most events take themselves too seriously AND NONCHALANCE IS KILLING US!!! WHEN DJS AND THEIR FRIENDS ONLY STAY TO SUPPORT THEM THEN LEAVE THE LATER DJS WITH NO SUPPORT ITS SAAD. IF THE EVENT IS INSANE TILL THE LAST THEN WE CAN KEEP ENERGY MOMENTUM AND INTEREST AT 1000 UNTIL I LOSE MY VOICE AND SOCIAL BATTERY AND NEED A QUIET SIT DOWN. People also always ask if our events are real and we can confirm at the horror of the Mormon Church that two of their finest Mormons let it rip under the bridge.
Q: What does “LOOK AFTER YOURSELF AND YOUR TOWN” mean in practice to your Bedford Beyblades community?
YOU CANNOT BE A GOOD WHOLE WITHOUT BEING A GOOD SELF, YOU GOTTA JUMP UP AND DOWN AND RUN AND FROLIC DAILY TO DRAIN THOSE LYMPH NODES, AVOID SEED OILS AND ADDITIVES POISONING YOU AND LETTING YOUR ILL HEALTH AND DISRUPTED HORMONES SOUR YOU AGAINST EVERYONE AROUND YOU. WE ARE ACTING TOO COOL FOR EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE BECAUSE WE ARE TOO SICK AND TIRED FROM SHIT HEALTH AND BRAINROT AND THAT MAKES EVERYONE ELSE WANT TO EAT SHIT AND BRAINROT AND WE ARE (I AM WRITING THIS FROM A TENT ON THE BEACH IN A STORM) ANYWAY POINT BEING LOOK AFTER YOURSELF AND YOU WILL HAVE ENERGY TO BE ACTIVE IN IMPROVING THE LIVES OF THOSE AROUND YOU, YOU WILL HAVE PATIENCE TO LET PEOPLE GO AHEAD OF YOU, YOU WILL HAVE TIME TO LISTEN TO PEOPLE THAT NEED SUPPORT, YOU WILL HAVE THE STRENGTH TO FIX PROBLEMS ON YOUR OWN.
Q: How do you want people to feel when they leave one of your tournaments?
We want people to feel that they have taken part in an event where no one is judged and everyone is encouraged to take part. Lots of people, especially younger ones feel awkward going to events. They might like the music, the beyblades or both but for everyone we strive to make them feel comfortable by making our events as participatory as possible. We have ketchup, Orbeez and bouncy ball rounds. Live music can be enjoyed without having to dance for 8 hours (although that is our favourite and people do love bussing it at the tourneys). Ultimately, we want our ravers to have a sense of fulfilment in the community they have helped create because we know so many people are depressed and feel that there is nothing to do. We also want our local venue, Six’s, to feel that we are bringing a new diverse group of people into their venue and that random events can be successful. As for our DJs, we hope that we are giving them the confidence and exposure that they very much deserve.
Q: And finally, how do you see your events fitting into the broader scene?
We think that our events are focused on alleviating the struggles of local venues and DJs. Our only DnB club closed down over a year ago, so many of the DJs who play for us used to play at the clubs Open Deck nights. We like to give our DJs as much free reign as possible, as long as it’s fast we don’t care! However, I think our biggest difference from the broader dance scene is that we really encourage sober raving and this in turn brings a more diverse bunch of people to our raves. We have people come to the tournaments who are technically on their first night out and those who are 38 and having been raving since they were teens. We also would LOVE to do a little thing at Boomtown one year!
I HOPE WE MAKE IT OBVIOUS ANYONE CAN THROW A RAVE, PRINT POSTERS AT THE LIBRARY THAT YOU MADE ON SNAPCHAT, CAPCUT IS FREE TO MAKE SILLY REELS TO POST ON INSTA, SHIA LA BEEF WAS RIGHT, JUST DO IT!!!!!
LOTS OF LOVE FROM ICEBREAKER AND BEYBLANDIT IN A TENT ON THE BEACH WHERE THE SUN HAS JUST COME OUT BYE.
