The Wedding Present

Wednesday 23rd of November will mark the fourth time I have seen The Wedding Present but the first time I have seen them as the headline act. With the release of their ninth album Going, Going… ,an album which was generally well received by myself and fans alike, the band have announced an abundance of dates spread across the UK, Ireland and Europe.

As a band that have been active since 1985, it is inevitable that the line-up has changed over time. They have been fronted by David Gedge since formation; taking on the role of rhythm guitarist, vocalist and principle songwriter. It is fascinating to see how much the band have matured since the release of their first low-budget album George Best, released by their own record company Reception Records. From early on The Wedding Present embraced poignant, conversational lyrics that depicted love stories whilst fully utilising the amalgamation of effect-driven and clean sounding guitars in their music. The music was frenzied in tempo and spirited in its deliverance. Since the band’s reformation in 2004 they have taken on a much more reserved approach, notching down the pace of the music and focusing on melody and the strength of the composition. Both ‘eras’ of The Wedding Present are astounding; I can assure you, having seen them three times prior, they’re bound to delve into old territory as well as showcase the masterfully new.

Going, Going… is reminiscent of Radiohead’s A Moon Shaped Pool in the sense that all tracks are interlinked and form an extended oeuvre to match up with its beautiful album artwork. Nine albums is a lot to ingest, but if you listen to them in chronological order you will experience the increased maturity and changes the band have made. You don’t have to have been around in the 1980s to appreciate what The Wedding Present have contributed to music.

If you intend on coming to The Lemon Grove, just don’t wear an R.E.M top – Gedge isn’t a fan!