I went to see The Wedding Present at the weekend, for what my Songkick gigography tells me is the thirteenth time. By my reckoning, on at least eight of those occasions, including last Saturday, I've been accompanied by The Man Of Cheese. Indeed, in recent times it's become something of an annual pilgrimage for us. Gedge and whatever three musicians he's assembled around him always seem to deliver. This time out recent lead guitarist Jon Stewart was absent, as he was gigging with his day job, Sleeper, so a substitute guitarist was on duty, identified only as Rachel. She was mighty fine. Flanking David on the other wing was recent ever-present bassist Melanie Howard who, to her credit, has been in the band now longer than most in their storied history.
I'm not going to review the gig, or the night out. You know I love The Wedding Present, and you know that nights out with my oldest friend are always excellent. But I will bore you with some frankly low-quality phone camera shots from my usual perch off to one side of the stage, and the observation that although David is now 63, he can still give it some welly. Long may he continue.
Setlist.fm tells me that there was a good spread of songs during the evening, with only five coming from the recent 24 Songs, and with plenty of 80s and 90s classic to keep the long-time fans happy. Mel does the setlists, and she never lets us down.
And finally, a video for which I can take no credit, other than finding it on YouTube. Much as I love the new material, you still can't beat the full-on thrashed jangle of early tracks like these. Remember, people - you should always keep in touch with your friends.
Sounds like a great night; fabulous photos too. My knowledge of the WP stretches no further than George Best I'm afraid. But as TS might say, they make a splendid racket.
ReplyDeleteThey certainly do.
DeleteLike a fine wine,just improving with time. The Wedding Present aren't bad either....
ReplyDeleteHa! Very good, mate. Maturing like a fine old cheese, perhaps. See what I did there?
DeleteGreat stuff, Martin. Sounds like it was inevitable, but glad you had a great time. For many years, I wasn't that bothered by The Wedding Present. In 1996, my then-girlfriend (and huge fan of TWP) moved in with me. Accordingly to my (incomplete) gig list, I saw them live at The Fleece (& Firkin) in Bristol on 20th June 1996 and I fell in love with them from that moment on. I can hardly believe David Gedge is 63 but very glad that he and the band are still actively performing and releasing records. The world is a better place for it. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly right, the world is a better place for knowing that, on any given night, there's a good chance that Gedge and three friends are out there, somewhere, whipping up a jangly storm on some small stage or other.
DeleteGigography is a new word to me and one which I intend to adopt.
ReplyDeleteExcellent! I can recommend Songkick too - it certainly helps my failing mind keep track.
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