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It was a curious
feeling walking into the Wedgewood Rooms. The gig was sold out, it was the first
time The Wedding Present had played in the South for over eight years and yet....
it was all a bit low-key. And
before you even got to the auditorium there he was. David Gedge - the inspiration
behind the Wedding Present - in the lobby, beside the merchandise stall happily
posing for fan photos and signing autographs. It
was almost a personal welcome back to long time followers of the band - "lovely
to see you back again - hope you enjoy the show." Well almost. But
there was a feeling that it was some kind of reunion. It could have been a sci-fi
convention. Swap the trekky turtle necks for an original George Best T-shirt and
bingo - a Wedgewood room full of enthusiasts.
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| Go
out and get em boy! | And
it was definitely a bloke thing. A few had duped their partners into accompanying
them ("it'll be great - you'll love them") but for the most part it
was thirtysomething indie-boys fondly remembering their greasy fringes. And
so to the music. One thing you can be sure of when you see the Wedding Present
is that they'll be reliable - and occasionally sensational. Opening
with the first track from the new album, Interstate5, they played a selection
of classics and new material, with the odd Cinerama track thrown in.
Once More, Kennedy and particularly Crawl all still simmer with the frustrated
passion that typifies the Present sound. But
despite the passion there was still an unmistakable air in the audience of comfortable
well-being. It was like rereading your favourite book. We all knew what to expect
and contentedly waited for the Present to deliver. There
was even an outbreak of ill-advised moshing when the opening bars of the George
Best gem My Favourite Dress started ching-chinging into life. It soon ran out
of puff though - along with it's ageing participants.
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| Nobody
knows...? | Alongside
the old favourites, the new tracks stood up well. As well as Interstate5, the
final track from the new album Take Fountain, shows that The Wedding Present still
crave contemporary credit. "Let
me know when Snow Patrol write a song as good as that", boasted Gedge. It's
true, he's not setting his sights too high - but Perfect Blue is a great track,
full of the I'm-sorry-I'm-not-sure-it's-not-fair lyrical theme that has characterised
most Present material. He's
still miffed about something isn't he?. For
the most part though the between-songs banter was good-natured and witty - and
it's difficult not to warm to the sheepish cheerfulness of the front man. The
finale was the highlight. Dalliance and Dare - the first two tracks from Seamonsters
and What Have I said Now from Bizarro. There's
no doubt Gedge still means it. Whatever his gripe, it still spurs him and his
band into some exhilarating guitar music. And
of course - no encore. Before most people had shuffled to the exit, Gedge had
slipped out stage-left and was back at the merchandise stall to send his followers
on their way. For
the initiated - a terrific show. For newcomers - and there couldn't have been
too many of them - a band that knows what it does best and sticks to it.
What
did you think of the gig? Have your say on our Music
Message Board. | 
