Another trip down my memory lane of my first days in campus radio. The Wedding Present deeply resonated with my early days in radio. From England, The Wedding Present had an urgency and power to their music I hadn't ever heard before. At the time, when I thought about powerful guitar, I thought about heavy metal. The Wedding Present had a different kind of power: a jittery, manic wall of guitar noise.
From Leeds, The Wedding Present broke through into the UK scene in 1987 with their first major label album George Best. The album was full short, driving Britrock songs with a distinct and sneering sarcasm and paranoia behind them. David Gedge, the one constant in the band over the years, provided the vocals that signified the bands sound, along with the spastic guitar. Gedge's vocals were a lot like Mark E. Smith of The Fall, insistent, sneering and decidedly weird. His lyrics reminded me of an punk version of Morrissey.
By 1989, their second album, Bizarro, launched them into the US market with aplomb. College radio latched onto them. With bands like Jesus and Mary Chain already establishing the loud guitar noise-wall that the UK became known for at the time, The Wedding Present fit right in. The two singles from this album were the excellent "Kennedy" and "Brassneck". Both were driving Britrock tunes with a jittery, paranoid edge. "Brassneck" was my favourite of the two
Their next album, Seamonsters, continued the trend. The band allied themselves with noted noisemonger Steve Albini at the time. The band still continues to release music, with Gedge the only surviving original member. They released Valentina in 2012 and are touring this year around the world.
