Released via Clue Records, The Wedding Present return with the fifth volume in their critically-acclaimed series of Marc Riley Sessions. First launching in 2016, these sessions have been celebrated by longtime fans and new listeners alike for their immediacy, uniquely capturing The Wedding Present’s trademark urgency and spontaneity. While reaffirming the band’s status as one of indie rock’s most beloved and consistent acts, the Marc Riley Sessions serve as a fascinating chronicle of The Wedding Present’s continued evolution. “This fifth volume in our series of live recordings made for Marc Riley’s BBC Radio programme is particularly interesting because – with sessions from 2019 and 2023 – it straddles not only the COVID pandemic but also our 24 Songs series. For the latter we re-enacted the ‘twelve singles in a year’ idea that The Wedding Present had first used in 1992 for the Hit Parade. So, on this record, you can hear both early versions of songs that went on to be released as singles, together with later versions of songs that had already been released! It’s also notable for hearing us have a go at two cover versions – Magazine’s ‘A Song From Under The Floorboards’ and Low’s ‘Canada’ – together with a version of our own ‘Sports Car’ where I relinquish control over the lead vocal for once.” - David Gedge

TRACK LISTING

1. Don’t Give Up Without A Fight
2. Crushed
3. A Song From Under The Floorboards
4. Telemark
5. Canada
6. We All Came From The Sea
7. Sports Car (Alternate Vocal Version)
8. Science Fiction

Originally released in on 23 October 1989, The Wedding Present’s second studio album, Bizarro, marks its 35th anniversary this year. It is home to two of their biggest tracks – Brassneck and Kennedy, their first UK Top 40 hit. The band are touring Europe and the UK with special Bizarro 35th anniversary shows in September and October. This release is on biovinyl, a more environmentally sustainable product as it doesn’t contain any petroleum content.

TRACK LISTING

1. Brassneck
2. Crushed
3. No
4. Thanks
5. Kennedy
6. What Have I Said Now?
7. Granadaland
8. Bewitched
9. Take Me!
10. Be Honest

Originally released on Island Records in September 1994, it was the first album the group had made for the label and has long been a fan favourite.

For many, The Wedding Present are the very epitome of indie. Formed in 1985, the group rose to prominence as part of the so- called C86 scene (a free NME cassette that showcased new bands of the era), with their fast-paced jangle-pop and intelligent lyrics by founder and only band constant David Gedge.

Signing to Island Records, the group – at this point Gedge, guitarist Paul Dorrington, bassist Darren Belk and drummer Simon Smith – went to Seattle to record with producer/engineer Steve Fisk, known then for his work with the fabled Sub- Pop label. As a result, Watusi is both razor sharp and slyly commercial, as typified by its singles, the poptastic Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah and the Monkees' ramalama of It's A Gas. There is much to enjoy beyond – especially the tender confessional Big Rat and the reflective garden party drama Gazebo. Both underline John Peel's comment that Gedge had written "some of the best love songs of the rock'n'roll era."

No other Wedding Present album comprises such an eclectic array of material, thoughtfully arranged and consistently strong. The ghostly heartache waltz of 'Spangle', the tautly groovy 'Let Him Have It', 'Catwoman's' Velvet Underground zone- out, the surf strains of 'Hot Pants'... all would demand inclusion on a Wedding Present best-of. Most captivating of all was 'Click Click', a hypnotic duet of sexual compulsion...

TRACK LISTING

So Long, Baby
Click Click
Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah
Let Him Have It
Gazebo
Shake It
Spangle
It's A Gas
Swimming Polls, Movie Stars
Big Rat
Catwoman
Hot Pants
Le Bikini
Flame On
Him Or Me (What’s It Gonna Be?)
Jumper Clown
It’s A Gas (Acoustic Version)
Bubbles
Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah (Alternate Version)
Spangle (Alternate Version)
Gazebo (Alternate Version)
So Long, Baby (Alternate Version)
It’s A Gas (Single Version)
So Long, Baby
Click Click
Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah
Let Him Have It
Gazebo
Shake It
Spangle
It's A Gas
Swimming Polls, Movie Stars
Big Rat
Catwoman
Hot Pants
Le Bikini
Flame On
Him Or Me (What’s It Gonna Be?)
Jumper Clown
It’s A Gas (Acoustic Version)
Bubbles
Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah (Alternate Version)
Spangle (Alternate Version)
Gazebo (Alternate Version) 
So Long, Baby (Alternate Version)
It’s A Gas (Single Version)

Formed in 1985, the group rose to prominence as part of the so-called C86 scene (a free NME cassette that showcased new bands of the era), with their fast-paced jangle- pop and intelligent lyrics by founder and only band constant David Gedge.The group built on the critical and commercial success of their debut album, George Best, and, in 1992, made headlines with their cunning ruse of issuing a single a month, all of which made the UK Top 40.

Signing to Island Records, the group – at this point Gedge, guitarist PaulDorrington, bassist Darren Belk and drummer Simon Smith – went to Seattle to record with producer/ engineer Steve Fisk, known then for his work with the fabled Sub- Pop label. As a result, Watusi is both razor sharp and slyly commercial, as typified by its singles Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah and It's A Gas. There is much to enjoy beyond – especially the tender confessional Big Rat and the reflective garden party drama Gazebo. Both underline John Peel's comment that Gedge had written "some of the best love songs of the rock'n'roll era."

For lovers of grunge- based indie with generous dashes of melody, Watusi is a must-have.

It is presented with scrupulous attention to the detail of the original UK first pressing and available in audiophile 180gm vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

So Long, Baby
Click Click
Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah
Let Him Have It
Gazebo
Shake It
Spangle
It's A Gas
Swimming Polls, Movie Stars
Big Rat
Catwoman
Hot Pants

Throughout 2022, The Wedding Present’s ‘24 Songs’ series saw the legendary indie band release two new tracks a month as double A sided 7”s, ultimately creating a much-sought-after box set. David Gedge has now re-curated full-length versions of all twenty-four tracks for a new compilation album that will also comprise five bonus recordings including one featuring The Wedding Present’s first guitarist, Peter Solowka.

‘24 Songs’ was a doff of the cap to The Wedding Present’s ‘Hit Parade’ project of 30 years previous. That series proved to be a real milestone for the band with them becoming only the second-ever artist to achieve twelve Official UK Top 40 hits in a calendar year – at the time something that only Elvis had achieved!

David Gedge says: “When it came to compiling the ‘24 Songs’ album, I decided not to sequence the tracks in chronological order. With six sides of vinyl, you have six ‘beginnings’ and six ‘ends’ to play with, and I felt that the opportunity to build some kind of a musical journey was too good to miss! Listening back to this collection, I have to say that I genuinely believe that, for this project, The Wedding Present have recorded some of the best tracks in our history. I loved releasing the singles, but it’s satisfying to have them all rounded up together.”

“The idea of releasing another collection of twenty-four tracks did initially seem quite daunting,” admits David Gedge in the deluxe-CD sleeve notes but, with Jon Stewart (also of Sleeper) having joined the band at the end of 2019 and their subsequent writing partnership flourishing, he began to feel confident that they would be able to produce a year’s worth of music. And, with one of the UK’s most influential independent record labels by their side in Clue, a key partner to EMI North who will be distributing the record - there was no looking back.

TRACK LISTING

24 Songs
1. I Am Not Going To Fall In Love With You
2. Memento Mori
3. That Would Only Happen In A Movie
4. We Interrupt Our Programme
5. We Should Be Together
6. Strike!
7. Science Fiction
8. Summer
9. Each Time You Open Your Eyes
10. We All Came From The Sea
11. Monochrome
12. Kerplunk!
13. Don’t Give Up Without A Fight
14. X Marks The Spot
15. You’re Just A Habit That I’m Trying To Break
16. Plot Twist
17. Whodunnit
18. A Song From Under The Floorboards
19. Telemark
20. Astronomic
21. Go Go Go
22. Once Bitten
23. La La La
24. The Loneliest Time Of Year

5 Songs
25. White Riot
26. Panama
27. Jump In, The Water’s Fine [Japanese Edit]
28. We All Came From The Sea [Utah Saints Remix]
29. Teper My Hovorymo

Deluxe DVD:
Featuring The Band Playing Live During The ‘24 Songs Launch’ Event At The Old Market, Hove, In January 2022, Plus A Fascinating Fly-on-the-wall Documentary Filmed As The Songs Were Being Written, Arranged And Recorded. 

Final one in the series.

Penultimate release in the series.

It is the third studio album by the British band and was recorded in 10 days in America with producer Steve Albini, which gave the album a rougher, harsher overall sound than the group's earlier albums. It was well received on release and has continued to be featured in critics ‘Best Of’ lists such as The Guardian’s 1000 Albums To Hear Before You Die (“ one of the most excoriating, exhilarating British indie albums of (the 90s)”.

The package includes the studio album alongside the 3 Songs, Dalliance, and Lovenest EPs plus the John Peel BBC Radio 1 Session from 1991 featuring versions of four songs from the album.

The expanded artwork has been put together by Hitch, the original designer, and the whole project has been overseen by the band’s leader David Gedge.

TRACK LISTING

ORIGINAL ALBUM
SIDE A
1 Dalliance
2 Dare
3 Suck
4 Blonde
5 Rotterdam
SIDE B
1 Lovenest
2 Corduroy
3 Carolyn
4 Heather
5 Octopussy

EPs AND SESSION
SIDE C
1 Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)
2 Crawl
3 Corduroy (Single Version)
4 She's My Best Friend
5 Niagara
6 Mothers
SIDE D
1 Dan Dare
2 Fleshworld
3 Dalliance (John Peel BBC Radio 1 Session Version)
4 Heather (John Peel BBC Radio 1 Session Version)
5 Blonde (John Peel BBC Radio 1 Session Version)
6 Niagara (John Peel BBC Radio 1 Session Version)

2022 marks the 30th Anniversary of the original Hit Parade single releases, where The Wedding Present released a limited edition 7” single every month throughout 1992 with each making the UK Top 30, equalling the then record of Most UK Top 30 Hits in a year set by Elvis. An original Gedge composition on the a-side of each single was accompanied by a cover version on the b-side encompassing a wide range of artists from Neil Young and The Go-Betweens to Isaac Hayes and Elton John.

We are releasing a 2LP vinyl set collecting together the A and B-Sides of all 12 of the 7” singles. The vinyl package also includes CDs of all 24 tracks. The newly configured artwork drawing on the original 7” sleeves has been put together by Hitch, the original designer, and the whole project has been overseen by the band’s leader David Gedge. In addition to the 2LP release we will also be releasing an updated version of the 2CD product with the new artwork.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A 
1. Blue Eyes 
2. Go-Go Dancer 
3. Three 
4. Silver Shorts 
5. Come Play With Me 
6. California 
SIDE B 
1. Flying Saucer 
2. Boing! 
3. Love Slave 
4. Sticky 
5. The Queen Of Outer Space 
6. No Christmas 
SIDE C
1. Cattle And Cane
2. Don't Cry No Tears
3. Think That It Might
4. Falling
5. Pleasant Valley Sunday
6. Let's Make Some Plans
SIDE D
1. Rocket
2. Theme From Shaft
3. Chant Of The Ever Circling Skeletal Family
4. Go Wild In The Country
5. U.F.O.
6. Step Into Christmas

Originally released for RSD2019 The Single That Never Was’; ‘Davni Chasy / Katrusya’. A rollicking, Ukrainian folk song with the usual Wedding Present thrashy brilliance, the song was initially set for release in 1988 when The Wedding Present were signed to RCA but the band felt the song was not appropriate for their first single on a major label, and with test pressings already in existence, that band pulled the single. Fast forward 30 years and ‘Davni Chasy / Katrusya’ finally gets its well-deserved release. Remastered for the first time, the 7” includes artwork re-designed by Jonathan Hitchen, designer of the original 1989 ‘Ukrainski Vistupi’ LP artwork.

 Locked Down And Stripped Back Volume Two features home recordings of Wedding Present classics along with a previously unreleased song: ‘That Would Only Happen In A Movie’.The first volume in the series came about when David Gedge’s annual festival At The Edge Of The Sea went ‘virtual’ in 2020 and the band recorded semi-acoustic versions of songs to be streamed. An album of the tracks was compiled and released due to popular demand. The same thing happened the following year and so Volume Two features tracks initially recorded for 2021’s online festival. There’s a bevy of guest stars on this second album! Jon Stewart [of Platinum-album-selling Sleeper fame] reprises his new role as Wedding Present guitarist but is joined here by some Wedding Present members of old. Peter Solowka, from the band’s first line-up appears on ‘Nobody’s Twisting Your Arm’ playing his second instrument, the accordion, while Hit Parade guitarist Paul Dorrington contributes to a re-working of the Top 30 single ‘Blue Eyes’. Long-time Wedding Present bass player Terry de Castro returns to infuse the album with her own unique style, while current Wedding Present bass player Melanie Howard takes over the lead vocal duties on a beautiful version of 1986’s ‘At The Edge Of The Sea’. Last, but certainly not least, Amelia Fletcher – backing vocalist on George Best and Bizarro – also returns to the party! As on the first volume, each musician recorded and filmed their parts at home and, as before, it is fascinating to see how stripped-back arrangements bring out different aspects of these brilliant songs.

TRACK LISTING

1. Brassneck
2. No
3. Careless
4. Nobody’s Twisting Your Arm
5. What Have I Said Now?
6. Perfect Blue
7. Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft
8. That Would Only Happen In A Movie
9. At The Edge Of The Sea
10. Blue Eyes
11. Dare
12. Octopussy

24 Songs. A new project from The Wedding Present. A new 7” single every month throughout 2022. 24 Songs sees David Gedge writing with legendary Sleeper guitarist Jon Stewart for the first time, and a more perfect union could not have been predicted. The notion of a monthly 7” single is not new to The Wedding Present, but 24 Songs shows us that even classic concepts can be reinvented. The series also continues the band’s association with photographer Jessica McMillan, who has created stunning images and films as a visual accompaniment to the recordings.

Explaining 24 Songs, David Gedge said: “In 1991, The Wedding Present were rehearsing in a studio in Yorkshire when we hit upon an idea that immediately thrilled us all. Our bass player [Keith Gregory] had been a member of the ‘Sub Pop Singles Club’ - a service that allowed subscribers to receive 7”s released by that Seattle label on a monthly basis. Keith wondered if we, as a band, could attempt a similar thing. In that instant, The Wedding Present’s Hit Parade series was born and, during 1992, we managed to release a brand new 7” single each and every month.

“The Hit Parade went on to become something of a significant milestone in the history of the band and it’s a project about which I’m often asked. As its thirtieth anniversary approached, I began to wonder if we should celebrate it in some way. A ‘Hit Parade Part 2’ didn’t feel quite right, though. Then, someone said to me: “Other bands have released music in similar ways but there has been nothing like the Hit Parade.” And they were right! A 7” single a month seems, somehow, very ‘Wedding Present’.

So, inspired by that little idea from three decades ago, we’ve embarked on this new project, 24 Songs. “Even though The Wedding Present have never been known for taking the easy route, the idea of recording 24 tracks and releasing them in this way could seem daunting to any band. However, I’ve been inspired by the music that has been written since Jon and Melanie joined the group. The thought of celebrating this exciting new line-up with an exciting new series has motivated us all… and I suppose we also didn’t want any of these songs to be hidden away in the middle of an album!”

A new project from The Wedding Present. A new 7” single every month throughout 2022. 24 Songs sees David Gedge writing with legendary Sleeper guitarist Jon Stewart for the first time, and a more perfect union could not have been predicted. The notion of a monthly 7” single is not new to The Wedding Present, but 24 Songs shows us that even classic concepts can be reinvented. The series also continues the band’s association with photographer Jessica McMillan, who has created stunning images and films as a visual accompaniment to the recordings.

Explaining 24 Songs, David Gedge said: “In 1991, The Wedding Present were rehearsing in a studio in Yorkshire when we hit upon an idea that immediately thrilled us all. Our bass player [Keith Gregory] had been a member of the ‘Sub Pop Singles Club’ - a service that allowed subscribers to receive 7”s released by that Seattle label on a monthly basis. Keith wondered if we, as a band, could attempt a similar thing. In that instant, The Wedding Present’s Hit Parade series was born and, during 1992, we managed to release a brand new 7” single each and every month. “The Hit Parade went on to become something of a significant milestone in the history of the band and it’s a project about which I’m often asked. As its thirtieth anniversary approached, I began to wonder if we should celebrate it in some way.

A ‘Hit Parade Part 2’ didn’t feel quite right, though. Then, someone said to me: “Other bands have released music in similar ways but there has been nothing like the Hit Parade.” And they were right! A 7” single a month seems, somehow, very ‘Wedding Present’. So, inspired by that little idea from three decades ago, we’ve embarked on this new project, 24 Songs. “Even though The Wedding Present have never been known for taking the easy route, the idea of recording 24 tracks and releasing them in this way could seem daunting to any band. However, I’ve been inspired by the music that has been written since Jon and Melanie joined the group. The thought of celebrating this exciting new line-up with an exciting new series has motivated us all… and I suppose we also didn’t want any of these songs to be hidden away in the middle of an album!”

24 Songs. A new project from The Wedding Present. A new 7” single every month throughout 2022. 24 Songs sees David Gedge writing with legendary Sleeper guitarist Jon Stewart for the first time, and a more perfect union could not have been predicted. The notion of a monthly 7” single is not new to The Wedding Present, but 24 Songs shows us that even classic concepts can be reinvented. The series also continues the band’s association with photographer Jessica McMillan, who has created stunning images and films as a visual accompaniment to the recordings.

The Wedding Present, recorded and filmed at the Ritz, Manchester, on 9 November 2012. This double disc release includes both a CD and a DVD of the concert. Following the release of Seamonsters in 1991 the Guardian newspaper noted that: “Engineer Steve Albini has given The Wedding Present considerable weight, with Gedge’s voice trickling between banks of scowling guitars” and went on to feature the LP in its list of ‘1,000 albums to hear before you die’. Despite its uncompromising sound the album reached No. 13 in the British album charts and has been hailed as a classic.

TRACK LISTING

01. End Credits
02. Sports Car*
03. The Girl From The Ddr
04. You Should Always Keep In Touch With Your Friends
05. My Favourite Dress
06. Don't Touch That Dial*
07. Deer Caught In The Headlights
08. Dalliance
09. Dare
10. Suck
11. Blonde
12. Rotterdam
13. Lovenest
14. Corduroy
15. Carolyn
16. Heather
17. Octopussy
18. Click Click
19. What Have I Said Now? *DVD ONLY

'Tommy' is a compilation album by The Wedding Present, originally released in 1988, collecting songs from the band’s first four singles, plus four tracks recorded for BBC Radio sessions. Bringing together material written in the band’s first two years of existence, 'Tommy' proved that The Wedding Present’s essence was in place from the start. These kinetic blasts of homespun high-velocity bedsit drama presaged the more finessed 'George Best', but represented the band’s definitive portrayal.

TRACK LISTING

1 Go Out And Get Em Boy!
2 (The Moment Before) Everything Spoiled Again
3 Once More
4 At The Edge Of The Sea
5 Living And Learning
6 This Boy Can Wait
7 You Should Always Keep In Touch With Your Friends
8 Felicity
9 What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted?
10 Never Said
11 Every Mothers Son
12 My Favourite Dress

'George Best' is the debut album by The Wedding Present, originally released in 1987. Hugely anticipated, 'George Best' saw indie heroes The Wedding Present refine the blitzkrieg pop brilliance of the band's early singles into a nuanced styled that was distinctively theirs: heartbreak at the bus stop, set to the soundtrack of a million jangling guitars. 

TRACK LISTING

LP Tracklisting
Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft
What Did Your Last Servant Die Of?
Don't Be So Hard
A Million Miles
All This And More
My Favourite Dress
Shatner
Something And Nothing
It's What You Want That Matters
Give My Love To Kevin
Anyone Can Make A Mistake
You Can't Moan Can You?

CD Tracklisting
1 Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft
2 What Did Your Last Servant Die Of?
3 Don't Be So Hard
4 A Million Miles
5 All This And More
6 My Favourite Dress
7 Shatner
8 Something And Nothing
9 It's What You Want That Matters
10 Give My Love To Kevin
11 Anyone Can Make A Mistake
12 You Can't Moan Can You?
13 All About Eve
14 Getting Nowhere Fast
15 Nobody's Twisting Your Arm
16 Nothing Comes Easy
17 Don't Laugh
18 I'm Not Always So Stupid
19 Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now?
20 Not From Where I'm Standing
21 Give My Love To Kevin (Acoustic Version)
22 Getting Better
23 Pourquoi Es Tu Devenue Si Raisonnable?

The Wedding Present, recorded and filmed at the Atomic Café, Munich, on 24 October 2010. This double disc release includes both a CD and a DVD of the concert. Of the original Bizarro release, Allmusic says: The Wedding Present's second proper studio album, Bizarro, cut down a bit on the frenetic jangle the band was known for in its early days and replaced it with healthy doses of darkness and power. Adding some fuzzy, crunchy distortion to give the guitars some hefty impact, slowing the tempos down to speeds that allow vocalist David Gedge to squeeze more heartbroken despair and bleak sarcasm out of every line, and generally upping their game in every way, the album was the fullest realization of The Wedding Present's sound yet. Leading off with the unstoppably hooky ‘Brassneck’ which features a brilliant Gedge reading of lines that rhyme "grow up" and "throw up," the album plays like a collection of thematically related singles.

The most single-y among them is ‘Kennedy’ which has some brilliant sing-along lyrics and an intensely dramatic guitar strum buildup that crescendos into a maelstrom of sound. The rest of the record isn't far behind; whether it's the sparse ‘What Have I Said Now?’ or the slowly grinding ‘Bewitched’ one could extract any song and it would feel like a highlight - even the epic-length ‘Take Me!’ which closes the album in a fury of strums, drum fills, and chugging bass that builds and builds until it seems like the song is going to levitate and take the listener right along with it. The Wedding Present didn't necessarily need to improve their already winning template, but they did and it pays off big time on Bizarro

TRACK LISTING

01. Heather
02. What Did Your Last Servant Die Of?
03. Interstate 5 [Dvd Only]
04. End Credits
05. Real Thing
06. Mystery Date
07. Brassneck
08. Crushed
09. No
10. Thanks
11. Kennedy
12. What Have I Said Now?
13. Granadaland
14. Bewitched
15. Take Me!
16. Be Honest.

April, 1985. At the very moment when the first few notes of ‘Go Out And Get ’Em, Boy!’ twinkle out of BBC Radio 1’s John Peel show to herald the birth of The Wedding Present, David Gedge is listening intently at home along with the population of late teens that would become his ardent fans. In the beginning, The Wedding Present were resolutely not an album band. In fact, David had often been quoted as saying that they would never release an LP. Pleased to have recorded and released that debut single... they just started on the next one. This continued for a couple of years, while the band went from organising their own concerts in pubs around Leeds to playing at Glastonbury Festival. That all changed, of course, when George Best became The Wedding Present’s first album in 1988. But Tommy – released one year later – was made up of the early songs from the singles and radio sessions that had catapulted them from being bedsit musicians into indie darlings: ‘Go Out And Get ’Em, Boy!’ with its purposefully super fast guitars, ‘You Should Always Keep In Touch With Your Friends’ – an anthem for those long time Wedding Present fans, ‘My Favourite Dress’ – the only single in the collection that ended up on George Best – the classic, fraught tale of losing one’s first love that perfectly played on the heart strings and began David Gedge’s legacy of understanding everyone’s heartbreak.

Tommy 30 – a brand new re-recording of Tommy – did not come about simply as a ‘follow on’ to George Best 30. The band felt – during a Tommy 30th anniversary concert tour – that the songs had grown and evolved. Enter a more confident vocalist... an altogether growlier guitar. A bigger sound. The urgency of a 25 year old Gedge is replaced with a charming vocalist with years of experience. Everything’s warmer and, maybe, gentler... but in a satisfying way. It’s like your old friends have come home to see you. You’ve all changed, you’ve all had broken hearts... but you’re all still friends and you still enjoy each other’s company after all these years. "The boy Gedge has written some of the best love songs of the 'Rock 'n' Roll' era. You may dispute this but I'm right and you're wrong!" - John Peel 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: There's no denying that the Wedding Present are one of the most respected and long-running bastions in indie music, and 'Tommy' was seen by many as their finest point. This 30 year reissue (30!?) is just as essential as the day it came out, and comes in a lovely indies-only blue vinyl version to brighten up the place too. Get on it.

TRACK LISTING

1/Go Out And Get ’Em, Boy!
2/(The Moment Before) Everything’s Spoiled Again
3/Once More
4/At The Edge Of The Sea
5/Living And Learning
6/This Boy Can Wait
7/You Should Always Keep In Touch With Your Friends
8/Felicity
9/What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted?
10/Never Said
11/Every Mother’s Son
12/My Favourite Dress 

A band with a history that’s inextricably intertwined with the BBC and in particular the late BBC DJ John Peel, an early champion of the band, the ‘Marc Riley Sessions’ series echoes the famous Peel/Selwood releases on the Strange Fruit label that included BBC sessions from the likes of New Order, Buzzcocks, The Cure and Echo & The Bunnymen.

An avid Wedding Present fan himself, Riley, with his team of producers, has formed a close bond with The Wedding Present’s David Gedge and the band. “The release of the Wedding Present sessions done for our 6 Music programme over the years is something of an honour. In the great tradition of the Peel / Selwood releases on the Strange Fruit label, this record proves that, even without John, the BBC can still be a place where great bands can continue to grow and be creative... amongst friends.”

Having received critical acclaim for releases 1 and 2, ‘Marc Riley Sessions Volume 3’, features 9 tracks recorded for the awardwinning BBC Radio 6 Music show in 2015 and 2016. “The two sessions on this compilation feature many songs that appear on ‘Going, Going...’ the studio album that The Wedding Present released in 2016. ‘Going, Going...’ itself was an extensive audio-visual project recorded over the space of eighteen months in Provence, Liverpool and Seattle. By the time of the 2016 session, however, the album had been completed and had actually been released the previous week. Consequently, The Wedding Present were touring the UK (playing ‘Going, Going...’ in its entirety) and so, in-between our Cardiff and Gateshead concerts, we stopped off in Salford to record some tracks for Marc. As a result, you can hear the ‘live’ feel in these performances. This was a band that was literally on the road!”, says David.

The album also features two glorious cover versions including a heartfelt cover of the theme music from the fifth James Bond film, ‘You Only Live Twice’. “I’ve always been fond of recording cover versions and there a couple of great ones on this LP. In 2015 we had a go at John Barry and Leslie Bricusse’s ‘You Only Live Twice’ - and enjoyed it so much that I’m now planning a compilation of Bond covers to be released on my label, Scopitones”, says David. The second cover is the off-kilter ‘Jumper Clown’, a Marc Riley composition. “Marc’s band The Creepers released this song – which poked fun at his previous band’s singer [Mark E. Smith from The Fall] – in 1983 and The Wedding Present covered it eleven years later for the B-side of our ‘It’s A Gas’ single. We decided that an unannounced rendering for a live session while Marc himself was sat in the room watching would be a great surprise to spring on our DJ pal. We managed to keep the whole thing secret with the help of the show’s producer Michelle. This involved hastily rehearsing and sound-checking the song whenever we got the nod from the recording engineer that Marc was out of earshot!”, says David.

TRACK LISTING

A. Recorded 04/11/15
1. Ten Sleep
2. Broken Bow
3. You Only Live Twice
4. 1000 Fahrenheit

B. Recorded 08/09/16
1. Rachel
2. Bear
3. Jumper Clown
4. Kill Devil Hills
5. Santa Monica

Four classic covers recorded for ‘One Music with Huw Stephens’ 19th July 2006

“The release of The Wedding Present sessions done for our programme over the years is something of an honour. In the great tradition of the Peel/Selwood releases on the Strange Fruit label this record proves that even without John the BBC can still be a place where great bands can continue to grow and be creative… amongst friends.”

TRACK LISTING

1. Step Inside Love
2. Lovin’ You
3. Our Lips Are Sealed
4. Back For Good

The Wedding Present release a four track instrumental EP called ‘Home Internationals’ on the El Segell del Primavera record label.

‘Wales’ is taken from The Wedding Present’s recent and critically acclaimed album ‘Going, Going...’ while the other three tracks have been specially written and recorded for this release.

David Gedge was inspired by the challenge of writing a number of instrumental tracks for ‘Going, Going...’ and decided to use ‘Wales’ as the starting point for an EP of further instrumental pieces.

Freed from the restriction of a lyrical narrative the music frequently becomes more experimental and delves deeply into David’s love of pop, rock and film scores for inspiration.

“Going, Going... is a remarkable album. A joy from start to finish” - Louder Than War.

The EP was also inspired by the ‘Home Internationals’ which was an annual football competition between the United Kingdom's four national teams: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (the last of whom competed as Ireland for most of the competition's history).

It started in 1883 and is the oldest international football tournament in the world. The competition ended in 1983 after 100 years.

TRACK LISTING

Scotland
Northern Ireland
England
Wales

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2014 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

The Wedding Present’s 'Record Store Day' releases seem to have become something of a little obsession for David Gedge. The yearly 10” EPs make him little profit; he just gets the satisfaction of singing and recording in other languages… and producing Extremely collectable records. In 2012 he tried his tongue at French and 2013 brought us his Teutonic warblings. This year, he’s really gone all out… this 10” vinyl only release has been sung in Welsh! A big fan of Wales and the Welsh in general, David doesn’t actually speak the language, but this didn’t stop him. He called in renowned Welsh actor, Andrew Teilo, who translated and created demos of four existing Wedding Present songs. David then travelled to Penarth where he and Andrew recorded the vocals with some recording expertise from Arwyn Davies. They kept the Welshness going with a little help from Andrew's fellow actor, Llinor ap Gwynedd, on backing vocals. The songs [recorded in the same session as the recent album, ‘Valentina’] are different from the songs on the other two ‘language’ EPs from Record Store Days past… and include the charming ‘Valentina’ album track ‘Meet Cute’. There were a few little hiccoughs during the translation from English into Welsh… the first song, 1000 Fahrenheit, had to be translated into Welsh as 10,000 (Deng Mil) Fahrenheit... not because there is no word for 1000, but apparently it just sounded better! Perhaps the songs all sound better in Welsh! All Welsh album next time Mr. Gedge?! The band will be promoting the release of ‘EP 4 Cân’ with a performance at the 'Wales Goes Pop’ festival in Cardiff during the evening of April 19 following an acoustic set at Spiller’s Records during the afternoon.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. 1000 Fahrenheit [Welsh Version]
2. Meet Cute [Welsh Version]

Side B
1. Journey Into Space [Welsh Version]
2. Can You Keep A Secret? [Welsh Version]