Few bands are so ingrained into the notion of the BBC radio session as The Wedding Present. Long time favourites of the late, great John Peel, David Gedge and his band appeared regularly on that legendary presenter’s BBC Radio 1 show and have continued their association with “Auntie” by performing many unforgettable sessions on the popular ‘Marc Riley Show’ on BBC Radio 6 Music.

Due to the popularity of these sessions, The Wedding Present, in conjunction with Hatch Records and the BBC, have joined forces to produce a trilogy of releases featuring every momentous track performed for Marc’s award-winning show over a ten-year period. Marc Riley Sessions Volume 2, released October 6, includes songs taken from no less than eight of the band’s celebrated albums, including Seamonsters, the record-breaking Hit Parade releases and band’s most recent album, the critically acclaimed Going, Going...

Over twelve tracks [performed across three sessions from 2012, 2013 & 2014] the undeniable song writing brilliance of David Gedge is clearly evident. From the bounding, propulsive recklessness of ‘Back A Bit... Stop’ (Valentina) to the harsh edges and sudden tempo changes of ‘Heather’ (Seamonsters), The Wedding Present’s bass-driven, muscular riffs are a constant theme throughout. Gedge’s bittersweet lyrics and honest take on love are highlighted in such tracks as ‘The Girl From The DDR’ (Valentina) and ‘Little Silver’ (Going, Going...). Other memorable moments include a frenzied cover of The Monkees' ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday’ and a rapturous performance of ‘Flying Saucer’ [both taken from the Hit Parade series of singles] along with a rousing ‘It’s A Gas’ and a heartfelt ‘Spangle’ - complete with an apologetic Gedge clearing his throat mid-verse - from the Watusi album.

The Wedding Present are set to perform their ninth studio album Going, Going… in its entirety at the historic Cadogan Hall, London on the 14th October. For this special ‘one-off’ performance, The Wedding Present will be joined by a full string section, 20-piece choir and video projection screen showing accompanying short films. Support for the evening comes from David Gedge’s ‘other’ band Cinerama, The Membranes and Such Small Hands.

Tracklisting:

Tracks 1-4             Recorded 19/11/12

                                Back A Bit… Stop (Valentina 2012)

                                Heather (Seamonsters 1991)

                                You Should Always Keep In Touch With Your Friends (Tommy 1987)

                                The Girl From The DDR (Valentina 2012)

Tracks 5-8             Recorded 21/10/13

                                Flying Saucer (Hit Parade 2 1993)

                                Two Bridges (Going, Going… 2016)

                                Pleasant Valley Sunday (Hit Parade 1 1991)

                                Montreal (Saturnalia 1996)

Tracks 9-12           Recorded 3/11/14

                                It’s A Gas (Watusi 1994)

                                Spangle (Watusi 1994)

                                Birdsnest (Going, Going… 2016)

                                Little Silver (Going, Going… 2016)

Preston welcomed The Wedding Present for the first time since 2010, for two sell out shows at the New Continental. A capacity of 220 gives you a good idea of the intimacy of these gigs and also why they sold out so fast! 21 songs on each night, with only 7 played twice…mostly from the most recent album Going, Going… .

'Go Out And Get ‘Em Boy' (night one) and 'You Should Always Keep In Touch With Your Friends' (night two) from the Tommy compilation plus a smattering of crowd pleasers from George Best ('My Favourite Dress', 'Give My Love To Kevin', 'A Million Miles' and 'Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft' being your reviewer's personal highlights) were all played as if they were brand new songs, crackling with energy and David Gedge singing like he still meant every word. Their cover version of 'Mothers' is as brilliant as ever…Gedge must wish he wrote that song! Requests from the crowd are met with the Gedge standard response “we don’t do requests, what do you think I am, a jukebox?”, delivered with a smile.  The easy going vibe continues with the Wedding Present facts of the day, delivered in typically ramshackle fashion.

Its testament to the consistency of the song writing across the years that tracks like 'Interstate 5', 'Click Click' and 'Flying Saucer' along with all the aforementioned early material sit perfectly next to tracks from the much later albums Valentina ('Deer Caught In The Headlights') and Going, Going… ('Secretary', 'Kill Devil Hills', 'Fordland', 'Emporia', 'Lead' and 'Ten Sleep'). To close, we're treated to 'Brassneck' on night one and 'Kennedy' on night two. No encores, of course.

It would be easy to dismiss the Wedding Present as indie favourites from the '90s meandering through past glories. It would also be nonsense. The band that Gedge has assembled around him bring a freshness to old songs and deliver quality new ones. The most recent album is among their best and these two shows are up there among my favourite Wedding Present shows. Catch them while you can.