Forty years on from their formation, The Wedding Present has evolved into a soap opera with characters and storylines stitched together with aplomb by front man David Gedge. Gedge has been the ever present lead in the story of The Wedding Present; his knack for crafting storylines about lovelorn characters and their trials and tribulations of everyday life has made him one of the most distinguished songwriters in British popular music, even if it doesn’t get the exposure it deserves.
His style is quite unique: giddy, raspy but always humble. This humility has led to the evolution of a core fanbase that has packed Rock City in their droves. Tonight feels like an episode of This is Your Life as opposed to an average episode of EastEnders (which also celebrates 40 years this year) - a look back on what forty years has done to one of Yorkshire’s finest alternative voices, and to celebrate one of the few bands of the C86 era still performing material for all to appreciate.
For all the talk of The Wedding Present being a cult band, they boast 18 Top 40 singles - a feat achieved with some help from John Peel’s late night radio 1 show.
“It was in May 1985,” Gedge says, "between 10 and midnight when it all started for us”. It is quite a cliche, but it's true; lots of bands of this era have John Peel to thank for their exposure, even if it harps back to the old saviour narrative; itself rendered obsolete in today's era of streaming and instant gratification.
The Loft is on hand to provide support. Now, as cult bands go, The Loft is certainly one of those. It was at a gig at the legendary Hammersmith Palais that they split up mid-song in front of 3,000 people. As acrimonious as that was, you won’t be finding it happening here 40 years on. The Loft were one of the first bands signed to Alan McGee’s Creation Records, and it was this that helped them achieve relative acclaim.
Their set tonight is somewhat mild-mannered and tepid. While the small number of people at the front are there in appreciation, I’m surrounded by blokes staring desolately into their phones, scrolling at pictures of fancy cars or unopened WhatsApp messages. This is a common pet peeve for me at gigs: at least make some effort to pay attention!
The crowd is markedly spread out for a Rock City support set, and the lack of life among some is not wasted on the band, who reluctantly introduce themselves stating: “We’re the Loft, for those who've just arrived thinking who the f*** are these guys”.
Despite this, it is at least a solid effort for a band who have released new material for the first time in well over 40 years. It is an evening for celebrating such longevity.
Contrary to popular methods, Gedge set himself the mission of going through The Wedding Present in reverse order. Straight after finishing Two For the Road, the band’s latest release, he quips “this is going to be like an episode of Doctor Who, we’re going to work our way through time and head back to the start.”
While Gedge starts up his Tardis, it is important to plot the timeline line. Nine studio albums across 40 years is, in its own way, a form of space travel with Gedge leading us through as the master of his own galaxy. Moving across the galaxy, we become accustomed with Gedge and the different band members to have graced the stage. There have been 28 members over the years, and while that's not quite the amount in The Fall, it's still impressive.
Gedge introduces Rachel with his guitarist Rachel Wood (the track was inspired by another Rachel) who hails from Derby - something the crowd are happy to give feedback to with boos and whistles of camaraderie.
With that going on, Gedge takes us into warp speed with their distinctive guitar playing, the element of focus that has made the band more distinctive than Gedge’s vocal style. There is endless battle going on between axes and the use of a slide is the key weapon that creates a symphony of attrition. Behind this symphony is an endless cast of guitars that the crew member on stage must be secretly dreading having to hastily bring out after nearly every song. Each guitar it feels like has its own life; as if it is an individual member of the band in its own right. From more of the band’s modern era of spacey, Kraut-infused rhythmic patterns, we head back well into the 90s with a run of vintage material.
On the heady voyage to 1996, we head to Kansas with Gedge, in his dry yet coy manner, claiming “he is the worst guitarist in the band, just like the Ringo thing of him being the worst drummer in The Beatles.”
As we head back to 1990, Gedge wants to clarify if we say “Brassneck” or “Braarsneck” in this part of the country before leading into a barnstorming rendition of the aforementioned rattle-fest that gave them their sound. All around me are 50 somethings who have turned 21 for the night and engage in this non-stop pogoing that sends torrents of beer flying from ear to ear. This madness goes right on through into Kennedy and the choral chant of “too much apple pie” serenading around the room.
From the 90s, we head back to 1987 and the final waves from the bands’ acclaimed debut George Best. This is where the nostalgia trip meets its climax with My Favourite Dress then Everyone Thinks he Looks Daft with, as Gedge reminds us, its noted take of breath at the start.
This is the apex of the fusion of kitchen-sink drama and pop music together in a way that each story has its lovelorn take on life which anyone can relate to. We end tonight with Go Out and Get Em Boy!
And just like that, we complete the full circle.
The return to 1985 felt like the ultimate nostalgia crusade for some to the point that they never wished for it to end. However, as the clock strikes ten, and lights come on, we break out of the time warp and return to the 21st Century. If only we could get back into the Tardis and relive this all again…
The Wedding Present performed at Rock City on 11th October 2025, with support from The Loft.
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