Live Review: The Wedding Present@Double Door 3/12/06

After retiring the Wedding Present moniker in 1997 to pursue his epic pop project Cinerama, David Gedge resurrected the "Weddoes" the last year for a brand new album and tour. Hardly a household name in The States, The Wedding Present are legends in the UK and are arguably one of the biggest indie pop acts to come of England outside of The Smiths. In their career, The Weddoes managed to chalk up 18 UK Top 40 singles, a feat undoubtedly helped by the fact that one of their biggest fans was the legendary BBC DJ John Peel. (“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) Leading his latest version of The Wedding Present, David Gedge pulled out a wide range of hits spanning the duration of his career at their recent Double Door show. Dating all the way back to 1985, The Wedding Present has always been a bit of a "one-man band," with a rotating cast of drummers, guitarists, etc. backing up Gedge through the years. This latest incarnation was no exception, and with a new youthful line-up in place, it almost liked Gedge was the "hip dad" singing and playing guitar with his kids' rock band. In fact, before introducing one of the Weddoes earliest singles, Gedge quipped, "this next song is almost older than our drummer." Superficial impressions aside, Gedge and his current Weddoes (Terry de Castro on bass/backing vocals, John Maiden on drums and returning guitarist Simon Cleave) did an admirable job of tearing through the entire catalog. Gedge may look a bit older these days, but he certainly hasn't lost any energy. Overall, the band was tight and wasted little time in between songs. Gedge made an occasional quip or anectdote here and there, but most of the time they went from song to song without hardly even a breather. I have to admit, I only recently became a fan of David Gedge's work a few years ago via Cinerama and I was still in grade school when The Weddoes debut album, George Best, was released, so I really have to basis as to whether Wedding Present '06 lives up to Wedding Present '86. I can't say that I was blown away by this recent peformance, but there's no doubt that Gedge is a great songwriter and still has plenty of gusto in him to keep the Weddoes going for a few more years. Check out more pics in RFC Live Photo Archive...