ALBUM: The Wedding Present ‘Going, Going…’

Rating:

Just over 30 years since David Gedge released their debut single all by himself, lumbering 500 records on a coach to a distribution company, and only 4 years since their last record, The Wedding Present are back with a brand spanking new 20 track LP.

Starting out with 4 instrumental tracks, from the outset The Wedding Present showcase their ability to instantly create an atmosphere for the rest of the record. Although, the fifth track is a very upbeat number which contrasts with the melancholy sounds that were created in the first four tunes. Having said that, ‘Two Bridges’ has a certain fever to it that’s hard not to catch, it’ll get you silently nodding your head to yourself straight away.

There are many different vibes being emitted from this record. Their eighties indie rock roots are still firmly planted within, but there are elements of punk sounds to the guitars in tracks such as ‘Wales’ and ‘Kill Devil Hills’ giving the tracks hint of The Pixies or The Buzzcocks. This isn’t to any extent a bad thing, if anything it’s nice to hear older bands take influence from artists that once dominated the music scene, instead of trying to keep up with the times.

For a band that have had more members than the Sugababes (19 to be exact) this is a really strong record. David Gedge really dominates these songs with his hard hitting, edgy vocals that you just can’t ignore, and the guitar sounds that have emitted from my speakers this afternoon flow really well into the current of the songs on this record. With 9 albums and 30 years of experience up their sleeve, it’s hard to come close to calling this a bad album.

Going, Going… is out now via Scopitones.

Jimmy Ingham