The Wedding Present frontman David Gedge is celebrating the Indie legends’ exciting new line-up with an audacious project.
With 24 Songs, the band will release a new seven-inch single every month throughout 2022, complete with original B-side.
Aberdeen fans will hear some of the recent material from 24 Songs when they headline The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen on Thursday April 28.
There is a sense of deja vu as The Wedding Present famously released a single every month in 1992 with each track reaching the top 40.
Whilst 24 Songs is a reinvention of a previous project it is also very much looking to the future with new guitarist Jon Stewart (Sleeper) key.
The band will also celebrate the 30th anniversary of ground-breaking Seamonsters, their third album, in the Granite City.
Singer and songwriter David said: “In 1991, The Wedding Present were rehearsing in a studio in Yorkshire.
“It was then 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 seven inches 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.
“During 1992, we managed to release a brand new seven inch single each and every month.”
A milestone in the history of the band
The first release on the 24 Songs series is a beautiful duet between David and Louise Wener (Sleeper) on We Should Be Together.
That track is coupled with Don’t Give Up Without a Fight.
The project is a bold project that mirrors the band’s successful attempt 30 years ago to match Elvis Presley’s record of 12 top 40 singles a year (1957).
In 1992 each single from The Wedding Present, in a limited edition of 10,000, was deleted soon after release.
The Wedding Present made four memorable appearances on Top of the Pops that year.
David said: “The Hit Parade went on to become something of a significant milestone in the history of the band.
“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 seven-inch 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.”
Refusing to take the ‘easy route’
In 2016 The Wedding Present released the critically-acclaimed double album Going, Going.
An ambitious concept album it was loosely based upon a trip across the United States.
Each of the 20 tracks on Going, Going was accompanied by a film.
The scope and ambition of Going, Going delivered one of the artistic highlights of the band’s near 40-year career.
Despite the artistic leap of faith of a double album, David admits releasing a single a month for a year can be a daunting prospect.
David said: “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 utterly inspired by the music that has been written since Jon and Melanie (Howard, bassist) joined the group.
“The thought of celebrating this exciting new line-up with an exciting new series has motivated us all.
“I suppose we also didn’t want any of these songs to be hidden away in the middle of an album.”
Seamonsters and Steve Albini
A refusal to travel the ‘easy route’ was shown in 1991 when The Wedding Present linked up with legendary producer Steve Albini.
The frontman of noise rock trio Shellac, Albini is renowned for his stripped back, abrasive sonics.
Prior to linking up with The Wedding Present Albini produced albums such as Pixies’ Surfer Rosa and Tweez by Slint.
He would go on to produce Nirvana’s final album In Utero in 1993.
Seamonsters was recorded over 10 days with Albini in Minnesota.
Now The Wedding Present will revisit that album on this tour.
However, David insists the sound of the songs have mutated since 1991.
He said: “I’m a great believer in the mentality that a song is never finished.
“You can always improve it and change little things.
“When you record the song it is a statement of how things are at that certain time.
“Then you go on and think wait a minute that chorus is too long – we should shorten it a little.
More ‘Seamonsters' shows imminent!https://t.co/XDZ99EwC8r pic.twitter.com/KF9lP6rdTb
— David Gedge (@weddingpresent) April 25, 2022
“It is not drastic changes but songs evolve all the time.
“I was a late arrival to the idea of playing old albums.
“I came to this philosophical conclusion that the band can exist in the present and the future at the same time as well as looking at the past.
“It is all part of the same continuum.”