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Indie legends The Wedding Present formed in 1985 in Leeds, England, by members of The Lost Pandas. The band has been led by vocalist and guitarist David Gedge, the band’s only constant member.

Closely linked to the C86 scene, the band has charted a total of eighteen singles in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart, including a historic run of twelve singles – one for each month – in 1992, which tied Elvis Presley’s record for most top 40 hits in a single year.

David Gedge often calls Watusi The Wedding Present’s ‘lost album’ because it has never been quite as readily available as the others. But it could also be called their ‘Marmite’ album; it polarised opinion like no other release. Watusi was the first time that the band committed to their lo-fi pop sensibilities… bravely eschewing their usual snarling guitars.

By 1994, The Wedding Present had departed their frenetic jangly beginnings [George Best and Bizarro] and travelled, via Steve Albini’s intense production on Seamonsters and the twelve Top 30 singles of their Hit Parade series, to the welcoming arms of legendary producer Steve Fisk. Fisk’s pop-punk world centred in the underground scene of Seattle, Washington and, indeed, Watusi features two notable female singers from Seattle’s pre-grunge era… Heather Lewis [Beat Happening] and Carrie Akre [Hammerbox]. Recording in Seattle in 1994 thus proved to be yet another ‘ahead of their time’ move from The Wedding Present!

Oh, and before you say that you’re one of those people who didn’t like Watusi when it came out… think again! No other Wedding Present album comprises such an eclectic array of material, thoughtfully arranged and consistently strong. The ghostly heartache waltz of ‘Spangle’, the tautly groovy ‘Let Him Have It’, ‘Catwoman’s’ Velvet Underground zone-out, the Monkees ramalama of ‘It’s A Gas’, the poptastic ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah’, the surf strains of ‘Hot Pants’… all would demand inclusion on a Wedding Present best-of. Most captivating of all was ‘Click Click’, a hypnotic duet of sexual compulsion…

The band will be playing all 12 tracks from Watusi on their May 2024 tour, along with a large smattering of their other landmark works.