Ten years on from their last visit, Leeds’ iconic Wedding Present returned to Chinnerys in Southend. The intention: to play their indie opus ‘Seamonsters’ in full.
A curious album to take on the road; where ‘George Best’ and ‘Bizarro’ lend themselves to youthful exuberance and righteous angst,’ Seamonsters’ turned to the introspection of the 30s with mere flashes of the rage that had carried them thus far in 1991.
It’s within that spirit that the audience largely gazed. On ‘Blonde’, Sarah’s Records and Nirvana’s pop-tinged grunge enters the affray; but it is Gedge’s forlorn protagonist that the audience has come to rejoice in. No matter how old and settled we become as an audience, Gedge has the ability to transport an audience back to their naive unrequited love days. Meanwhile, the gentle psychedelia of ‘Rotterdam’ in tandem with Gedge’s ability to wrap his unique voice around melody was truly life-affirming.
There are moments (with 30 years’ hindsight, of course) where their performance sheds light on how music travelled in the direction it did back then. Opener ‘Dalliance’ walks proud with Wedding Present identity, but raises a glass to early Andy Bell guitar licks and in the closing stages, Swervedriver’s future roar lurks on the horizon. ‘Dare’ also takes from their archetypal ‘Bizzarro’ sound to the precipice of grunge and shoegaze. It may at the time have been seen as a departure from what made people fall in love with them. But in 2022, it sounds like a band that knew which way the wind was blowing and had the creative nous to propel their vision beyond their humble start.
They do, of course, dip in and out of those modest beginnings with ‘My Favourite Dress’ sounding as vital as ever and ‘Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft’ remaining one of the most fun anthems ever written.
Whilst being a night of nostalgia, the true beauty of ‘Seamonsters’ is it’s sonic of introspection and self-reflection. It gives everyone the breathing space for an hour; to ponder life, love, and loss, which, post-covid is akin to therapy.
The Wedding Present were never a force of nature but, they are a force to be reckoned with. They have an emotive power many would kill for. Long may they continue.