2022:
The Wedding Present are releasing 12 singles throughout 2022 in a call back to 30 years previously when they released The Hit Parade singles. To find out more, see here: https://scopitones.co.uk/archives/8911.
In an interview with the Yorkshire Post (https://tinyurl.com/mt773vue) on 6/1/22 David Gedge explained what differences there are with this project compared to the one in 1992. He said: “There are some differences: in that series it was an original on the A-side and a cover on the B-side, this time it’s 24 songs, there are some covers but it’s mainly originals, and you’re not getting the numbers on the front. It looks different and feels different, but essentially it’s a 7in single every month.”
On January 21st 2022, subscribers got a double A-side, We Should Be Together/Don’t Give Up Without a Fight, the first track of which featured Sleeper frontwoman Louise Wener. On February 18th, the second release contained new song I Am Not Going to Fall In Love With You and a cover of Magazine’s A Song From Under the Floorboards. The third single, which came out on March 18th, had two new originals, Go Go Go and La La La. On April 15th, the fourth single combined Monochrome along with a new version of You’re Just a Habit That I’m Trying to Break which was previously released on the Locked Down, Stripped Back album in 2021. On May 20th, the fifth single was released featuring X Marks the Spot backed with Strike! The sixth single, released on June 17th was Once Bitten along with Kerplunk! July 15th saw the release of We Interrupt This Programme backed with Telemark. On August 19th we got Each Time You Open Your Eyes backed with That Would Only Happen In A Movie. September brought the new originals We All Came from the Sea b/w Summer. On 21st October, Astronomic c/w Whodunnit was released. November’s single was Science Fiction c/w Plot Twist. December’s was The Loneliest Time of Year c/w Memento Mori.
- We Should Be Together / Don’t Give Up Without A Fight (21/01/22)
- I Am Not Going to Fall in Love With You / A Song From Under the Floorboards (18/2/22)
- Go Go Go / La La La (18/3/22)
- Monochrome / You’re Just a Habit That I’m Trying to Break (15/4/22)
- X Marks The Spot / Strike! (20/5/22)
- Once Bitten / Kerplunk! (17/6/22)
- We Interrupt Our Programme / Telemark (15/7/22)
- Each Time You Open Your Eyes / That Would Only Happen In A Movie (19/8/22)
- We All Came From The Sea / Summer (16/9/22)
- Astronomic / Whodunnit (21/10/22)
- Science Fiction / Plot Twist (18/11/22)
- The Loneliest Time of Year / Memento Mori (16/12/22)
There are live versions of most of these songs available to view on YouTube.
Background:
In an interview with NME.com in May 2021, David said about a new album: “It’s been difficult because of the lockdown; we’ve had to write a lot of the new album remotely, which is time-consuming. Now we’re seeing the results coming together and are deciding how to release it next year. We haven’t started recording yet.”
On May 29th 2021, the third live streamed gig brought us three new songs (as well as a fourth that had previously been played live before: “Don’t Give Up Without a Fight” ). There were due to be five new songs but one wasn’t finished in time. The other new songs were: “Monochrome”, “La La La La La” and “I Am Not Going to Fall in Love With You”. One of the new ones had the working title “Jon 5”.
Previously to this in March 2021, there was a second streamed gig. This one featured two songs: “That Would Only Happen In A Movie” and “Go, Go, Go!”
And in October 2020, the full band played the first online gig which featured the debut of a song with the working title of “Mel 3”. DLG confirmed in February 2021, this was now called “Once Bitten”.
In October 2020, the last release in the series featuring BBC sessions was released. This one was a 7″ single featuring new song “Don’t Ask Me” along with versions of “Panama” and “No”.
Back in August 2020, as part of the At The Edge of The Sofa virtual festival, we heard a new track, “You’re Just a Habit That I’m Trying to Break”. Here’s the video for that:
This was released in February 2021 as part of Locked Down and Stripped Back along with the new cover of Sleeper’s ‘We Should Be Together’.
Unreleased:
‘Bond Girls’ (Cinerama – unreleased)
There are also several songs written as either The Lost Pandas or in the early days of The Wedding Present but never officially released. These include:
‘I Told You I Care’
‘Lay Off’**
‘Nervous Man In A Four Dollar Room’*
‘Story Of My Life’
‘Twenty Two’ (riff later used on ‘I’m Not Always So Stupid‘)
‘Will You Be Up There?’*
‘You Can’t Make It On Your Own’
*These two songs were on a demo cassette (Recorded at The Billiard Room, Leeds in 1984) along with ‘(The Moment Before) Everything’s Spoiled Again’ and a cover of ‘White Christmas’.
** There’s a fun video using the rehearsal recording of this song here
Songography for The Wedding Present and Cinerama 