The first night of Popfest at the 40 Watt is the stuff of legends, as UK’s The Wedding Present takes the stage to play Bizarro, its superb 1989 album.
With the end of The Smiths in the late 1980s, it was The Wedding Present who filled the void for those who missed Morrissey and the boys, as David Gedge wrote songs about love and revenge set to catchy and chaotic guitars. It was a revelation even if not so many people knew it at the time.
Like many UK bands which gained a certain prominence in their time, The Wedding Present was championed by John Peel, and the first musical release from the band was taken from songs during sessions with the legendary DJ. The band’s first studio album, George Best (named after the famous soccer player), came out in 1987, showcasing the frantic guitar work of Pete Solowka against Gedge’s nontraditional singing style.
After working on an album of Ukrainian folk music (umm, right), the band came back with Bizarro, a more mature album than George Best, but a bit tougher and not so poppy (though lead single Kennedy is a right proper pearl of pop mastery). Some of the songs on Bizarro got a makeover from producer Steve Albini, who aside from fronting Illinois punk band Big Black, has produced songs for such luminaries as Nirvana, The Pixies and The Stooges. Those songs, including Brassneck (which was a top 25 hit for WP), were released on the U.S. version of Bizarro.
The band has had several lineup changes and six albums since then, and Gedge remains the only member from the original lineup playing. But they’ll be here in a few weeks, bringing a lovely noise with them, bringing back a pop power so relevant and important in the late 1980s in the UK.
