“We are the semi-legendary Wedding Present.”
With that bit of tongue in cheek, self-deprecating stage banter, David Gedge introduced himself and his band to the crowd at the Horseshoe. Not that they really needed any introduction – this looked to be a crowd of longtime Wedding Present devotees who would probably argue with Gedge on the “semi-legendary” label.
After opening the set with the glockenspiel-ified “Unthinking,” the band played a typically rocking set highlighted by Gedge’s humorous stage banter. While they played a selection of tracks from throughout their career, the set focused largely on the band’s latest, Going Going …, which Gedge referred to as “our frankly groundbreaking new album.” “I’m sure you’ve all got a copy,” he added, but just in case we didn’t, he made sure to point us all in the direction of the merch table. He’s very thoughtful like that.
One of the highlights of the night was “Rachel,” a new track that Gedge described cheekily as the best pop song we would hear all year before amending that to the best we’d hear all decade. While that may be laying it on a bit thick, it is quite a catchy track. Give it a listen and judge for yourself: