The Wedding Present – HHBTM Records

The Wedding Present – Maxi

Barbara Uhler — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 02:09:59 +0000

Release date: March 20th, 2026

In 1996, The Wedding Present released Mini – an EP featuring six tracks that all had connections to motoring. Almost thirty years on, David Gedge has revisited the concept with Maxi, a brand-new, six-track EP which is again loosely based around the theme of driving. But this time… the result is significantly more expansive. Maxi arrives swiftly after the release of 40, a commemorative reflection of The Wedding Present’s complex and fascinating catalogue across four-vinyl and four-CD formats, with the compilation’s final track being ‘Hot Wheels’ – a track from Maxi. Although Maxi follows the same concept as Mini, the 2025 model of The Wedding Present’s vehicle is discernibly grander, with Gedge hinting that guitarist Rachael Wood – who was new to the band at the time of writing – might be one of the reasons why. ‘Scream, If You Want To Go Faster’ – the opening track – mesmerises with a slow-building, post-rock feel before it revs up to set the EP’s tone and flows into the infectious riff of ‘Grand Prix’ – itself driven forward by the complexities of Wood’s playing. ‘Hot Wheels’ and ‘Two For The Road’ – tracks three & four – are unmistakably Wedding Present. Gedge’s urgent guitar playing and lyrics shine their headlights on the challenges of the heart, and allow the listener to return to terra firma with a more familiar sound that effortlessly stands alongside classic Wedding Present releases. ‘Interceptor’ – track five – is steered by the bass until a roaring guitar and pounding drums shift gears to bring the listener back full circle to the post-rock feel of Maxi’s opening track. Crossing the EP’s finishing line is the epic ‘Silver Shadow’, another track that shifts in tempo, evoking a feeling of tenderness alongside the elated emotion of finding the one. Maxi undoubtedly takes the listener on a journey. This really is The Wedding Present at their creative best, pushing both the boundaries of their sound and the expectations of the listener, while the lyrics provocatively paint pictures in a way that only David Gedge can manage. “As I said in my sleeve notes for 40, the songs we recorded for Maxi were written relatively quickly because I had felt particularly inspired, both lyrically – with situations occurring in my life – and musically – writing with the then recently-arrived Rachael. The resulting tracks feel bigger and moodier than we’ve had for a while… and they’re certainly feistier, thanks to The Wedding Present’s new rock queen and her armoury of guitars and pedals!” (David Gedge)

The Wedding Present – 24 Songs

Barbara Uhler — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 14:29:23 +0000

Release date: June 9th, 2023

Throughout 2022, The Wedding Present’s 24 Songs series saw the legendary indie band release two new tracks a month as double A-sided 7”s, ultimately creating a much-sought-after box set. David Gedge has now re-curated full-length versions of all twenty-four tracks for a new compilation album that will also include five bonus recordings, including one featuring The Wedding Present’s first guitarist, Peter Solowka.

24 Songs was a doff of the cap to The Wedding Present’s Hit Parade project of 30 years previous. That series proved to be a real milestone for the band with them becoming only the second-ever artist to achieve twelve Official UK Top 40 hits in a calendar year – at the time something that only Elvis had achieved! David Gedge says: “When it came to compiling the 24 Songs album, I decided not to sequence the tracks in chronological order. With six sides of vinyl, you have six ‘beginnings’ and six ‘ends’ to play with, and I felt that the opportunity to build some kind of a musical journey was too good to miss! Listening back to this collection, I have to say that I genuinely believe that, for this project, The Wedding Present have recorded some of the best tracks in our history. I loved releasing the singles, but it’s satisfying to have them all rounded up together.”

Black vinyl: This package includes 3 black vinyl LPs in full color inner sleeves, full-color jacket, download code, liner notes, and DVD. The DVD features the band playing live during the 24 Songs launch event at the Old Market in Hove in January 2022, plus a fascinating fly-on-the-wall documentary filmed as the songs were being written, arranged, and recorded.

Color vinyl: This package includes 3 light blue vinyl LPs in full color inner sleeves, full-color jacket, download code, liner notes, and DVD.

Deluxe version: This package includes 3 light blue vinyl LPs in full color inner sleeves, full-color jacket, download code, liner notes, DVD, screen-printed 12x12 mini poster, slipmat, and 1" button.

The Wedding Present – Locked Down & Stripped Back Volume Two

Barbara Uhler — Fri, 06 May 2022 04:01:04 +0000

Locked Down And Stripped Back Volume Two features home recordings of Wedding Present and Cinerama classics, along with a previously unreleased song: ‘That Would Only Happen In A Movie’. There is a bevy of guest stars on the album. Jon Stewart [of Platinum-album-selling Sleeper fame] reprises his new role as Wedding Present guitarist but is joined here by some Wedding Present members of old. Peter Solowka, from the band’s first line-up appears on ‘Nobody’s Twisting Your Arm’ playing his second instrument, the accordion, while Hit Parade guitarist Paul Dorrington contributes to a re-working of the Top 30 single ‘Blue Eyes’. Long-time Wedding Present and Cinerama bass player Terry de Castro returns to infuse the album with her own unique style, while current Wedding Present bass player Melanie Howard takes over the lead vocal duties on a beautiful version of ‘At The Edge Of The Sea’. Last, but certainly not least, Amelia Fletcher – backing vocalist on George Best and Bizarro – also returns to the party! As on the first volume, each musician recorded and filmed their parts at home and, as before, it is fascinating to see how stripped-back arrangements bring out different aspects of these brilliant songs. Release date: July 1, 2022 Deluxe version is pink vinyl w/ black tote bag featuring album art in white ink and 1" button.

The Wedding Present – Locked Down & Stripped Back Volume I

Barbara Uhler — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 21:50:04 +0000

With the impact of Covid-19 on the music industry showing no signs of abating, musicians and music fans around the globe are being forced to get creative, so it comes as no surprise that indie legends The Wedding Present – led by the unparalleled David Gedge – have turned their hands to facilitating a more virtual existence for our listening pleasure. Released 19th February 2021 via Scopitones (UK / Europe) & HHBTM Records (North America) , Locked Down And Stripped Back includes twelve home recordings of Wedding Present favourites along with two previously unreleased songs: ‘You’re Just A Habit That I’m Trying To Break’ and ‘We Should Be Together’. The latter was originally recorded – but never released – by Britpop favourites, Sleeper. With each band member recording and filming their parts at home due to lockdown restrictions, the recording process was far from easy, but the end result is, as always, typically satisfying. “As the summer of 2020 wore on it became increasingly obvious that ‘At The Edge of The Sea’ – my annual festival in Brighton – was sadly going the way of other live music events. Following its cancellation, I decided to replace it with an ‘online’ version, presented live from my own living room and featuring home-recorded videos from many of the artists that had appeared at the festival over the years. For The Wedding Present’s contribution, we picked twelve tracks to re-work in a ‘semi-acoustic’ style, and it was fascinating to see how stripped-back arrangements brought out different aspects of the songs. The Seamonsters track ‘Blonde’ was a prime example of this, with a ‘just-two-guitars’ approach resulting in a naïve and moving interpretation,” says Gedge. From the swagger of ‘A Million Miles’ (George Best, 1987) and ‘California’ (Hit Parade, 1992), to the joyous, previously unreleased ‘We Should Be Together’ – featuring a special guest appearance from Sleeper singer Louise Wener – Locked Down And Stripped Back is an unexpected treat. Elsewhere, a re-working of ‘You Should Always Keep In Touch With Your Friends’ – originally released as a single in 1986 – and a truly epic version of ‘Crawl’ (3 Songs EP, 1990), despite their ‘stripped back’ delivery, still pack a proverbial punch, while ‘You’re Just A Habit That I’m Trying to Break’ – a new song co-written with new guitarist Jon Stewart – is classic Wedding Present. Furthermore, bassist Melanie Howard takes over vocal duties on the sumptuous ‘Sports Car’ (Mini, 1995), while none of Gedge’s famous sardonic wit is lost on the majestic ‘My Favourite Dress’ (George Best, 1987).

Wedding Present – Tommy 30 (LP Black/Blue/CD)

Barbara Uhler — Fri, 09 Aug 2019 17:04:33 +0000

The Wedding Present's classic 'Tommy 30' - featuring re-recordings of the tracks from their 'Tommy' compilation album of 1989. Available on CD, and vinyl (translucent blue/black options). Deluxe versions include: CD or translucent blue vinyl + square album art badge, screen-printed tote, and screen-printed mini-poster. The tracks on 'Tommy 30' were recorded at the legendary Monnow Valley studios in Wales by David Gedge, Danielle Wadey, Terry de Castro and Charles Layton under the watchful eye of engineer Matt Glasbey. Tracklisting : Go Out And Get ’Em, Boy! / (The Moment Before) Everything’s Spoiled Again / Once More / At The Edge Of The Sea / Living And Learning / This Boy Can Wait / You Should Always Keep In Touch With Your Friends / Felicity / What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted? / Never Said / Every Mother’s Son / My Favourite Dress LPs ship October 18. CDs ship late September.

Cinerama – Valentina (LP Black/Blue)

Barbara Uhler — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 18:31:41 +0000

In 1997 David Gedge decided to take a break from The Wedding Present. But he didn’t take a break from music. Oh, no. Instead, he elected to take a different path musically and write songs inspired by his love of film scores and classic pop music. Thus, Cinerama was born. Together with his then-girlfriend Sally Murrell and Wedding Present co-writer Simon Cleave he went on to record three amazing Cinerama albums and celebrate them with multiple live tours until The Wedding Present ultimately returned in 2004. Comes with MP3 download emailed after purchase!

You’re Dead / You Jane / Meet Cute / Back A Bit… Stop / Stop Thief! / The Girl From The DDR / Deer Caught In The Headlights / 524 Fidelio / End Credits / Mystery Date / Cita a Ciegues

The Wedding Present – Take Fountain

Barbara Uhler — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 18:24:46 +0000

Comes with MP3 download emailed directly after purchase. In 2004, Gedge and his associates began recording the fourth Cinerama album with Watusi producer Steve Fisk and resurfaced instead with the sixth Wedding Present album. To no surprise, Take Fountain sounds just like Cinerama and the Wedding Present. Opener Interstate 5 gets it across right off the bat, its first six minutes an effectively repetitive chugging groove that shifts into a drifting hybrid of Ennio Morricone and John Barry for the final two minutes — a bracing zip up the West Coast turns into a restful gondola ride alongside an Italian village. From then on, the album is populated by a range of three- to four-minute pop songs that you’re accustomed to hearing from Gedge. For every hushed, playful passage, there’s an explosive chorus, and for every verse dealing with some form of romantic frustration, there’s…a bunch of romantically frustrated verses. Most songs are of the standard that made Gedge one of the most loved indie figures of the ’80s and ’90s, though the bluntly sexual phrasings that repelled George Best/Tommy-era fans from Watusi, Saturnalia, and everything released by Cinerama remain.

“On Ramp” – 2:03
“Interstate 5” (Extended Version) – 8:06
“Always the Quiet One” – 3:20
“I’m from Further North Than You” – 3:39
“Mars Sparkles Down on Me” – 4:14
“Ringway to SeaTac” – 2:41
“Don’t Touch That Dial” (Pacific Northwest Version) – 6:18
“It’s for You” – 3:16
“Larry’s” – 3:39
“Queen Anne” – 4:05
“Perfect Blue” – 5:31

The Wedding Present – Going, Going…

Barbara Uhler — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 18:08:08 +0000

Comes with MP3 download emailed directly after purchase. Brighton England’s the Wedding Present return with ‘Going, Going…” their new double album and DVD featuring films for each track on the record. Bonus digital download tracks not on the record as well. Spanning sounds from c86 lightning wristed strumming they are known for and some post-rock tracks that will remind you of their epic 2005 album “Take Fountain”. Wide spine sleeve w/ inner sleeves.

Kittery – 5:31
Greenland – 3:00
Marblehead – 3:49
Sprague – 2:42
Two Bridges – 3:58
Little Silver – 4:39
Bear – 4:18
Secretary – 2:01
Birdsnest – 3:35
Kill Devil Hills – 2:25
Bells – 3:33
Fifty-Six – 4:39
Fordland – 2:50
Emporia – 4:29
Broken Bow – 2:39
Lead – 2:50
Ten Sleep – 2:11
Wales – 4:27
Rachel – 3:42
Santa Monica – 6:22

The Wedding Present – George Best 30 (LP Black / Red)

Barbara Uhler — Sat, 16 Mar 2019 19:58:05 +0000

Tracklisting:

Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft
What Did Your Last Servant Die Of?
Don’t Be So Hard
A Million Miles
All This and More
My Favourite Dress
Shatner
Something And Nothing
It’s What You Want That Matters
Give My Love to Kevin
Anyone Can Make a Mistake
You Can’t Moan Can You