English band The Wedding Present played an important and undervalued role in the development of British indie-rock. While other English bands of the time, such as The Smiths and The Fall, regularly get more credit, the Wedding Present sound closer to most indie-rock bands of today than either of those bands.
Essentially a vehicle for singer-songwriter David Gedge, the Wedding Present's line-up of musicians changed frequently without altering their distinctive sound. Debut album George Best (1987) was critically acclaimed, while Tommy (1985-1987 (1988) was a compilation of earlier recordings, including radio sessions for esteemed Radio 1 DJ John Peel, who often declared himself a big fan. Bizarro (1989) and Seamonsters (1991) were both met with warm reviews, and are sometimes said to be the peak of the Weddoes' output. In 1992 the group took advantage of the loose terms of it's record contract and decided to release one single every month for the full year, each as 7" vinyl records. Every one reached the Top 30, thereby equalling Elvis Presley's record for most Top 30 hits in one year. "Come Play With Me" even hit No.10, despite having sold less than 10,000 copies.
Watusi (1994) was again met with positive reviews, but Saturnalia (1996) was less successful, and around this time the band members were losing their enthusiasm. By 1998 Gedge was recording and performing under the band name Cinerama. In time they began to play Wedding Present songs, and eventually became The Wedding Present again. In 2005 they released Take Fountain, their seventh studio album El Rey arrived in May 2008 and in 2012 the eighth, Valentina is gaining even more critical acclaim.
