Track of the Week - 5 May 2019
Going to gigs was a big part of my younger life, particularly my late teens and twenties, but it's rare that I go out to see live music these days. When I do it's usually to see The Wedding Present.
Regular readers (thank you) will know of my admiration, nay love, for David Gedge's indie guitar rock-pop combo so it was off to Oxford yesterday with good friend Stu to see the band in action. Before the gig we went to the Ultimate Picture Palace to see the new documentary film about the band, Something Left Behind, which focuses on their first LP, George Best, and the 30th anniversary live tour of that record. There was a Q&A afterwards with director Andrew Jezard and Mr Gedge.
It was a different anniversary gig this time - the 30th anniversary of their second album, Bizarro. It's a magnificent record and makes for a great live set too. The group were on tremendous form. Mr Gedge saying that it was one of his favourite performances of Kennedy (their first single to trouble the top 40) which must have been played hundreds of times over the years.
It was hard to pick a favourite moment of the night but I've gone for Bewitched. It's an accurate picture of where the band were musically at the time (Pixies get all the 'loud, quiet, loud' credit but the Weddoes were rocking that brilliantly at the time too), and lyrically it's a pretty accurate picture of the mid-twenties me.
Music has the power to transport you places and for a while I was back listening to the same songs in a mosh pit in the Bristol Bierkeller* 30 years ago. Wonderful stuff.
Play loud.
* Coincidentally last night's excellent support, The Flatmates, were another band I saw at the now-defunct Bierkeller in the eighties.
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