Iconic Brit Rockers The Wedding Present on the Importance of Autonomy to Success

For over 30 years, The Wedding Present has been the gift that keeps on giving for indie rock fans. After recording nine albums, scoring 18 UK Top 40 singles, and rotating through dozens of members, the outfit still remains vital to the British indie rock scene that it once rode the wave of. But it hasn't been easy.

Ahead of their Jul 12 performance at Omni Space, lead singer, guitarist, and sole remaining original member of the group, David Gedge, tells us about how The Wedding Present nearly dislodged his family relations, why he and his bandmates declined lucrative record deals years before staying indie was fashionable, and what it's like to have John Peel spin your record.

Your band is famous for its ever-evolving sound. What's it like to listen back on your early, much different Wedding Present songs now?  
Those sonic changes were always a very conscious decision on my part. I’ve also been helped in that regard by having so many lineup changes over the years. I’m the only remaining original member of the band since 1993 or something like that. So it’s shifted a lot over the years, and it’s something I’m proud of. I’ve got no desire to make the same record twice.

Regarding all those changes – why keep recording under the same band name, instead of using your own?
Mainly it’s fear. I like to hide behind this band’s name instead of putting my own forth.

That being said, it’s always a very democratic process, writing records and choosing how we’re going to work. So I like how the sound of The Wedding Present is the sound of the people in the band at that time. In that sense, it really wouldn't be accurate to call it "The David Gedge Band."

Do you think all those changes have been a big part of your band’s staying power over the years?
It’s certainly kept it interesting for me. Trying different ideas helps keep it alive. It’s also a matter of me being an obsessed workaholic, really. I’ve been doing this from quite an early age. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do.

But you almost went down a different path, studying mathematics at university at the behest of your parents. What made you dive into music instead?
My degree was a backup plan in case music didn’t work. I was always good at math in school, though I didn’t enjoy it. [My undergrad] was just a case of me biding my time until my songwriting experience and ability reached a certain point, and until I joined a band I could trust to make a record. It took me years.

Some bands start younger and by the time they’re in their 20s, they’re writing and producing records. But I took a more considered approach, and we didn’t record our first single until I was 21.

Apparently your parents came around eventually, and attended some of your shows?
When I was in university they saw me work hard to get this degree, and then be unemployed for a few years until the band paid my wages. So they thought it was a complete waste of time.

It got to the point that I didn’t go home very often, because it was just a series of arguments. They were in Manchester and I stayed in Leeds, where I went to university and where I formed the band. But four or five years down the line they came to see one of my concerts, which was quite big. And they saw the merchandise being sold, and the cash being handed over from people buying our T-shirts. And I think they said: “Oh, he’s not doing that bad then.” It was more of a concern that I was being stupid, I suppose.

You might’ve made a fortune early on. But you and your bandmates famously turned down major record label offers, long before that was fashionable.
[Laughs] Yes, we met a lot of big labels in the first few years. And they were very patronizing. They'd say: “You’re doing ok so far on your own, but with our guidance, and our choice of producer and music videos, we’ll take you to the next level.” And they were probably right. But we didn’t want the sound of The Wedding Present to be manipulated by a bunch of business people. We were prepared to take the chance of not having massive sales around the world if we were happy with the music we were making.

We didn’t feel we’d be happy on a major for quite a few years. Then we signed with RCA, who promised not to meddle in our creative process. And they agreed to put that in writing.

Those labels were interested, in part, because famed disc jockey John Peel sang your praises on the radio. What was that like?
It was everything to me. I'll never forget my schoolmates telling me to “check out this DJ, he’s playing all this weird music.” And as soon as I heard the punk he was playing, I thought: “This is my program!” His attitude to music and what he played on the radio shaped my music.

That must’ve been an exciting early breakthrough. Back then did you ever think The Wedding Present would still be going strong after all these years?
I don't know. I never really planned it. It’s a stupid thing to say, but I think planning isn’t for pop groups, it’s for architects and school teachers. One of the best things about my job is we can do anything we want, whenever, really. I’ve never quantified it in terms of years.

It goes back to what I said earlier: I’m driven to do this and that’s why I’m here 30-odd years later.

The Wedding Present will perform at Omni Space on Jul 12 at 8.30pm. Tickets are RMB 280 on the door or RMB 230 advance. For more information, click here.

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Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
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