The Wedding Present | Photo by Jessica-McMillan
Thirty years after the band’s Hit Parade project, The Wedding Present spent 2022 reprising the idea of releasing a new 7-inch single every month, and like David Gedge and Co. did in 1992, they’re now compiling each of those songs and their B-sides on a new compilation.
The plainly titled 24 Songs — which actually features 29 songs, with the addition of five bonus tracks — is due out Friday in the U.K., with the U.S. release of a triple LP/DVD set following on June 9 via HHBTM Records. That version, in blue or black vinyl, can pre-ordered directly from the label. (Or pre-order the CD release here.)
Below, you can hear one of those bonus tracks: The Weddoes’ cover of The Clash’s legendary 1977 debut single “White Riot,” which the band first released back in 2018 on a very limited-edition split 7-inch with Gedge’s other band Cinemara as part of the wiaiwya-7777777 singles club.
Gedge says of the new disc compiling the 2022 single-a-month project:
“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.”
The bonus tracks also include a song, “Teper My Hovorymo,” recorded with the band’s first guitarist, Peter Solowka, who played with Gedge from 1985 to 1991. And the DVD that accompanies the vinyl edition features the band performing during the 24 Songs launch event in January 2022, plus a documentary filmed while the songs were being written and recorded.
The Wedding Present is marking the release of 24 Songs with U.K. tour on which the band will play songs from the singles series and other classics from their back catalog.
Below, hear the “White Riot” cover, see the 24 Songs tracklist — and check out the Weddoes’ tour dates.
The Wedding Present, 24 Songs
1. “I Am Not Going To Fall In Love With You”
2. “Memento Mori”
3. “That Would Only Happen In A Movie”
4. “We Interrupt Our Programme”
5. “We Should Be Together”
6. “Strike!”
7. “Science Fiction”
8. “Summer”
9. “Each Time You Open Your Eyes”
10. “We All Came From The Sea”
11. “Monochrome”
12. “Kerplunk!”
13. “Don’t Give Up Without A Fight”
14. “X Marks The Spot”
15. “You’re Just A Habit That I’m Trying To Break”
16. “Plot Twist”
17. “Whodunnit”
18. “A Song From Under The Floorboards”
19. “Telemark”
20. “Astronomic”
21. “Go Go Go”
22. “Once Bitten”
23. “La La La”
24. “The Loneliest Time Of Year”
25. “White Riot” *
26. “Panama” *
27. “Jump In, The Water’s Fine” (Japanese Edit) *
28. “We All Came From The Sea” (Utah Saints Remix) *
29. “Teper My Hovorymo” (Featuring Peter Solowka) *
* Bonus tracks
The Wedding Present tour dates 2023
May 18: Colchester, UK – Colchester Arts Centre
May 19: London, UK – Shepherds Bush Empire
May 20: Manchester, UK – The Ritz
May 21: Birmingham, UK – 02 Institute Birmingham
June 23: Leicester, UK – 02 Academy Leicester
June 25: Chester, UK – The Live Rooms
Aug. 11: Brighton, UK – At the Edge of the Sea Festival
Sept. 8: Dublin, Ireland – Button Factory
Sept. 10: Limerick, Ireland – Dolans
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- The Wedding Present debuts ‘You’re Just a Habit That I’m Trying to Break’ off lockdown LP
- Listen: The Wedding Present covers James Bond theme “You Only Live Twice”
- Listen: The Wedding Present, ‘Shatner’ — off Steve Albini re-recording of ‘George Best’
- Watch: The Wedding Present spotlights ‘Going, Going…’ in 30-minute set for KEXP
- The Wedding Present re-record ‘George Best’ with Steve Albini, prep Record Store Day EP
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