The Lost Pandas fell apart in 1984 when guitarist Michael Duane (later of dustDevils) was sacked, and Panda's drummer Jaz Rigby followed in protest. Gedge and the Pandas' bass player, Keith Gregory, decided to continue the band, renaming it The Wedding Present.
Gedge wanted to use the name "The Wedding Present" in honour of one of his favourite bands,The Birthday Party.
Gedge and Gregory recruited an old schoolmate of Gedge's, Peter Solowka, to play guitar and auditioned a string of drummers, including Mike Bedford, with whom they recorded a demo tape, before settling on Shaun Charman. The country's clubs and bars were toured as the band prepared for the recording of their first, self-financed single.
After some consideration, "Go Out and Get 'Em, Boy!" was chosen over early favourite "Will You Be Up There?". The A-side features drumming by hired hand Julian Sowa with Charman on its B-side. The single was released on the band's own Reception Records label with distribution through Red Rhino. Although Reception was only intended to be a vehicle for the release of their own material, it also released a number of singles by This Poison! and Cud.
Two more singles followed that did well on the independent charts and the band was spotted by veteran BBC radio DJ John Peel, who immediately started championing them and invited them to do a radio session, starting a long collaboration.
By the time the band started work on their debut album, a number of independent and major record companies showed interest, but the band declined all offers and decided to keep releasing their material themselves. The album was released in 1987 and titled George Best after the well-known Northern Irish football player. Disagreement on production values with the record's producer, Chris Allison, led to the product being remixed by the band and their engineer, Steve Lyon. The larger part of these conflicts seemed to lie with the personal and musical incompatibility of Allison and Charman.
Upon its release, the album was critically acclaimed and the band were soon lumped in with some of their peers as the 'shambling' or C86 scene, a categorization that they vehemently declined (although they were featured on the original C86 compilation). Musically, the album featured fast-paced rhythm guitar attacks; lyrically, apart from a few tentative excursions into social critique ("All This and More") and politics ("All About Eve"), Gedge's main concerns (which would become his trademark) were love, lust, heartbreak and revenge. Soon after the release of George Best, the early singles and radio sessions were compiled and released as Tommy (1985-1987).
With the departure of Charman very early on in 1988, Simon Smith took up the drum stool and follow up album, 1989's Bizarro was again popular with the music weeklies.
When Solowka, who has Ukrainian roots, started fooling around with a Ukrainian folk tune during one of their many Peel sessions, the idea arose to devote some of their radio time to recording their versions of Ukrainian and Russian folk song, encouraged by Peel. To this end, two guest musicians were invited, singer/violin player Len Liggins and mandolin player Roman Remeynes, and three Peel sessions were recorded with Gedge temporarily limiting himself to playing rhythm guitar and arranging the songs.
The band planned on releasing eight cuts from the Ukrainian sessions on a 10" LP and an initial batch was pressed when Red Rhino went into receivership. Rather than trying to find a new distribution company, the band decided to fold their Reception label altogether and sign with a regular record company: RCA. Solowka, Liggins, and Remeynes later split from the band to concentrate on the Ukrainian material as the band The Ukrainians.
Seamonsters is the third studio album by English rock band The Wedding Present. It was recorded in ten days in 1991 by American producer Steve Albini at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. Albini had previously recorded two EPs with the group, Brassneck and 3 Songs and, like those records, Seamonsters has a rougher, harsher overall sound than the group's earlier two albums.
Solowka was replaced by Paul Dorrington and the band in 1992 released a single every month, and each of these songs charted before being released as compilations of both the A and B-sides. Each of these 12 singles hit the UK Top 40 and the band tied Elvis Presley's record of most Top 40 singles in the span of a year.
Following a quiet 1993 in which Gregory left and was replaced by Darren Belk, they followed up their record-breaking 1992 year with a new LP in 1994 called "Watusi". Following this, Dorrington left, Belk moved to guitar and they temporarily became a 3-piece before Jayne Lockey arrived. A mini LP, helpfully called "Mini" drove up early '96 shortly before "Saturnalia" zoomed in Summer '96 (along with the addition of new guitarist Simon Cleave after Belk's depature).
Following a gig in January 1997, Gedge decided to rest the Wedding Present name and started performing as Cinerama however while recording a new Cinerama album in 2004 he decided to resurrect the name the Wedding Present.
The first Wedding Present single in 7 years was released in November 2004 followed by an album in February 2005. This line-up was Gedge, Cleave, bassist Terry de Castro and drummer Kari Paavola. Paavola declined to tour and subsequently left replaced by Simon Pearson and then Graeme Ramsey. Simon Cleave left early 2006 but rejoined in 2009. His 3 year void was filled by guitarist Christopher McConville.
In more musical chairs, guitarist Cleave departed again later in 2009 due to ill health. The vacant guitar position was actually snabbed by the drummer, Ramsay, who was replaced on the drum stool by Charlie Layton (who had previously served for a very short time in 2006). Following this in Summer 2010, long-serving bassist, Terry de Castro, also vacated to be replaced by Pepe le Moko. A year later, in late 2011, after the recording of the band's 8th studio album, Valentina, Ramsay departed to be replaced by (ex-The Young Playthings and The Pipettes), Patrick Alexander.
The band emerged in February 2013 with yet another new line-up after the sacking of le Moko and Alexander - bassist Jen Schwartz (from Me of a Kind) and guitarist Geoff Maddock (from Goldenhorse).
For more information please visit www.scopitones.co.uk
Don’t Be So Hard
The Wedding Present Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
& now he's got to take up all the seat
I never knew he was so bold
I really think she should be told
But that's what best friends are for
& does she have a best friend, anymore?
At home, she tells him little lies
Like she's not in the mood tonight
He just forgets that she's even there
He's go this name on people's lips
He crushes fingers in his grip
& of course he shows that he doesn't care
If he chances to overhear
"Have you seen her without make-up?"
& "I don't think he's had
At home, she tells him little lies
Like onions always make her cry
& when they're out with all his friends
He just forgets that she's even there
The Wedding Present's song "Don't Be So Hard" is a melancholic and tumultuous depiction of a failing relationship, conveyed through a series of poignant lyrics that explore the complex dynamics of the couple. The song begins by introducing us to the male partner who has recently turned twenty-three and is now more assertive and dominating in his relationship. He has begun to take up all the space in their relationship, that was once shared by both of them. The singer, who is a close friend of the female partner, is taken aback and thinks that someone should tell her about the recent changes in the relationship.
As the song progresses, we learn that the female partner has begun to conceal her true feelings from her partner by telling him little lies. When they are around his friends, he forgets that she is even there, which indicates a shift in the attentiveness he once had towards her. She hides her vulnerabilities, such as crying when she cuts onions, so as not to appear weak in front of him. The male partner's manipulative behavior is further explored in the lyrics, indicating that onlookers are gossiping about the female partner's appearance and his callousness towards her.
In essence, the song underscores the vulnerability and uncertainty inherent in a romantic bond. It also highlights the complexities of communication and the subtle manipulations that are part of any relationship. This is a powerful song that resonates with anyone who has experienced the pain of a failing relationship and is searching for closure.
Line by Line Meaning
He became a man at twenty-three
At twenty-three years old, he finally matured and started acting like an adult.
Now he's got to take up all the seat
He has become overbearing and controlling in his relationship, not leaving room for his partner's opinions or feelings.
I never knew he was so bold
The singer is surprised by the man's new behavior and personality.
I really think she should be told
The artist believes the man's partner should be informed of his behavior and how it is affecting their relationship.
But that's what best friends are for
Sharing concerns with one's closest friends is a natural part of friendships.
& does she have a best friend, anymore?
Questioning whether the man's partner has anyone to talk to and confide in given her partner's controlling behavior.
At home, she tells him little lies
The man's partner lies to him to avoid conflict or to make him happy.
Like she's not in the mood tonight
One of the small lies she tells is not being in the mood to have sex, even if she really is.
& when they're out with all his friends
When in social situations with the man's friends, the woman feels ignored and forgotten.
He just forgets that she's even there
The man neglects his partner and does not consider her feelings or presence.
He's go this name on people's lips
The man is known for his reputation and has likely made a name for himself among his social circle.
He crushes fingers in his grip
The man is physically aggressive and hostile towards others.
& of course he shows that he doesn't care
The man intentionally displays an apathetic attitude towards others' opinions and feelings.
If he chances to overhear
If the man unintentionally hears gossip or hears people talking about him or his partner.
"Have you seen her without make-up?"
An example of negative gossip that the man may overhear and be affected by.
& "I don't think he's had
Another example of negative gossip that the man may overhear and be affected by.
At home, she tells him little lies
Repetition of the earlier line to emphasize the woman's habit of lying to her partner.
Like onions always make her cry
Another small lie the woman tells her partner to avoid confrontation or to make him happy.
& when they're out with all his friends
Once again, a situation where the woman feels ignored and left out of her partner's social circle.
He just forgets that she's even there
Repetition of an earlier line to emphasize the man's neglect towards his partner in social settings.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, A SIDE MUSIC LLC D/B/A MODERN WORKS MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: DAVID GEDGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind