My favourite fess: an interview with The Wedding Present’s David Gedge, Guilfest, 2025
I’m from further north than you: The Wedding Present were the stand-out act at Guilfest 2025
I’m on the phone to The Wedding Present frontman David Gedge, discussing what we’re going to natter about in front of an audience at Guilfest the following day. I run through the gist of my interview questions when Gedge suggests some dialogue about a new stage musical that’s planned for the Leeds Playhouse – Reception, featuring the songs of Gedge’s band. I can scarcely believe what I’m hearing. What a fantastic premise for a show. I scribble a note on my list of already-typed-up teasers: “Stage musical – ask!”
Alas, in the heat of the moment on Saturday – and it’s pretty sultry in Guifest’s Literary Tent in the afternoon – it seems the only subject I don’t put to Gedge is the musical. David, I’m sorry. For the Q&A, Gedge is dressed all in black – black T-shirt, black jeans and white hair. The unbelievably cool indie dark mop has gone but then again Gedge is now 65. Of course, I get my CD copy of George Best signed.
The gig the band plays later that evening on Guilfest’s Second Stage, looking out across to Guildford Cathedral and its surrounding middle-class suburbs, is lively, sharp and humorous (“Are you selling any merch, David?” a front-rower shouts between songs. “Were you not listening in the Literary Tent?” Gedge fires back). We’re treated to a well-practised, tour-tight performance of raucous rock, with Gedge rearing his head and diving down on his guitar like a Ju-87 Stuka amid bright red and green stage lighting.
Feel free to fact-check with Grok, but it’s the best performance of the entire weekend, Elvana included. The opportunity to buy a Wedding Present 40th anniversary T-shirt presents itself when Gedge somersaults fencing to set up a merch stall in front of the stage and he single-handedly mans it. Is he 65 or 25?
Here’s my transcript from the Literary Tent interview including audience questions at the end…
Our next guest is David Gedge from The Wedding Present, who are appearing on the Second Stage at 9pm. I’m going to start with a fact. You once held the record for the most hit singles in the Top 40 by a band or artist in a single year. Do you remember the year?
Nineteen ninety-two. It was 12 7” singles, Top 30, actually. We shared it with Elvis Presley, who had 12 hits in 1957. However, some of his were re-releases. So we’ve got the record for most new songs in a year.
It was beaten in 2006 by Michael Jackson. Nineteen singles in the Top 40. But they were all reissues.
Well there you go.
Have you ever played Guilfest before?
Never played Guilfest before, no. They’ve never asked us.
But you’ve played in Guildford.
Yes, there’s a venue called the Boileroom that we’ve played a few times.
You’ve been touring quite widely this year – where have you been?
We did a North America tour. We’ve just got back actually. Drove 9,000 miles.
Who does the driving?
Well, me. I’m the only one with insurance. But I don’t mind driving. I enjoy it.
I always had you down as a Leeds band, but it isn’t that clear cut, is it?
I’m in a band that’s from Leeds. I was born in Leeds but my family moved to Manchester when I was three. So I grew up in Manchester, in the same place you’re originally from, apparently. Then I went to Leeds University to do a degree and the band formed there.
How has touring changed for you down the years. I’d imagine like many bands it would have been a Transit van down the M1 in the early days?
Absolutely, yes. The main thing is that the technology has changed. I used to have a collection of A-Zs for every major city in Europe – I’m not kidding. So if we were playing in Germany, we’d get out the Munich one, the Berlin one. Then TomTom came out and the GPS. So all the A-Zs went to Oxfam in a massive carrier bag. We didn’t have mobile phones so, if you were late for a concert, you’d have to find a phone box and put money in. Then we moved onto computers. It’s certainly a lot easier now.
As we’re in the Literary Tent I’m going to plug your books.
I’ve brought some with me to sell.
You could sell some after this.
Yes, I could do.
[Holds up Go Out And Get ’Em, Boy! Volume 1] This is Volume 1. Your autobiography – and unusually it’s in comic book format. Why did you decide to do it as a comic?
I’m a comic fan. When I was a kid, I loved comics. Then, later, graphic novels and alternative comics – I’ve always liked the imagery. Our old bass player Terry de Castro wanted to write my autobiography so I asked if there could be a comic book element to it and in the end we thought that was the best way. We asked our friend Lee Thacker, an artist, to get involved and it went from there.
How long does it take to put a book like this together?
A very long time because it’s not a priority. It’s quite a slow process. I’ll write some of the text and then it goes backwards and forwards to Terry. It takes a day to do a page. The artwork is incredible so yes it takes a long time.
Volume 1 is your childhood, which I’ve just read. What about Volume 2 [Something And Nothing]?
It’s kind of based on conversations, so it’s now, but there’ll be a trigger for a story that happened in 1990 or something. The first one went up to the first single and the second one goes up to George Best.
Chapter titles are Wedding Present tracks.
Yes or Cinerama.
You told me earlier there might be a Volume 3.
There will be, yes. We’re working on it now but it takes a while. I was hoping It would come out this year and it still might do. It depends what happens.
Having read the first volume, you didn’t seem the sort of rebellious teenager who was destined to become a rock star. You liked watching telly rather than going out.
Yes, you’re absolutely right. I was very geeky. I did mathematics at university.
Which you got a degree in.
That’s right. I did a postgraduate course then, but I gave it up for rock’n’roll. I was always fascinated not just by pop music but pop culture in general. Television, music, comics. It’s weird because people always say, “When did you decide to become a musician?” I didn’t decide. I knew I was always going to do it. It sounds big-headed, but I knew I was always going to do it. There was never any moment where I thought, “Oh, what am I going to do?”
Although you had a job for a short time, didn’t you?
It wasn’t really much of a job. My dad was a butcher and I was taken on as holiday relief at his factory for a summer.
There’s a great image in your book of someone throwing pigs’ heads at you.
Yes, fresh from the abattoir. My mum still thinks I’ve never worked a day in my life. When I got my degree she thought, “Oh it’ll be great, he’ll go and work in a bank.” I went on the dole to start the group.
Do you do the accounts for the band?
I do actually.
You’ve moved around a fair bit in your life.
My parents emigrated to South Africa when I was ten. We were there for a year. We got home sick, so we came back. I lived in America for a bit. In Seattle. I had a little Airbnb in Los Angeles as well. I now live on the south coast, in Brighton.
When you set off on your journey into the music world, what did you expect the band would become? Maybe U2 – or did you set the bar a bit lower than that?
I was driven to write songs and make records, first and foremost. And I was a fan of a genre that wasn’t particularly successful. Bands that John Peel used to play. I never thought we were going to be U2 or anything like that. We never thought we had a particularly commercial sound. I don’t think it was ever on the cards.
Would you say that a Wedding Present track generally has to be pacey?
Initially that was our sound. That was our defining moment, when we realised the tempos were almost out-of-control. But that was 300 songs ago. Over the years we’ve gone in lots of different directions. We’ve got the Ukrainian influence, too, through Peter [Solowka, guitarist], so it’s been all over the place.
You never really did songs about politics.
I had a go, to be honest, but I always struggled. I just thought I was better at analysing relationships, and I stuck with that. People say, “Oh, I love how personal that lyric is,” and I’ll say, “That’s because it’s true.” It’s like a diary page almost.
You’ve got a very distinctive singing voice. Did you base it on anybody?
When we started recording our first album, George Best, I did some vocals and played them back and I thought, “It just sounds a bit boring.” So I went back and did them all again. I tried to put energy and passion into it. It wasn’t a great vocal in the traditional sense but it felt like it had something, so I ended up with that.
When you’re writing lyrics, do you need a drink in your hand?
No – I sit at my desk and get really focused. But it takes me a long time because I’m very meticulous about it. I’m never happy with it. I work on it over and over and change things. I take it very seriously.
Do you have fans in high places?
Yes, the prime minister of the United Kingdom is actually one. I’m awaiting my invite to a Downing Street garden party. If he lasts that long, ha, ha…”
When planning a gig, do you think, “I’ll give the fans all the hits”?
We’re not a band with massive hits. Maybe the tracks on Bizarro, things like “Kennedy” and “Brassneck” would be popular. But we played last night in Milton Keynes and I put together quite an eclectic set and people loved it. I was a bit worried, playing tracks from albums that people wouldn’t know. I think we’ve got to the point now where people are very familiar with the catalogue. This year is the band’s 40th anniversary so we’re doing a tour at the end of the year and we’re already thinking about the tracks we’ll be playing. I’ve asked people, “Shall we make the set our biggest hits or should it be more of a retrospective trawl through all the albums?” And people have said the latter – “We want some hits but also bits from here and there.”
You’ve done a fair amount of cover songs over the years. I’ve been listening to some lately. “Pleasant Valley Sunday” is fantastic. “Step Into Christmas” is actually better than the original. What’s the consideration when you’re going to do a cover track? Could you convert anything to be a Wedding Present track?
No… because when we did the 12 singles in 1992, we did covers on the B sides. We tried quite a few that didn’t work. Some didn’t sound right. It’s usually a band I like, or we like, or a song we like, but then you’ve got to add something different as well. On The Hit Parade the first one we did was “Cattle And Cane” by The Go-Betweens, which I think is a brilliant record, but we didn’t really add that much to it. It’s a straightforward rendition of that song.
“Theme From Shaft” is another, which is a track I’d have thought you’d have gone nowhere near.
Well, we shouldn’t have really. You know, what are four white blokes from Leeds doing covering black music from Harlem? But it sounds so far away I think it almost works.
Why the name change to Cinerama?
Well it was a different group. In 1997, The Wedding Present decided to take a few months off. Technology had reached the stage where I could write more at my home and I’ve always been very interested in music like John Barry and Ennio Morricone, soundtracks, and also classic pop, Abba – stuff that didn’t fit in with what we were doing with The Wedding Present, I suppose. So I started writing Cinerama songs on my own. It was very different from The Wedding Present. It was just like a little solo project.
Did you ever meet George Best?
Yes, we did. Our press officer at the time thought it would be a good idea, with the album being called George Best. We contacted his agent and when he said yes, we were like, “Really?” So we had a little photo session. I didn’t speak to him. The reason why that album was called George Best was because when I was growing up I was a Manchester United supporter and he was something of an idol.
Are you a Manchester United supporter?
I am, yes.
But your brother’s a Leeds supporter.
That’s right. You’ve done your research, haven’t you? I think Peter talked to George Best most, about fishing, actually. I was just terrified.
Did you get a lot of stick for being a band from Leeds with an album named after a Manchester United player?
We did. We had a George Best tour and we did some George Best T-shirts. As soon as we got to Leeds, the sales just dropped. I’ve had people say, “I love the album but there’s no way I’m going to wear that shirt.”
You’re 65. Do you really get a bus pass when you reach that age?
I’m not sure.
What qualification did you get in your maths degree? A first?
No, I got a 2:2 actually.
We’ll do a quick-fire round then take some questions from the audience.
OK.
What car do you drive?
I’ve got a Volkswagen Transporter.
What’s your favourite take-away food?
Indian.
Do you have a pet?
Not anymore, sadly. I had a little dog.
Favourite lyric that you’ve written?
I like “There’s always something left behind” from “My Favourite Dress”. But I feel I kind of copied that from the “There’s always something there to remind me” line that Sandie Shaw sang. It definitely inspired that lyric. I think that should be on my gravestone.
The ice cream van arrives, what are you having?
If they do it, Cornish ice cream.
Any questions in the audience – now’s your chance.
Audience Member No1: What are you going to play tonight? Are you going to play “Brassneck” [pronounced the southern way, “Brarrsneck”]?
Not if you say it like that, no. It’s not “Brarrsneck”, it’s “Brassneck”.
Audience Member No1: How rude!
When people say it like that in the South, it puts me off. [Sings] “Brarrsneck”… ha, ha. Say it properly!
Audience Member No1: “Brassneck”!
That’s better.
Audience Member No2: How do you get into the mind of a character when writing a track?
I’m glad you asked that because it makes me look clever. A lot of songs are from a male perspective but, for some of the songs I’ve written, I’ve tried to write from a female perspective. That’s one of the reasons why it takes me so long, I think. I try to make it more different. I think I’ve honed into one subject, which is relationships. I’ve explored that universe. There are so many things that happen between people. It’s not always something that’s happened to me but I can put myself in that situation.
David, did you ever get married?
I have yes.
What wedding presents did you get?
It was later in life so I don’t think anybody cared.
OK, David, we’ll let you go. We’ll see you on the Second Stage at 9pm. Ladies and gentlemen – David Gedge!