The Wedding Present was born in 1985 with the release of the debut single GO OUT AND GET EM’ BOY! The band’s first album, GEORGE BEST, followed a couple of years later. With the early releases on their own label, the band acquired a reputation for bittersweet, breathtakingly honest love songs immersed in whirlwind guitars, so it was quite extraordinary that they decided to explore traditional Eastern European folk music for their major label debut on RCA in 1989. [UKRAINSKI VISTUPI V JOHNA PEELA] However, this was soon to be followed by the more traditionally incendiary BIZARRO, which featured their first hit single KENNEDY. The band’s next step was to enlist noise-mongering [and, at that point, relatively unknown] sound engineer Steve Albini’s aid. The resulting SEAMONSTERS, recorded in the snowy wilds of Minnesota in just 11 days, suggested a more thoughtful Wedding Present. A unique plan was hatched in 1992. By the end of December of that year, The Wedding Present had released twelve 7” singles, one per month and equalled Elvis Presley's 35-year-old record for "most hits in one year". A gang of impressive names, including Ian Broudie [The Lightning Seeds] and legendary Rolling Stones producer Jimmy Miller collaborated on the industry-challenging project, ultimately to be compiled on the two HIT PARADE LPs. 1994’s WATUSI, produced by Steve Fisk (a prime mover in the celebrated avant-garde scene of Seattle) whisked the band off into another new area with its lo-fi pop, three-part a capella harmonies and Waikiki-ready surf strains. The band returned to a more familiar sound in 1995 with the car themed MINI, in which Gedge cloaked his tales of love and lust with automobile symbolism. The self-produced Top 40 album SATURNALIA was released in 1996 by Cooking Vinyl to a flurry of critical approval, but it was at this point that Gedge started work on his solo project, CINERAMA. A fittingly titled outfit, Cinerama indulged Gedge's love of film music from John Barry to Blaxploitation via Ennio Morricone. At the end of 2002, Gedge split up with Sally Murrell, his long-time girlfriend and chief Cinerama collaborator. He decided to leave Leeds [UK] his home for the preceding twenty-four years and move to Seattle [USA], where he began writing a collection of songs apparently influenced by his despair over the split. TAKE FOUNTAIN, the resultant album, was recorded in Chicago and Seattle by Steve Fisk and released, perhaps ironically, on St. Valentine’s Day, 2005. This long awaited LP brought them back into the spotlight with all the style and sophistication associated with a legendary group, but fans were also pleased to see the band had lost none of the growling angst with which they had burst onto the scene with their 1985 debut, “George Best”. The energy has been turned up even further for the new album, “El Rey”, The Wedding Present’s first collaboration with the legendary Albini since the renowned “Seamonsters” in 1991. Written while David Gedge was living in Los Angeles, “El Rey” burns with West Coast sunlight; Hollywood seen through the eyes of a gritty Northerner. Speaking about “El Rey” in Mojo magazine recently Gedge said: “I’ve been living in West Hollywood for the last year or so, and while I’m not going to claim that this is my ‘L.A.’ album, there are some references. I suppose the themes are lust, jealousy, betrayal, regret, obsession, super-heros… the usual. We chose to record with Steve this time because the new songs were sounding very guitarry and quite dark. It’s been good. As you’d imagine, really; Albini knows his stuff”.