Live Report: The Wedding Present at The Limelight

After weathering multiple storms including a series of postponed shows, venue changes and, in the case of some Irish dates, the possibility of the plug being pulled at the eleventh hour thanks to government “guidance,” The Wedding Present’s Seamonsters tour finally makes its way to Belfast tonight.

It’s the last stop on an eventful jaunt around the Emerald Isle and while the mandatory seating coupled with the fact that it’s a Sunday night makes Hot Press feel a wee bit like we’re at mass this evening, Father Gedge and his band of believers make us forget about the oddness in no time as he treats his flock to a fistful of life affirming sonic sermons from the get go.

As the sharp witted among you have (hopefully) guessed, the Leeds-born legends are playing their seminal, Steve Alibini-produced ‘91 album Seamonsters in its entirety to celebrate the beast’s 30th anniversary. Boasting some of the best indie songs ever committed to tape, the set is perhaps best described as a loving arm wrapped around your shoulder as you watch the world collapse. Over the course of ten tracks their Seamonsters’ set offers comfort, catharsis and, perhaps most importantly, head cracking riffs by the boatload.

‘Dare’ delivers goosebumps you could hang a hat off thanks to a chorus to die for, the bass driven ‘Suck’ remains one of the best love songs ever written, while ‘Blonde’ is a distortion pedal battering delight. Star of the show tonight is ‘Octopussy.’ The still bewitching number has lost none of its magic over the years and it serves as a welcome reminder of singer, guitarist and Wedding Present leader David Gedge’s skills as a lyricist.

Rounding off this evening’s birthday party is a collection of hits and near misses from the boiler suit clad band’s back catalogue and the likes of the super charged George Best favourite ‘Anyone can Make A Mistake’ provokes a mutiny among some of the diehards who stand up and have a bit of a bop before being told to sit back down. ‘Crawl’ finally brings the show to a close in considerable style and the evergreen track leaves little doubt that The Wedding Present are still the gift that keeps on giving.