Live: The Wedding Present @ Temple (Athens, December 14th, 2017)

2017 was a year full of comebacks and anniversary re-releases. Although I feel that rock music continues to be as necessary and important today as it’s ever been, at least for me, there is no denying the fact that exciting new rock bands are thin on the ground these days, while so many bands from the past are returning for concerts and release new records which are easily among the best of the year, even if they don’t usually surpass their past glories.

In this climate, it isn’t surprising that some of the best gigs we’ve been to this year were from bands with quite a bit of history (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The Dream Syndicate, Swans, Thurston Moore, Einstürzende Neubauten, The Jesus And Mary Chain, Slowdive) and now to this list we can add The Wedding Present, who this year celebrated the 30th anniversary of their debut album "George Best", one of the indiepop classics of the C86 generation.

Although "George Best" is certainly one of the albums that I would like to see performed from start to finish, David Gedge preferred to keep in the set list about a half of it and present instead a “best of” of the first period of the band, a choice that certainly pleased the fans as along with early favorites like "My Favourite Dress", "Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft" "Anyone Can Make a Mistake" or the pre-"George Best" single "Once More", we also got to hear the likes of "Kennedy", "Corduroy" or "Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah".

Some of their newer material was also present in the hour and a half set, with "Two Bridges" and "Rachel" representing their latest release, 2016’s "Going, Going...", and "The Girl from the DDR" off "Valentina" being also among the standouts with bassist Danielle Wadey contributing the German vocal part.

A great gig that showcased some of David Gedge’s finest songs, from the mid-80s to the present day, that certainly deserved a larger audience than the relatively few who managed to come to the Temple club on Thursday night despite the strike in public transport.

Here's the handwritten set list of the gig and our video of the band performing "Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft":

The Wedding Present - Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft (live @ Temple, Athens)

The 7s, part 1: C87

As we are waiting to see what 2017 has in store for us, we are going to take a small trip down memory lane and listen again to some excellent music from past years ending in 7.

At first I thought of starting this time trip in the punk rock heaven of 1977 and working my way up to 2007, but since I just got in my hands the outstanding triple CD compilation C87,  released last year by Cherry Red Records to celebrate the 30th anniversary of C86, we'll start from 1987 instead.

The concept behind this compilation was to imagine what would have been the result if NME had decided to reconvene a year on from their original C86 cassette for a follow up. The resulting 70-plus tracks compilation, curated by one of the original C86 compilers, Neil Taylor, offers a 4-hour panorama of the new UK indie pop and rock scene of '87, featuring bands ranging from the well-known to obscurities making their debut on CD. 

All tracks come from the period just after C86, i.e. summer 1986 to the end of 1987, and features first recordings by names that later found chart success and became familiar to indie fans the world over, like indie legends The Wedding Present, The House Of Love or The Inspiral Carpets, and others who at best enjoyed cult status (for example The Boy Hairdressers, who evolved into Teenage Fanclub or The Vaselines who found fame after they were covered by Nirvana) or disappeared after a handful of excellent but hard to find singles. It's truly mind-blowing that all this was happening in the short period between 1986 and 1987 and no wonder it is still offering inspiration to new bands opting to create guitar music in the 21st century.

Here are just a few examples of the fine indie rocking happening in the UK of 1987, that you will find in the C87 compilation:

The Wedding Present - My Favourite Dress (the band's 5th overall single and first from their 1987 classic debut LP "George Best")

Talulah Gosh - Talulah Gosh (the 4th single by the cult band that later evolved into Heavenly)

The Flatmates - I Could Be In Heaven (their debut single - the above video was recorded live at The Tropic Club, Bristol, 31st August 1986)

The Sea Urchins - Pristine Christine (first ever single on Sarah Records)

I, Ludicrous - My Baby's Got Jet Lag (from their debut album "It's Like Everything Else")