The Wedding Present is a rock group from Leeds, the United Kingdom, that was formed in 1984 from the ashes of the Lost Pandas. Their music has evolved from fast-paced indie rock in the vein of their most obvious influences The Fall, Buzzcocks and Gang of Four, to more subtle yet always engaging forms.
The Lost Pandas fell apart in 1984 when singer David Gedge's then girlfriend Janet Rigby, the drummer for the band, ran away with guitarist Michael Duane. Gedge and the Pandas' bass player, Keith Gregory, decided to continue the band, renaming it The Wedding Present.
Gedge had wanted to use the name "The Wedding Present" for ages but was afraid of the perceived similarity with the name of one of his favourite bands, The Birthday Party. By the time the Lost Pandas broke up, however, that band had gone as well and Gedge felt free to name his new band The Wedding Present. "I’ve always thought that The Wedding Present was an inappropriate name for a pop group — more like a poem, or a book or something — and therefore quite attractive (to me!). I’ve also always been fascinated by weddings… "I used to be a huge Birthday Party fan and although I’d thought of ‘The Wedding Present’ about ten years ago [i.e., circa 1982], I decided it was a bit too similar and hence called the band I was in The Lost Pandas. By the time our first single came out in 1985, TBP were dead and gone so I felt more comfortable reverting to my original idea." (David Gedge quoted from the Wedding Present FAQ.)
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.
