At the time of the Smiths emergence and ascendancy (ie 83-85) it certainly was the case that The Wedding Present were one of those bands you would mention in the same breath as The Smiths. David Gedge's gritty, emotionally wraught lyrics, and the frenetically taut guitar sound appealed to many of us recently captivated by Mozzer's crew...

I saw The Wedding Present at Norwich Arts Centre this year, and though it's a much changed line-up, they were still superb, and doing both old and new material (much like you know who!)

Barry Newman

(Wilde Club Records)

The last track on the free CD (which is pretty good, and includes a single by "The Wedding Present") with the current “Uncut” issue, after John Peel’s Festive 15, has a comment by him that goes something like this:

“We on the John Peel wingding like the Smiths very much I must say, and Walters and myself were just talking… (?) – or more accurately I was being talked at by Walters – but we agreed that there was a kind of spirituality…(?) but not musically; it’s like a similarity in a way between the Smiths and the Nightingales. Neither of them may be pleased about that, but we’ve noticed it anyway.“

The Nightingales, who came to the fore during the ‘80’s and broke up before releasing their first album, are now being hailed by all kinds of musical commentators, e.g The Guardian, Simon Goddard, NME journalists, Mark E. Smith etc, as another best British band ever, and other effusive words to that effect (see press release in the press section of their website)

They have also recently re-formed and have started touring with mostly their old material so far to tremendous acclaim.

Website address: www.thenightingales.org.uk

......at a gig in cologne, germany the singer introduced their song "Anyone Can Make a Mistake" by adding: "I can't see Morrissey doing it!"

The Wedding Present sound a bit like the Smiths?

Errr thanks for that news straight from the NME in 1986.

Anyone know who shot JR?

"They’re also described as The Smiths' fans’ second favourite band."

Yeah, but only by lazy journalists circa 1987. Their music is/was definitely both "simpler" and more "alternative" than Marr's work, drawing more from bands like Buzzcocks, Gang of Four, the Velvet Underground and The Fall; and their lyrics are far more direct, not to mention far more explicitly heterosexually oriented, which is why I went a bit off them.

Anyone who wants to know more about them though, as they're still highly enjoyable, should start with the Wikipedia article [wikipedia.org] I helped write.

I really like the Wedding Present and have several of their albums. But I wouldn't say they are my second favorite band. That honor would have to be bestowed on Joy Division. It is a very CLOSE second, though.

I am an American chick who can't seem to get enough of Manchester's musical spawn.

Has anyone here ever checked out any of the Joy Division boards? Those people revere Ian Curtis as much as everyone here not named "Anonymous" reveres Morrissey. And the guy's been dead 25 years. A genius, though. Just like our Moz.