Live 'Seamonsters' Concert Released On CD & DVD

Scopitones released 'Live 2012' by The Wedding Present on 23 July 2021.

This album features the band recorded live in concert at the Ritz in Manchester on 9 November 2012 and includes a performance of the iconic 'Seamonsters' album in its entirety.

Continuing in the format of other recent similar Scopitones releases such as 'Live 2007' ['George Best', live in Dublin] and 'Live 2010' ['Bizarro', live in Munich], this double disc set includes both a CD and a DVD of the concert.

Track listing : End Credits / Sports Car* / The Girl From The DDR / You Should Always Keep In Touch With Your Friends / My Favourite Dress / Don't Touch That Dial* / Deer Caught In The Headlights / Dalliance / Dare / Suck / Blonde / Rotterdam / Lovenest / Corduroy / Carolyn / Heather / Octopussy / Click Click / What Have I Said Now?

[*DVD Only]

Following the release of 'Seamonsters' in 1991 the Guardian newspaper noted that: “Engineer Steve Albini has given The Wedding Present considerable weight, with Gedge’s voice trickling between banks of scowling guitars” and went on to feature the LP in its list of ‘1,000 albums to hear before you die’. Despite its uncompromising sound, the album reached No. 13 in the British album charts and has been hailed as a classic.

You can purchase 'Live 2012' ['Seamonsters', live in Manchester] by clicking here.

You can also purchase 'Live 2007' ['George Best', live in Dublin] by clicking here.

And 'Live 2010' ['Bizarro', live in Munich], by clicking here.

'Seamonsters' reviewed by AllMusic :

After recording with Steve Albini on their remake of 1990’s ‘Brassneck’ single, The Wedding Present decamped to Minnesota to record a full album with the notoriously abrasive producer. It proved to be a perfect match of band and engineer, and 'Seamonsters' turned out to be the most emotionally powerful album the band could have hoped to make. Albini’s dramatically stripped-down sound and David Gedge’s utterly wrecked lyrics work to wring every last drop of desolate anger and angst from the songs. Simon Smith sounds like he’s battering his drums with concrete blocks instead of sticks, Keith Gregory’s wire-taut bass sounds like it’s stalking the guitars, and Gedge and Peter Solowka’s guitars explode into flaming balls of noise and sound when they aren’t lurking in the mix like barely restrained demons. The simplicity of the recording, the intense range of dynamics in each song, and the almost painful amount of passion the band injects into every note is breath-taking. Add in Gedge’s ripped-from-his-heart vocals and his intensely felt, quite bleak, lyrics and it gets close to emotional overload territory. The Wedding Present had always had a reputation for being dour and straitlaced, but there was usually still some humour in Gedge’s turns of phrase, a jaunty feel to their high-speed guitar strumathons, and an almost fun energy in their poppiest songs.

There’s absolutely nothing about 'Seamonsters' that isn’t the darkest, unhappiest thing one could imagine. Luckily, the gloom is tempered by how catchy the songs are – hooky tracks like ‘Dare’ and ‘Dalliance’ are hard to shake. It’s also made easier to swallow by the quieter songs like ‘Carolyn’ and the overall dynamic approach, which allow Gedge some space to croon. Indeed, this is the album where Gedge moves beyond being a solid vocalist to being a great one. 'Seamonsters' is The Wedding Present’s masterpiece, a long look into the abyss that feels like a knife twisting deep into the heart, and sounds like a glimpse into the bare souls of the band. It’s not easy listening, but it is essential. [Tim Sendra]