Question: When you started out you released your own records. Why?
Answer: I think we were very into that whole DIY independent ethic. We did our first single totally on our own, including the financing. We then signed a P&D deal with Red Rhino distribution, who sadly no longer exists, and they put up the money to pay for the album so we thought that that was a good way to do, it's still our own label, but we have someone who can pay the costs – it seemed the obvious choice.
Your first singles got a lot of attention, there must have been major label interest?
Yeah we had spoken to lots of labels, pretty much every major label I think. I'm not sure there were any firm offers, but then we didn't give of the vibe that we wanted to sign a deal really. We'd meet these people (A'n'R people from major labels) and we kinda felt a bit patronised, there was this element of “Well lads you've done pretty well so far but now let us takeover and we'll just change a few things here and a few things there and we can take it too the next level”. While we did want to get to the 'next level' we didn't think (rightly or wrongly!) that we needed any body to come and start telling is what to do – I think we were probably quite stubborn about it.
Then after the success of your debut album you did sign to a major (RCA). Why?
I think it was a combination of two things. Firstly RCA were the only people that we felt got where we were coming from. They basically said you do what you want and we'll put out the records. They'd give us advice and make suggestions but we'd retain complete control – artistic control, marketing control, everything, apparently our contract was, well I won't say mold breaking, but it was quite an artist favored contract - it's usually only the megastars that get that kinda deal. It helped that the person who was looking to sign us to RCA was pretty powerful at the label. So with this deal it seemed we could carry on doing what we wanted and be on a major label, which was important to us as we were staring to sell records around the world and being signed to what was essentially a multinational record company made that easier. We weren't totally convinced, but then it soon became apparent that Red Rhino were going out of business and even the people at Red Rhino were saying we should sign with RCA, so we did! I think it was a good decision. We made more money than we would have done doing it on our own and we didn't suffer at the hands of the major label. You hear all these horror stories of bands who sign to majors, but we had a really good time with both RCA and Island who we signed to next. I think it's because we set out our stall from the outset, making clear that we'd need control. We just said that we're not signing unless it's the kinda deal we want.
If you were starting out now would you follow the same path?
I think so. I'd definitely start out doing it ourselves, get a feel for it, then see what happens. I wouldn't necessarily sign to a major, as I said I think our deal was pretty unique, and it seems as if the major are becoming less important. And they're all disappearing – every year another major seems to vanish or get taken over.
The new album is out 26th May, how's this one being released?
The last few albums have been on Scopitones (The Wedding Present’s own label) and we've licensed them to other labels, Manifesto in the States and labels is Spain, Germany and France and we've released it ourselves in the UK. This way we've been able to cover all the territories that we sell significantly in. Am old acquaintance of mine has started a label (Vibrant Records) and he was very enthusiastic about The Wedding Present being the first release on this new label so we've licensed the album to Vibrant for the whole world, except North America. I do feel sorry for the existing licensees we've dealt with in the Europe, but this seems the right deal for us at the moment, and it makes it easier for us, dealing with one label rather than several. This may not be permanent, we'll see how it goes with this album. It seemed like the obvious thing to do at the moment.
You've always been pretty shrewd about publicity (the band’s debut album was named 'George Best' after the famous British footballer who helped promote it, the band released 12 singles in a year equalling Elvis record of 12 hits in one year, etc) any tips to bands about getting publicity?
I think it's a fine line between getting publicity for your band and it becoming a gimmick, judging that is the important thing. I've always been interested in pop culture, the way music is released and what people do with it. At the end of the day it doesn't matter how good your publicity is you have to make a good record. A lot of bands, mostly London bands, seem to have press agents and managers and record label interest before anyone's heard them, and you think 'Hang on a minute, what about the songs?' I think it's a London thing, in the provinces the bands actually form, play gigs, record demos and then they start to attract the industry's attention. With The Wedding Present our first single was, maybe not the greatest song we've written, but it was a very extreme record. It was the kind of record that leapt out of the radio and grabbed your attention. That opened the door, people then got interested and heard there were more, possible better, songs. We've had many weird and wonderful ideas over the years. With the Hit Parade (the bands 12 singles in a year campaign), I think it did overshadow the music a bit. I think it was a great marketing campaign, if I say so myself! There was loads of media interest, we were featured in the Guinness Book of Hit Singles, but I felt like saying yeah, but the music is pretty good as well!
Do you regret that campaign?
I wouldn't say that it was a mistake, I think at the end of the day the music stands up. It was a strange situation where we did feel the music was a bit overshadowed but I think that's the only time where that's happened.
Over the last 20 years there's been numerous line-up changes. How do you go about recruiting new members?
It's been different every time but generally it's more of a word of mouth kinda thing. There have been times where we've put out adverts and auditioned people, but in all the years I think that's happened about twice. Usually, although we have auditioned people, it's tended to be friends of friends, people who are interested in doing it or we've just asked people 'So and so is leaving, do you fancy a shot?' It always seem like quite a natural, organic process.
How has it affected the band creatively?
I think it's probably helped the group survive. It's always sad when people have to leave. Being on tour, being in the studio, it's quite intimate and you build up relationships with people - then suddenly they're gone. But at the same time their replacement comes in - it's someone who has a new enthusiasm and new and different influences and it's someone who's determined to prove they're as good, or better, then the person they've replaced. Every line up we've had is always competing with previous line ups, and I think it moves the band on. I didn't really plan it but I don't think it's done The Wedding Present any harm.
Many bands struggle to keeping going for even 2 years, how do you think you've kept The Wedding Present together for over 20?
Basically I think I'm obsessed with it! And I work really hard at it. Some people do think it's a bit weird, but I don't really do anything else. Other people I'm working with are in the group, or involved with it. I don't have a lot a friends outside the band so yeah I think I am slightly obsessed with it. Bands that have lasted usually have someone behind them who is driven. Driven to....well...obsession.
On a practical point we were lucky signing to RCA when we did (1989) when major labels were still paying bands stupidly big advances, I think the unrecouped balance outstanding at RCA is still in the hundreds of thousands of pounds. That kind of investment allowed me to do things, like buy a house without a mortgage. That's meant that during the leaner times I've had some security, I didn't have to think about getting another job to pay the rent.
The Wedding Present have always been very much a live band – you seem to have almost been touring constantly for the past 20 years. How’s that been?
On the surface it seems straight forward, you travel the world playing your songs to people and get paid for it – it's all great fun. But I think people do become disenchanted. Some of the line up changes we've had over the years are because people have been sick of touring, of being away from home and their families for long periods of time. The novelty of touring America or Europe, once you've done it once or twice, does wear off - and it is tiring and hard work. But I wouldn't miss it for the world – I love touring and I feel privileged that I can travel to all these places and get paid for it. It's not always cost effective touring, and I think we play lots of place where, financially speaking, we really shouldn't, but we enjoy doing it.
How does the songwriting process work within the band?
What tend to happen is that I'll write a song, which from my point of views means the something you can sing and play on guitar – it has lyrics, chords and melody. Then the rest of the band arrange that track, the bass player will add the bass, the drummer the drums etc. it is, to a certain extent, a collaboration, but I'd say I'm the chief songwriter. It is different for different songs, sometimes I've written all the parts, especially with Cinerama (Gedge's band from 1998 – 2004) where I wrote all the singles. And there have been times when I've had less input and other people have contributed more. Every song is different, to be honest.
The new single is coming out as a download only - what opportunities and difficulties do you think the internet offer to bands and labels?
It's a weird situation, I haven't got my head round it and I certainly don't profess to have any solutions. There’s definitely less money to be made by labels and artists. That's partly because of illegal downloading of music and people burning their mates CDs I suppose we used to tape music illegally off LPs, so I guess we can't complain that much but I think it's becoming more and more of a struggle for artists to make any money. I'm from a previous generation, I think it's gonna take a whole new mindset to come up to a solution to this problem. People are trying new ideas like Prince (he gave his new album away free with a British newspaper) and Radiohead (who had a honest box type approach letting people pay what they wanted to download them album, anything from 1 penny upwards) but they are major artists who can try that sort of thing. And I guess it's great for bands starting out, with MySpace and all that it's a good way to get your name around. For us, well it's weird it all changes so quickly. Our last single came out on CD, 7” and DVD, this new one, well 6 months ago it was gonna come out on 7” and download but over the course of the last few months that's changed and now it's just coming out as a download. Most shops won't even stock singles anymore so you can't justify the expense on pressing, mastering, printing sleeves and the other costs of doing a 7” single. Which I think is sad because to me pop music is the 7” single, there's something quite romantic about it. There's not the same romance associated with downloading an MP3 onto your computer.
Having said all that I do appreciate the opportunities that new technologies offer. It's made recording much cheaper for a start. And I love iTunes and iPods. I've a huge CD collection, but I never play most of them, I wouldn't go 'Oh I fancy listening to this CD from 1984', but when a track comes onto your iPod shuffle you're like 'Oh do you remember this band..' - it's like having your own personal radio station. If you can be bothered to upload all the tracks. Stuff like YouTube is fantastic. All those bands we used to listen to in the 80's, that we never saw the videos for (MTV didn't arrive in Europe until 1987) you can now just type their name into YouTube and there they are. It's amazing really, so I think it's a double edged sword, but I think it will make it harder for new bands to survive and at the end of the day that's what you want, new bands coming through.
Finally any pitfalls you'd particularly advise bands to watch out for when starting out in a career in music?
I know it's been said before, but always read the contract! I've never had a problem with a major label, but I did have a problem with the huge legal bills we had to pay and I think it's very tempting when you get offered a deal, especially if it's not worth a huge amount of money, to think it's not worth getting a lawyer to look at the contract, but that can be very dangerous. People do sign contracts without getting proper legal advice and have regretted it. And above all concentrate on the music – and make an extreme record.
El Rey by The Wedding Present is out now on Manifesto in the US and Vibrant in the rest of world. Find out more on the band's MySpace page.
-Heather McDonald
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