The Wedding Present - Release their BBC The Ukrainians - John Peel Sessions

April 26th 2019

Release

The Wedding Present / The Ukrainians release their John Peel BBC sessions

On April 26th, Legendary band The Wedding Present will release their 'The Complete The Ukrainians BBC - John Peel Sessions'. The release will include all three John Peel sessions re-mastered for the first time along with booklet + new sleeve artwork designed by original artist Jonathan Hitchen. DVD includes a new interview with David Gedge, Peter Solowka and Len Liggins plus a very rare BBC 2 TV performance and two live recordings from 1989 Leeds Polytechnic. And if this is not enough it will also include The Ukrainians performing 'Davni Chasy' at the 'At the edge of the Sea' festival in 2010

With regular singer David Gedge relegated to guitar and backing vocals, Liggins takes centre-stage on vocal duties. His sonorous Ukrainian vocals on ‘Cherez Richku, Cherez Hai’ combined with Solowka’s edgy guitar make for an exciting mix of Ukrainian and Western musical styles, and is something of a reference point for a genre of music which now exists in Ukrainian communities around the World.

Available on CD + DVD and LP + DVD, both formats include all three John Peel sessions re-mastered for the very first time.

The DVD includes a new filmed interview with David Gedge, Peter Solowka and Len Liggins, along with a fantastic rare TV performance from 1988, two live songs from a sold-out Leeds Polytechnic gig in 1989 and a The Ukrainians performance of 'Davni Chasy' at the 'At the edge of the Sea' festival in 2010. Eventually leaving The Wedding Present in 1991, Solowka went on to form The Ukrainians with Liggins and Remeynes, releasing ‘Oi Divincho’, an NME 'Single of the Week' followed by their self-titled debut album.

The band still write and record their own style of Ukrainian music today, releasing eight studio albums and have toured all over Europe and in North America. The Wedding Present continued with David Gedge at the helm and they have gone on to become one of the UK’s most longstanding and much-loved indie bands, with eighteen British top fourty hit singles to their name. Not bad for a group that has, from its inception, stubbornly refused to play the record industry’s game. The band released their ninth studio album, ‘Going, Going…’, to critical acclaim in 2016.

CD / LP tracklisting Below:

Side A

01 Давні Часи Davni Chasy (2nd session recorded 15.03.88)

02 Через Річку, Через Гай Cherez Richku, Cherez Hai (3rd session recorded 02.05.89)

03 Світить Місяць Svitit Misyats (1st session recorded 06.10.87)

04 Тютюнник Tiutiunnyk (1st session recorded 06.10.87)

05 Задумав Дідочок Zadumav Didochok (2nd session recorded 15.03.88)

06 Їхав Козак За Дунай Yikhav Kozak Za Dunai (1st session recorded 06.10.87)

07 Гуде Дніпро Гуде Hude Dnipro Hude (1st session recorded 06.10.87)

Side B

01 Катруся Katrusya (1st session recorded 06.10.87)

02 Вася - Васильок Vasya Vasilyok (2nd session recorded 15.03.88)

03 Серцем i Душею Sertsem i Dusheyu (3rd session recorded 15.03.89)

04 Завтра Zavtra (3rd session recorded 15.03.89)

05 Верховино Verkhovyno (2nd session recorded 15.03.88)

Sessions 1 + 2 recorded at BBC Maida Vale Studio 4 and session 3 at Wessex Studios, London.

DVD:

Interview with David Gedge, Peter Solowka and Len Liggins by Ken Garner (author of the definitive BBC John Peel sessions book 'In Session Tonight') at the Brudenell Social Club, Leeds 10.11.2018

The Wedding Present performing 'Vasya Vasilyok' and 'Hude Dnipro Hude' at Leeds Polytechnic 28.04.1989

The Wedding Present performing 'Verkhovyno' on BBC 2's 'On A Personal Note' 23.09.1988

The Ukrainians performing 'Davni Chasy' at the 'At The Edge Of The Sea' festival, Brighton 28.08.2010

You can Pre-Order the CD+ DVD by clicking: Here / You can Pre-Order the LP + DVD by clicking: Here