Wedding Present - Toronto 2025

The Wedding Present returned to Toronto's The Great Hall on May 27, 2025, bringing their Bizarro 35th Anniversary Tour to the city. The band was joined by The Tubs, making the evening a particularly strong double bill for fans of British indie and guitar-driven alternative rock. The Toronto performance was part of a North American run celebrating the band's landmark 1990 album Bizarro.

David Gedge and The Wedding Present have always been a remarkably energetic live band, and the anniversary tour gave them an excellent excuse to revisit one of their most important records. Bizarro helped establish the band's reputation for combining jangly guitars, relentless rhythms, sharp melodies, and Gedge's distinctive vocal delivery.

The Toronto show featured a substantial selection of Bizarro material. Songs including “Brassneck,” “Kennedy,” “Crushed,” “Thanks,” “What Have I Said Now?,” “Granadaland,” “Bewitched,” “Take Me!,” and “Be Honest” had all been staples of the anniversary performances.

“Brassneck” was an obvious highlight. The song remains one of The Wedding Present's best-known recordings, and its fast-paced guitars and driving rhythm translate particularly well to a live setting. “Kennedy” provided another major crowd moment, while “My Favourite Dress” brought one of the band's most beloved early songs into the set.

The show wasn't simply a performance of Bizarro from beginning to end. The band mixed in other material, including “Two For The Road,” “A Million Miles,” “Science Fiction,” “It's a Gas,” “Rachel,” “Deer Caught in the Headlights,” “Come Play With Me,” “Dalliance,” and “Crawl.”

The Tubs were a particularly appropriate opening act. Their own guitar-heavy indie sound created a natural bridge into The Wedding Present's set, rather than making the evening feel like two unrelated bands sharing a bill. The combination also gave the Toronto audience a full night devoted to the kind of sharp, melodic guitar music that has remained central to the British indie scene.

The Great Hall was an ideal room for the concert. Its relatively intimate atmosphere allowed the guitars to remain the focus while giving Gedge plenty of room to work the crowd. A concert celebrating a 35-year-old album could easily have become a nostalgia exercise, but The Wedding Present's energetic approach kept it firmly in the present.

For Toronto fans, the May 27 performance was a chance to see one of Britain's great cult indie bands revisit an important chapter of its history without becoming trapped by it. With Bizarro providing the foundation, The Wedding Present delivered a fast, loud, melodic set that demonstrated why the band's music has remained so influential and enduring.