Matt Aston to premiere Reception: The Wedding Present Musical coinciding with the band's 40th anniversary

The premiere of the show this summer at The Warehouse at Holbeck coincides with the 40th anniversary of The Wedding Present and their debut single, "Go Out and Get ‘Em Boy".

“When Matt approached me with the idea of a Wedding Present musical, to say that I was surprised would be something of an understatement. I’d never previously imagined my songs being in a musical, but I was intrigued.” David Gedge says. “That being said, I’m a big fan of ABBA and loved how their songs were used in Mamma Mia, and I’m always keen to try out new ideas. I know that the team have worked hard and am really excited to see the finished product.”

Reception: The Wedding Present Musical is the story of love, loss, break-ups and breakdowns... everything you’d expect from a Wedding Present song. The show is based around a group of Leeds University friends who keep in touch over five years of trials, tribulations and life events including a graduation ceremony, a funeral, a wedding and, of course, the accompanying reception.

“It was almost 20 years ago when I had the first inkling that a Wedding Present musical might work. David (Gedge) had returned to Leeds to perform a selection of his songs with the BBC Big Band for Radio 3,” Matt Aston says. “The arrangements for the songs were astonishing, as different as you could possible imagine but David’s lyrical and conversational storytelling still shone through. Then later seeing Wedding Present and Cinerama concerts backed with 16-piece orchestras and full choirs helped cement the thought that the songs could work perfectly in a musical.”