On the 18th of November 1990, The Wedding Present took to the Manchester Academy stage for the first time, soaring on the chart highs of their two biggest hits to date ("Brassneck" and "Kennedy") plus the critical buzz of their acclaimed sophomore album 'Bizarro'.

A quarter of a century on, as the Manchester Academy celebrates its landmark 25th Anniversary as a venue, the seminal alt-rock unit will bring their ferocious live show to our stage once again on Saturday 14th November 2015.

However, to ensure the venue's year long series of unique gigs are nothing short of unforgettable, the band will be bringing with them a stellar line up of support acts hand-picked by their legendary front man: David Gedge.

Today we are thrilled to announce to you the re-birth of a band founded and masterminded by Gedge himself. Making their comeback for the Academy celebrations, we welcome to the line up: Cinerama.

In addition, a double whammy of sublime Scottish indie pop will flank the bill as cult favourites The Vaselines and dynamic ex-Delgado Emma Pollock join Gedge by special request for the evening.
 

With a career that seemed to last only about as long as their notoriously trim songs, The Vaselines had come and gone before Manchester Academy even had a chance to lick the envelope of their invite to the venue. Founded by symbiotic songwriting duo Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee in 1986, the band went on to release just two top 30 charting EPs ('Son of A Gun' (1987) and 'Dying For It' (1988) before an LP that would become an instant cult classic:  'Dum Dum' (1989). The Vaselines split soon after its release, reforming for one show only to support Nirvana in Edinburgh in 1990 . This date would in fact preserve the band's incandescent indie for years to come when they earned a super-fan in Kurt Cobain that night. As Nirvana later covered a number of the band's tracks including "Son of A Gun" and "Molly's Lips", The Vaselines suddenly found international recognition, long after the band's day were over.

Re-uniting in 2006 for a joint tour in support of their solo albums, Kelly and McGee rekindled the embers of their relationship, an action that would in turn lead to the reformation of The Vaselines two years later at a charity gig for Malawi Orphan Support Group in Glasgow in 2008. The band have tripled the number of albums in their back catalogue with the release of two records of new material in recent years: 'Sex with An X' (2010) and 'V For Vaselines' (2014), taking their songs across the world and to an audience who blinked and missed their short-lived career first time around.

 

Whilst anyone who has witnessed a Wedding Present live show in the past will tell you that our headliners will offer more than enough to sink your teeth into, the David Gedge connoisseur will tell you the resurrection of his Cinerama project will be nothing short unmissable this November. Formed in 1998 , Cinerama began as playful side project between him and his then girlfriend Sally Murrell. Indulging in wind and string sections for the first time in his career, Gedge began to forge pieces that morphed from orchestral pop master classes to sumptuous cine-scapes recording three albums in quick succession: 'Va Va Voom' (1998), 'Disco Volante' (2000) and Torino (2002), along with a wealth of live albums, singles and compilations.

The break up between the couple similarly split the band, ending a short, prolific and experimental phase in Gedge's career, but providing the impetus for the front man to resume his day-job duties. The Wedding Present have continued to pay homage to Cinerama's heavenly baroque pop in their live sets to this day, it is at Manchester Academy that he will play one of his first full live set under the moniker since their split in 2003. Surely, a must-see experience.
 

Surfing out of Motherwell on a wave of symphonic pop, Emma Pollock became an instant 90s indie poster girl when the The Delgados crash landed in 1994. A truly independent outfit, following the band's formation they would create their own legendary record label Chemikal Underground and self-release the bulk of their back catalogue. Despite winning fans nationwide, high praise from the likes of John Peel (the band recorded 15 sessions for the DJ in total), Mercury Music Prize nominations ('The Great Eastern' (2000)) and all the hallmarks of a dream career in music, their fifth long-player 'Universal Audio' (2004) would be their last and the band split albeit amicably. However, whilst all members would keep their hand in the upkeep of their Chemikal Underground label, Pollock still felt the urge to continue creating and immediately set about a solo career.

Signing to 4AD, Pollock has since released two albums of shimmering folk-pop in 'Watch the Fireworks' (2007) and 'The Law of Large Numbers' (2010) alongside her contributions to the mind expanding work of 8-piece Indo-Caldeonian band The Burns Unit. Now with the tantalising news of new material set to emerge this year, prepare to welcome back an indie institution to the Manchester Academy as Emma Pollock plays her first show at Manchester Academy in over half a decade.

Tickets
 

Tickets for THE WEDDING PRESENT + THE VASELINES + CINERAMA + EMMA POLLOCK are currently on General Sale:

TICKETLINE: https://www.ticketline.co.uk/order/tickets/13303040/the-wedding-present-manchester-academy-1-2015-11-14-18-00-00

Telephone: 0161 832 1111


SEE TICKETS: http://www.seetickets.com/event/the-wedding-present/manchester-academy/855586


 

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Academy 25: The Line-Up (so far...)

With the addition of this very special date in the series, here is how the line up for our celebrations are looking so far:

BUZZCOCKS  – Saturday 10th October 2015
Plus a section of Very Special Guests TBA

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PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT - Friday 30th October 2015
A “Joy Division” Celebration – Performing Unknown Pleasures & Closer
And featuring an opening set of ‘New Order’ material

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 FROM THE JAM + THE UNDERTONES + THE BEAT + LOUISE DISTRAS –
Saturday 31st October 2015

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THE WEDDING PRESENT
- Plus support from artists personally chosen by David Gedge:
THE VASELINES + CINERAMA + EMMA POLLOCK 
Saturday 14th November 2015

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MEGADOG  - 

With live performances from System 7, Dreadzone and Eat Static
Saturday 21st November 2015

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NEW MODEL ARMY + THE DUB PISTOLS + TV SMITH –
Saturday 5th December 2015
+ Guests TBA

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For more information visit: Manchester Academy Official

f/ https://www.facebook.com/manchesteracademy
t/ - https://twitter.com/MancAcademy


Tickets for the first six events are now on general sale

Stay tuned for even more announcements in the coming weeks...

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A Year of Celebrations: Manchester Academy is 25

Over 3 million avid music fans. More than 1,600 unforgettable gigs. Manchester Academy celebrates 25 Years of Rock'n'Roll history and counting.

As one of UK’s busiest venues and host to some of the most thrilling live entertainment in the Northwest, Manchester Academy is proud to reach a landmark 25 years on October 7th 2015. 

For 25 years, the Academy has been the beating heart of the city's untouchable live music scene, both celebrating the classic and providing the platform to propel tomorrow's brightest talents to uncharted stratospheric heights. From Bowie to Bastille, Foo Fighters to Faithless, Kylie to Korn, Lady Gaga to London Grammar, The Prodigy to Prince and Radiohead to Robbie Williams we have been privileged to host them all.
Out moshing Jilly's Music Box and raving beyond the Hacienda years, we are hugely grateful to everyone who has helped the Academy outlast even our host city's very finest venues since 1990.

We really can't thank all of you gig-goers, artists, promoters, agents, managers and staff that have always supported us all this time. We can only repay you with the only way Manchester knows how: one massive party. Standby for even more announcements in our year long series of special one-off concerts and festivities to come.

To thank you all, the unique year-long series will begin with the first of our 25th Birthday celebrations on Saturday 10th October 2015 and continue through 2016.