As a wedding present for the marriage of my friends, Simon and Helen, I decided to write a couple of songs. I also performed them and some other songs at the reception. This was the first time in maybe 10 years I had given a live performance, something I have not done since. Rare!

Man of Kent

Soundcloud version

I thought of Man of Kent, because Simon is from Canterbury and would probably appreciate the lyrics. The words refer to Men of Kent and Kentish Men – depending on whether you hail from the west of the River Medway (Kentish Men) or the east of the river (Men of Kent).

I recall I wanted the music to be guitar-based (I probably wrote this on acoustic guitar), and a fairly plain and uneffected arrangement. I had probably been listening to Talking Stories, by Talking Heads. There’s some acoustic guitar, electric guitar and organ in there, with a rhythm section of sampled bass guitar and a  virtual drummer. This may have been the first time I used that feature in Logic.

The Wedding

Soundcloud version

I have often tried to imitate New Order and this is probably the closest I’ve got to their sound, especially the Arp-like bass line and other sequenced synth/keyboard sounds. I remain pleased with the instrumentation and arrangement to this day, and even the vocal sounds reasonably ok to me.

The words are a description of the wedding, but written before the event.

Brian performing at Simon and Helen’s wedding, Newark, October 2006