Shed Seven with Chris Helme at The Assembly Leamington Spa, 13th December 2011

Earlier this year I was in a pub in York just after a Morrissey gig. All the pubs were heaving so we were out on the pavement taking in the air and a pint, when there was a brief hubbub amongst the locals. Turning, we were met with a small group of blokes surrounding a lean, swarthy individual who looked vaguely familiar. As the conversation about a new tour and old band members getting together again progressed the penny dropped. The chap in question was Rick Witter of Shed Seven.

It seems obvious now but at the time he wasn’t that recognisable as the Rick Witter of fifteen years ago when the band were in their serious pomp with the release of A Maximum High. Although they were to carry on for another seven years, the late 90s proved indeed to be their high and unless you were a member of the Shed Heads they dropped out of sight quite quickly. Greying at the temples and looking a bit more drawn he needed a second look to confirm that it was him.

But put him on a stage and there is no doubt. The intervening years drop away quickly. Still lean, still constantly on the move, sometimes upright, sometimes hunched over, he is always on the balls of his feet as if waiting to dodge an opponent or make a quick get away if the crowd turn ugly. It was always his trade mark – slight, hyperactive man with a big voice.

There was no danger of ugliness tonight. The crowd were partisan in the extreme with more than a decent following from Yorkshire in the place. The result was a load of banter, particularly with two blokes in Ant and Dec masks, and one who called himself Cardy, as in the garment. Throughout the night Rick and Cardy would exchange “pleasantries”, with Rick eventually wearing Cardy’s striped cardy, which they threw on to the stage.

It wasn’t all one way with the gifts. There have only been two people in rock who have looked good with maracas; one of them is Bez and the other Rick Witter, but we only had a brief glimpse of the shakers as they quickly joined the returned cardy in the crowd, proving good souvenirs for someone.

And there is still the big voice, the outstanding feature on their A Maximum High album. This tour is all about this album and the 15th anniversary of it’s release. The anthems that made it such a success Getting Better, Going for Gold and On Standby were all on show.

Fellow Yorkshireman Chris Helme is another who had a brief tenure in the spotlight, joining John Squire in the Seahorses. Although there seemed to be a few in the crowd who turned up to specifically to see him in his solo guise, the highlights of his set were Seahorses favourites Love Is the Law and Blinded by the Sun – all good sing along stuff. He joined Shed Seven near the end of their set for High Hopes.

The encore of The Smiths’ Panic (spooky after the Morrissey connection) and Chasing Rainbows saw Rick Witter in the crowd handing the mic to all and sundry, although this seemed a bit staged with a member of the band’s entourage preparing to film this before it happened!

In a year of revivals and seemingly endless tourings of classic albums this could have been just another one. But the band mixed things up, treating the set list properly. Songs from A Maximum High were all there but there was none of the seminal album plus all the hits routine that has become the staple fare of these events.

It was an enjoyable night with a good crowd but I just got the feeling that Shed Seven had another couple of gears to shift. It wasn’t as if they were going through the motions, far from it, but neither did they bring the house down.

Set list:

Parallel Lines
Where Have You Been Tonight?
Bully Boy
Magic Streets
Devil In Your Shoes
Speakeasy
She Left Me On Friday
Ocean Pie
Ladyman
Falling From The Sky
Dolphin
Going For Gold
Out By My Side
Speakeasy
Disco Down
High Hopes (w/ Chris Helme)
Getting Better
—-
Panic
Chasing Rainbows

Photographs – Stephanie Colledge
Review – Ian Gelling

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