Let It Ride, 1998
Mr Men books. Blockbusters with Bob Holness. Hot buttered crumpets. There are certain pillars of British life about which no one has a bad word to say. And to that list, I add Shed Seven.
Everyone loves the Sheds. Why wouldn’t they? They play cheerful, rollicking, singalong rock and don’t take it or themselves too seriously. They come across as all-round good eggs. It’s possible that they drown orphaned puppies in their spare time, but if they do, I’ve never heard about it. I’d probably forgive them anyway.
Shed Seven were in many ways the archetypal Britpop band, the ones we’d send to Jupiter if we discovered alien life forms there (ones with a deep curiosity about the musical culture of one tiny island a quarter of a century ago). Most of the key boxes were ticked: guitars-and-drums led; male (as most Britpop bands were, despite a few notable exceptions); northerners with floppy haircuts. They produced three albums during their 1990s heyday and have, like many of their contemporaries, enjoyed an uplifting recent renaissance.
The music also covered all the Britpop bases, offering everything from soul-searing anthems to unto-the-dancefloor tubthumpers to indisputable classics of the era. And they were – still are –a fearsome live act, a band you would always make time to see if they came to your town, assured of a superb night out. And they’re still touring, playing their legendary Shedcember dates most years. Get a ticket if you can.*
Britain is having a tough time right now, and it’s likely to get tougher in the months ahead. But however bad it gets – whether Boris becoming prime minister, the EU getting tired and just telling us to fuck off, or even Man United winning the league – we can find some small solace in the fact that, like fish and chips on the beach, Sports Report at five pm on a Saturday and the theme tune to All Creatures Great And Small, we will always have Shed Seven.
Top three Shed Seven tracks:
* No dates for 2018 announced yet …
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