Live Glastonbury Review | Shed Seven

Shed Seven took to Woodsies to take everyone back to the mid 90s

The band last played here in 1995, the same year Oasis, Pulp and Elastica were riding high. They may have missed out on the very top rung when Britpop ruled the charts, but they have proved impressively resilient. 

Author | Josh T

They have recently landed two number-one albums with A Matter Of Time and Liquid Gold. Frontman Rick Witter, still wiry and full of swagger in a sheer black glittery top, summed it up with a knowing smile. “It appears we have become big time charlies,” he joked to the crowd.

These days, Shed Seven are much more than an indie band. Five backing vocalists and a three-piece horn section add weight to their sound. There are hints of Oasis throughout, helped by guitarist Paul Banks, who manages to channel both Noel and Liam Gallagher at once. But there is also the unmistakable influence of an earlier Manchester band. 

Songs like Chasing Rainbows, On Standby and Speakeasy, the latter still familiar to many thanks to a nineties mobile phone advert, carry a distinct northern melancholy and ringing Johnny Marr-inspired guitars. It is easy to imagine that Hatful Of Hollow played a big part in their formative years. Even Disco Down, with its glitterball shimmer and defiant call to burn the disco down, feels like a distant relative of Panic. If that is the case, then Let’s Go Dancing is their version of There Is A Light That Never Goes Out.

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As with the best Smiths gigs, this is all about shared joy. The energy flows between the packed tent and the stage, with the Shed Seven faithful singing along throughout. Last year’s Talk Of The Town mixes the chug of Pinball Wizard with the melodic charm of The La’s. 

Their 1996 hit Going For Gold melts seamlessly into a cover of Suspicious Minds, made all the more surreal when the frontman of Elvis-Nirvana tribute band Elvana appears in a rhinestone jumpsuit to duet with Witter, before draping a cloak over his shoulders as he grins wearily at the crowd.

A flare goes up near the MOJO tent as they close with Chasing Rainbows, rounding off a set that feels like part gig, part celebration and pure nostalgia. Add in Witter’s tale of nearly being sick live on This Morning with Richard and Judy back in 1996, and it is safe to say this was entertainment through and through.