Absolutely buzzing to be seeing Shed Seven (supported by Cast) at Manchester Academy this evening.
I can't remember a time when Shed Seven's first two records weren't immediately to hand - I was less than 10 years old, so my folks must have bought them upon release (or when they bought their first batch of CD's), almost definitely at the release of
A Maximum High at the latest. Along with The Bluetones' debut, The Charlatans'
Tellin' Stories, and
What's the Story..., those two must have been the first records I really identified with as being something I liked. I don't recall getting
Let It Ride as early as '98 (though I did have the
She Left Me On Friday Single, complete with it's fantastic b-sides) - I can only think that the musical landscape/horizon was just so broad for me at that age (still is, I suppose!) that there was too music to discover in terms of artists, never mind a single artist's collection. I reckon I got both that and
Truth Be Told three years or so after each was released. I do recall getting the
Disco Down single around the time it came out though. None of their later stuff made quite the impression that those first two records had done upon young ears, however, and both have stuck with me ever since really - every word of those handful of records I mention is etched right there at the tip of my tongue and behind my eyelids
And yet, almost 22 years later and despite them having toured regularly over recent years, I've somehow never managed to catch them live. The new record is a worthy addition to their back-catalogue - they've taken time to make sure that it's not a reunion release with merely a couple of hits but no substance - and new additions to the set-list seem to have gone down well.
Cast's psychedelic-lite power pop should make for a fantastic opener - as it did when I saw them open for The Bluetones (who incidently were my the first band I saw live, Preston '98) at the same venue 15 months ago - and really get the crowd going. Account on social media evidence that there's a great feel-good about this tour, and I'm sure Shed Seven and crowd will together take the roof off.
Cannot wait
