Having recently announced a brand new album — their first in six years — and a sellout UK tour to go along with it, The Manc was lucky enough to be offered some time with Shed Seven frontman and Greater Manchester-born musician, Rick Witter.
The alternative rock and Britpop group might have been formed in York, but with Witter hailing from just down the road in Stockport and Shed Seven playing a big role in the Madchester scene of the 1990s, the band have always had a special connection to our city.
With that in mind, we were delighted to sit down with a veteran of the industry who clearly still has a lot of love for this place and has dipped back into the Manc music pool for the new record, A Matter of Time.
Shed Seven’s new album and how it came about
Asking about the six-year hiatus between this upcoming album and the previous one, Instant Pleasures, Rick joked, “It’s taken us to get to fifty years old to reach the sixth album, but we’re lazy, so there you go.
They’ve even got the local lads coming along with later this year.
“The last one was 2017, which was the first new material in 16 years, so it kind of shows that we’re not being as lazy, I guess. We shaved 10 years off this time, so if everyone’s lucky, we might have one out in about two years.”
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Returning to the same place in Spain they made the last album — the studio of producer and musician Youth (real name Martin Glover) — Rick said, “We knew we were going to get good sounds and we also knew it was going to be quite hard work.
“If you go around telling people, ‘we’re gonna go to Spain for three weeks and record an album’ people think you’ve got the best life in the world but nothing could be further from the truth. It’s like boot camp and it’s proper full on; every move is questioned, every chord is questioned, but that’s healthy because it really makes you create.”
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The 50-year-old said he and the rest of the band walked after three weeks “feeling absolutely knackered, but also elated” in the belief that they’ve come back with something “brilliant” and, judging by the first two singles, it sounds like they have.
‘F:K:H’ and ‘Kissing California’
Expressing our love for the lead tracks off the new album, ‘F:K:H‘ and ‘Kissing California‘ — an uplifting pair of songs that seemed to have tapped into their most uplifting discography whilst delivering an unmistakable Shed Seven chorus — we found that the origins of one came from simply messing about before a show.
“It’s a bit of a tongue-in-cheek joke”, he said of ‘F:K:H’. “We were in soundcheck at some point last year and Paul [Banks, lead guitarist and the band’s other chief songwriter] just started playing this riff on the stage as we were soundchecking and I’m saying to him, what’s that?
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“I just started singing one of our old B-side verses over the top of it and it just fit really well. Obviously, we didn’t want to recreate an old idea but it just seemed to fit at that moment, so we took it into the dressing room after we’d soundchecked and thought, is there any room for this?”
“Lyrically, I took it lyrically somewhere else after that but the whole bones of the song started by having a little bit of a laugh and a bit of an inter-band tongue joke. Anyone who’s a fan of us and knows that particular song, it’s called ‘Around Your House‘, they’ll know the little nod.”
Knowing it wouldn’t get radio play because of the lyrics (‘Feeling Kinda High’), Rick said they just wanted to channel The Rolling Stones; a bit of pomp and swagger and it certainly seems to have been received well online.
They’ve also teamed up with prolific UK producer Jagz Kooner, who’s worked with the likes of Primal Scream, Oasis, Kasabian and more, to create a real Happy Mondays-esque remix which we’ve probably played more than the original now, to be honest. Speaking of collaborations, this is by no means the only one they’ve had fun with of late.
Cooking up collabs with some of Britain’s best
In fact, since we mentioned the Mondays, one of the most exciting feature artists on A Matter of Time is beloved Manc songstress, Rowetta, who has delivered her trademark gospel vocals on ‘In Ecstasy’, a recording in which Rick says she was “on top form as always”.
Rowetta hasn’t just jumped on the new Shed Seven album, she’s already filmed the music video.
But the special guests don’t stop there; fans will also get to hear Laura McClure of Reverend and The Makers on the folky-pop number, of ‘Tripping With You’ and Witter’s duet with the one and only Peter Doherty on the album’s dramatic closing track, ‘Throwaways’
Refusing to give away any secrets, he only harked back to that Britpop moment and how the 90s seems to be “back in”, adding that “we wanted to kind of jump on that as much as we can before it all disappears again.”
He did also admit that “it’s quite scary how long ago that was” and that doesn’t seem that long ago that Shed Seven themselves were part of it.
Nevertheless, he did say that there’s something about that period and even how they made their records back then that they were tapping back into again this time around, even down to the pace at which they completed it.
Going back to their roots and riding the creative wave
The difference this time round, according to Rick, is that somewhat like their second album, A Maximum High — which saw them skip the dreaded ‘sophomore syndrome’ — their upcoming record came together quite quickly once the idea was hatched.
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“All of the songs on that album were quite upbeat, you know, ‘Getting Better’, ‘Going for Gold’, and this is the first album since then that we’ve kind of followed suit. We literally started writing this album in March 2022 and finished writing in December.
“Me and Paul obviously found ourselves in some kind of purple patch which was really exciting because nearly everything we were trying seemed to just fall into place. It was quite weird and a bit unheard of really, we kind of knew we were onto something good.
“Frustratingly, we had to stop writing to go and record it earlier this year; I think I actually would’ve preferred to have carried on because we were on such a good run. But, fingers crossed, when we do start writing new stuff, we can kind of pick up where we left off.
“We don’t ever sit down and discuss writing anything: we just do it. It’s just always a very natural thing. Me and Paul started writing songs together when we were 13 and we’ve always worked the same way.
Influences and Manc music memories
The clearly re-inspired Stopfordian also touched upon how the record is also infused with a lot of the same bands the boys were listening to back then, be it Simple Minds, U2 or even Duran Duran. He insists they’re only “subtle little things and it wasn’t on purpose”, but that perhaps its just come from getting older and looking back more.
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Part of that reflection is also realising that they “don’t feel like [they] have to prove anything to anybody”, noting that they have had theirs ups and downs like any group of artists but are now secure in the belief of one thing: “We’re a good band and we deserve to be doing what we’re doing.”
Witter also went on to insist that since they came up during a time in which so many great bands around here, especially, they’ve always known whether something is “good enough to show it to other people” or needs to be “put to one side until it’s fixed”. He said the same of the venues and Manc crowds too.
“We just love coming to that neck of the woods, to be honest. It’s always just a massive winner. Obviously, I’m from the area myself, so it’s always nice for me personally, but there’s just certain places that you go to play and you know that it’s just going to be a winner.”
We’ve had the pleasure of seeing Shed Seven live in Manchester more than a few times.
On the subject of what he thinks sets this city’s crowds apart from others, he went on to say, “I think it’s passion and pride. Manchester is just synonymous with great music because so many good bands have come from that area and I think the people know what’s cool and what isn’t — and they’d certainly tell you as well, which is quality.
“To be honest, we could play anywhere in the North on a drizzly Monday night and it doesn’t really matter that it’s drizzly on a Monday night because everyone inside that room is just having the best time. We wordinarily play the Academy but we’re doing Albert Hall this time and even though we’ve never actually played there, it looks amazing and we can just can’t wait.
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“It’s just an amazing place to come to and even in my downtime, obviously, I’ve still got family in Greater Manchester, so whenever I do get the chance to pop back across I always feel almost like I’m a bit back at home.”
The ‘Shoctober’ singles tour and A Matter of Time release day
If you’ve been a fan of the band long enough, you’ll know they usually tour later in the year in the storied Shed Seven ritual known as ‘Shedcember‘, with the first two tracks of the album already out, the lads have decided to pivot for a change and push everything up — including the album release date.
Initially due to drop a little later, A Matter of Time will now be releasing on 5 January 2024 and with their UK run of show already sold out, Rick says they’ll be treating it as somewhat of a “singles tour”.
Joking that this year’s event will have to be dubbed “Shoctober”, he said part of the reason behind the schedule shift is also because next year will mark be the bands 30th anniversary since the burst on to the scene with their debut album, Change Giver.
“To start the year and the very first week of our 30th anniversary year with a brand new album is great in itself but it also means that we’re going to be very busy in 2024. We’re going to be doing an awful lot of stuff, so if you’re a fan of Shed Seven, buckle up — and if you’re not, I’d go and hide somewhere.”
An unmissable Whitney Houston tribute event is returning to Greater Manchester
Thomas Melia
A much-adored and cherished Whitney Houston tribute show is returning to Greater Manchester later this year for not one but two different shows, each channelling the charisma and energy of the pop legend.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the phenomenal theatre production, ‘Queen of the Night’, the show is visiting a multitude of stages and venues all across the UK.
0161 had to receive at least one date on this tour, partly due to being the music capital of the North and also due to the fact that this is a city many fans of the 80s diva will forever hold close to their hearts.
Houston played her final ever concert performance of her career here in this very city back in 2010, taking up residence in AO Arena for two nights of world-renowned ballads and mesmerising live vocals.
This tribute show is set to include some of the diva’s biggest and much-loved hits like ‘I Will Always Love You’, ‘How Will I Know’ and ‘The Greatest Love of All’, the audience is sure to be singing along.
Adenike Adewale is taking on the role of the American R’n’B Pop singer and is no stranger to the stage or TV, featuring on The Voice in 2021 where she sang a Whitney classic, making it to the semi-finals.
Fast forward to 1 June and the tour returns to Greater Manchester and legendary city centre space, Bridgewater Hall: an incredible room more than fit for renditions of the powerhouse vocalist.
A pair of stunning venues, two stunning shows and one incomparable voice.
It’s not only our lovely region the Queen of the Night experience will be visiting; our friends over at The Hoot have plenty of nearby opportunities to sing along too, with Yorkshire dates in Hull, Halifax, Harrogate and Bradford to name a few.
I’m definitely saving all my love for when this show visits us later this year in March, and after I buy out the front row for all my friends I’ll certainly relate to the smash 1993 single ‘I Have Nothing’.
Tickets are on sale already now – you can grab yours HERE.
Better Man has bombed at the box office – but is the Robbie Williams biopic any good?
Danny Jones
So, Robbie Williams’ biopic Better Man has been out for a little while now and the question on many people’s lips – you know, apart from ‘why is he a monkey?’ – is, quite simply, is it any good?
Many of you may have already seen it, others may have absolutely no interest in hearing about Robbie‘s already well-publicised exploits (be they in ape form or otherwise), or maybe you’ve just been waiting to hear whether it’s any good before heading out to the cinema.
Well, if you’re judging it purely by the current headlines circulating online, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s absolute rubbish. So far, Better Man has ‘tanked’ at the box office, making just over $1 million compared to a budget of nearly $110m (£90.8m).
However, given how pivotal the US viewing figures are, a big chunk of the commercial disappointment has come down to Americans largely not knowing who Robbie Williams even is and it’s no surprise that it’s done a little better here in the UK – though still not stellar. But again, ticket sales aside, is it good?
Better Man – Review
I wasn’t sure a (very good) CGI monkey Robbie Williams film was going to be any good either based solely on the trailer, but they nailed it.
*Once again, some spoilers ahead – though it is his life story, so we’re not really spoiling anything…
I’ll start this off by admitting that for all his foibles and controversies of the years, I am a Robbie fan; his music was always on in my house as a kid and well into my teens. Being born in the mid-90s, he was probably one of the first big pop stars to ever enter my world.
Growing up obsessed with football too, a charismatic, mainstream rock and roll-spirited figure in the mainstream who also loved the beautiful game and even took influence from chants heard around the grounds in his songwriting always made him extra appealing to me.
All that is just to say that I’m fully aware there’s probably some bias here, so I’ll still try to be as impartial and ‘objective’ as you can be with a film review. But back to the point, the short answer is yes: it’s good – very good, in my opinion.
If you’re similarly fond of the frenetic, funny and ferocious showman, you’ll obviously have a vested interest in looking back on his career thru a (somewhat simian) Lens, but even if you’re not, I still think you can get a lot of of the film and a greater insight into a captivating life story.
Monkey see, monkey do—make me sad, very sad…
This scene (among many) had us welling up. (Credit: Paramount Pictures)
For starters, put simply: as daft as it may seem, the monkey thing does work. It may come across like a strange gimmick when you first see the trailers but it doesn’t take much digging to realise that there’s quite a well-thought-out three-pronged approach behind it.
One of the first things the 50-year-old singer said on the press tour for this film is that he’s always felt “unevolved” and it’s something that’s brought up a couple of times in the film itself, so making him an ape rather than a modern Homo sapien is one way to way to communicate that.
Plus, not only does it obviously make any sad moments – and there are a lot of them – even more emotional and tear-jerking, especially during the scenes during Robbie’s childhood, but it also plays into the sad reality that he’s felt like a performing monkey for the majority of his life.
When you stop and think about the reasoning behind it feels a lot more considered than on first impression, and it certainly helps you empathise and, more importantly, sympathise with the troubled character you’re seeing on screen.
Robert vs Robbie
A very clever movie poster to boot.
And that’s pretty much the rub right there: this was always going to be at least a somewhat self-indulgent watch, not just because it’s a biopic but because it’s Robbie and that’s what his persona is about – but it is and always has been a performance in every sense of the word and the film does a great job of trying to distinguish ‘Robbie’ from Robert.
From seeing the origins behind being given that name specifically, his younger years and affectionate albeit mostly fraught relationship with his father; how the boom of Take That engulfed his entire world and even more so once he went solo, as well as the version of himself he’s shown to the world for last three decades, it’s clear he’s often struggled to find the line between the two himself.
It’s also very important to state the cheeky, cocksure Robbie Williams you were expecting to watch the rise of throughout this biopic has wrestled with a much lower opinion of himself than you could ever imagine. It’s a driving force behind the film and manifests in all manner of problematic and unpleasant ways, just as it did in real life. You see him see a lot of them in the crowd throughout the duration, in fact.
Because for anyone who isn’t aware, a lot of Robbie’s experiences are problematic and unpleasant; the early days as a boyband commodity, his substance abuse, struggles with mental health and beyond are all laid bare on screen in fairly graphic detail at times. A lot of the situations these issues spring from would feel hard to believe were it not for the fact it’s a true story with very little embellishment, if at all.
Manchester references are a bonus
One of the things that did stand out as a particularly surreal aspect of the film was the handful of references to Robbie’s intersection with Mancunian culture, which simultaneously felt familiar and somehow like going back in time to peep behind the curtain at a world that very few saw first-hand.
Again, the behind-the-scenes examination of how Take That transpired and those very dangerous, inappropriate and frankly unlawful series of events in nightclubs over on the likes of Canal Street feels like a fever dream (as it did for Robbie).
Perhaps the biggest buzz we got was the not-so-surprise appearance by the Gallagher brothers and ‘The Robster’s obsession with Oasis. The look is exactly what you’d expect and Liam‘s accent might not be perfect but it still gave us a thrill without feeling like pointless lip service.
All that being said, is the much-talked Robbie biopic a good enough film to warrant popping out to the pictures? Well, I’d certainly say so. Not only are the visuals and the CGI itself pretty flawless, but the motion capture is done so well that it never felt like I was taken out of the film at any point – even the very particular Stoke and Cheshire accents of Robbie and Gary Barlow are very convincing.
We knew there was going to be lots of humour too but there’s also a lot of impressive stuff the director does that I wasn’t expecting.
One of those is the transitions: there are lots of clever tonal switches done with great camerawork and effects (particularly during one driving sequence and some of the flashback frames) and they really do help covertly shift the mood so some of the darker moments don’t give you full on whiplash.
And lastly, the director’s fingerprints can be felt all over the movie as Michael Gracey’s The Greatest Showman pedigree certainly makes sections of the film feel more like a musical than I was expecting – but in a good way. Big bold cabaret choreography fitting of the man himself.
After all, we all know most Robbie tunes are bangers but seeing them brought to life in these new and interesting ways really does make Better Man a better film than we’d even hoped for and it’s certainly good enough to be performing a lot better than it is at the box office right now. Maybe give it a go.
As far as I’m concerned, big stunning set pieces like this are just the tip when it comes to what makes the Robbie biopic a good film.
Danny Jones -
19th September 2023 
