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.”
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.”
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?
“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.
“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.
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.
“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.”
Kendal Calling toasts 20 years of unforgettable memories with Audio North’s best visit yet
Danny Jones
Kendal Calling 2025 was always going to be special: it was yet another sellout edition of a live music and cultural celebration that impresses every year, shifting its ticket capacity in record time.
Even after two decades of success, genuinely getting ‘bigger and better’ each time, the local event that started off as a cult favourite for roughly 900 people somehow remains one of the most underappreciated festivals not just in the North but in the country.
To be honest, there were so many factors that went into making this our best visit to Kendal Calling to date, but we thought we’d rattle off some of them in our review of 2025’s 20th anniversary year, in what was a truly momentous milestone weekend.
Here are just a few.
Kendal Calling 2025 review
The sun shines down on Lowther Deer Park
For starters, 2025 was comfortably the best weather we’ve ever had at Kendal Calling, as the rays beamed down on the valley pretty much all weekend long.
In fact, the only bit of rain we had came overnight/in the early morning during the final 24 hours, and while there was a bit of showering later that night, we got to enjoy the bulk of the daytime making the most of dry ground – by which we mean jumping up and down every chance we got.
As much as there’s something very romantic about the inevitable wet and muddiness of a UK music festival, this particular tree-encased corner of Penrith is just so pretty set against pure sunlight and clear blue skies. Just gorgeous.
The next big plus may come down to bias, but it gave us a buzz nevertheless. Cue Friday night’s headliners:
It’ll surprise none of you to hear that the Greater Manchester music scene was flying its big festival flag high, wide and handsome at Kendal’s 20th anniversary.
Tell me something I don’t know, right?
From youngsters The Guest List, and fellow indie up-and-comers like M60, to now established main stage stars like The Lottery Winners and, oh, you know, a little-known band called The Courteeners, we had plenty of top-tier representation this time around.
This is not to say that we haven’t in the past, by the way. Everyone knows how prolific and influential our city is when it comes to the arts, in general; nevertheless, it felt like this year, extra eyes were on us.
We’d be fools not to surmise that some of this may have been down to Oasis fever still firmly gripping the nation by the neck with both hands (a sea of their adidas merch was certainly a tip-off), but seeing acts we’ve featured in our artists of the month to look out for felt affirming.
Another thing we can never get over is just how much fun we have after the headliners walk off around 11pm…
Beyond the nine stages located around the sprawling festival site, there are so many little nooks and crannies we are still finding three years in, such as a cosy tea tent with cushion seating and low lamplight, the new ‘Green Room’, which serves as a little taste of VIP, and tonnes more.
The best part about all these bits is that they usually get better the longer the night goes on, and as we found from our two nights dancing until 3am to the silent disco over at the Woodlands stage amidst a trail of fairy lights and flashing headphones, Kendal has endless stamina.
Even on the walk back from the technicolour forest full of ravers, those warming their hands by open fires, or simply lying back and gazing up at the stars in the night sky, you’ll see the big Ferris wheel still spinning, food traders slinging out late-night scran, and people still dancing.
As for some of the names that really impressed us this year, Keo, Sports Team and The Big Moon were up there for some of our favourite sets of the weekend, but we have to say that Sheffield’s very own Reverend and the Makers were truly brilliant.
We’ve had the pleasure of seeing Jon McClure and co. live on a number of occasions over the course of our lifetimes, and while they’ve never quite been as massive as we feel they should be, Kendal Calling 2025 proved they deserve not just main stage but headline slots.
Barring arguably Fatboy Slim on Saturday night, they got the biggest energy and movement of the crowd we’d seen since we got there – and it came as no surprise, either, as the case was very much the same last time.
They acknowledged themselves that they’re having a bit of a ‘Rev-naissance’ and we couldn’t think of a more deserving group of musicians.
Honestly, at this point, we’d say we were getting tired of trying to convince people to give Kendal Calling a go if they haven’t before, but we’re not sure we’ll ever be able to put into words a review that’s fitting enough of how much we adore this festival.
Happy birthday to one of the best. Thanks again for having us back, and here’s to 20 unbelievable years.
As ever, we cannot wait until we’re back on the fields again soon.
The top 13 biggest gigs in Manchester music history
Thomas Melia
When you think of Manchester one of the first things that comes to mind obviously after ‘best city in the world’ is one word: ‘music’.
Our capital of the North West has birthed some of the world’s greatest singers of all time and welcomed some of the planet’s biggest stars.
Manchester has many live music venues to host impressive gigs including stadiums, arenas, parks and a wide variety of performance spaces.
The real reason these artists keep coming back is because of you, everyone who shows up and shows out to every single tour and performance happening in our culturally rich city.
Although not 2008, here is Kylie in all her grandeur at AO Arena in 2014 / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
With a tour titled ‘KylieX2008’, the Aussie sensation made our heads spin around in 2008 as she graced the AO Arena for six nights of pop perfection from 11 July to 18 July.
Minogue has a special connection to Manchester and this arena specifically, performing here over 30 times to a total of 400,000 people.
Taylor Swift performing on the B-Stage at Etihad Stadium in 2018 / Credit: The Manc Group
‘Baby let the games begin!’ Swift opened her ‘Reputation Stadium Tour’ in 2018 while standing behind a backdrop of snakes, scales and reptile-like patterns.
The legendary pop star commanded the stage even walking through the crowd to greet fans with smiles and high fives, making sure to get up close and personal even in a venue this grand.
‘Tay-Tay’s last visit to the North West saw her playing three nights of her monumental ‘The Eras Tour’ just a stone’s throw away at Anfield Stadium and who knows, maybe once the Etihad renovation is complete, she might be keen to make another appearance.
11. Oasis: 80,000 – Maine Road (1996)
In signature Liam style, the tambourine is in hand and ready to accompany both the brother’s vocals.In signature Liam style, the tambourine is in hand and ready to accompany both the brother’s vocals / Credit:Wikimedia Commons
The Burnage boys were always destined to be on this list in one way or another due to their incredible impact in pushing Manchester music and bands to the mainstream.
Singing hits from their well-known music catalogue, Oasis attracted 80,000 to Manchester City’s former ground in the mid-90s.
Unlike the tour taking place in 2025, tickets for this gig would’ve only set you back £17.50, you’d have been silly not to grab yourself one!
10. Drake: 94,000 – Co-op Live (2025)
Drake played four non-consecutive gigs at Co-op Live with roars from the crowd each night/ Credit: The Come Up Show (via Flickr)
Canadian rap heavyweight Drake played four huge Co-op Live dates as recent as last week and with two more on the way, with four nights of smash hits
Also referred to as Champagne Papi, the hip-hop artist has played out four impressive nights at Co-op Live on a similarly impressive 360 stage which sees Drake getting up close and personal with fans.
His 2025 visit to the music capital of the North marks his largest scale gig to date and saw him sharing the bill with fellow Canadian performer PartyNextDoor.
9. Billie Eilish – 94,000 – Co-op Live (2025)
Global superstar Billie Eilish had the crowd hooked all four nights at Co-op Live / Credit: Lars Crommelnick via Wikimedia Commons
Bedroom-pop sensation turned global megastarBillie Eilish has visited Manchester three times through her rise to stardom with her most recent being at Co-op Live.
The American singer-songwriter played four non-consecutive nights of her current ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ tour, where she commanded 23,500 fans.
Eilish has a soft spot for Manchester as she debuted her single ‘TV’ at AO Arena in 2022 and brought out her brother and fellow musician Finneas as a special guest at her most recent city centre dates.
8. Harry Styles: 99,526 – Old Trafford Cricket Ground (2022)
The former One Direction star Harry Styles spent two nights in June spreading the love with his mega ‘Love On Tour’ and the feeling was definitely mutual.
On 15 and 16 June the ‘Watermelon Sugar’ singer had nearly 100,000 devotees in the palm of his hand as he belted out some of his best solo numbers.
The Cheshire-born superstar even paused his show to find his primary school teacher who he’d been informed was in the crowd, thanking her for all her help and hard work while he was in education. Adorable.
7. Foo Fighters: 100,000 – Old Trafford Cricket Ground (2024)
The Washington-formed band put on two impressive nights where Mancs witnessed ‘music royalty’ on their ‘Everything or Nothing at All Tour’ in June.
As well as ‘The Pretender’ hitmakers, the sold-out shows were spoilt with not one but four support acts split across the two dates, including Wet Leg.
On 13 June the rock champions even previewed an unreleased track ‘Unconditional’ for the first time, adding it to the setlist for the 15 June show too!
Foo Fighters played out to 100,000 people at Old Trafford Cricket Ground / Credit: The Manc Group / Publicity Picture (Supplied)
6. Spice Girls: 150,955 – Etihad Stadium (2019)
Etihad Stadium and Spice Girls spiced up our lives three times in 2019 with three non-consecutive performances from 29 May to 1 June.
This tour was missing one key ingredient, ‘Posh Spice’, who missed out on this string of shows for the first time in her career.
In addition to these four fierce ladies, another UK household act Jess Glynne joined them on the bill as a support act. The girls were met with raptures as they made their entrance to Manchester after 11 years since their last visit.
Just look at those iconic fits! Spice Girls performing at Wembley Stadium on the same tour that visited Manchester / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
In 2023 they brought their Music Of The Spheres world tour to Manchester from 31 May to 4 June for four nights of dazzling lights, wowed fans and of course incredible live arrangements.
Altogether, these shows brought together almost 200,000 attendees who had the opportunity to get involved with the show’s production themselves by cycling electric bikes and kinetic dancefloor which both helped power the stage.
The Coldplay lads in all their glory.An awe-inspiring crowd lighting up the already phenomenal Etihad Stadium.Coldplay performed four nights at Manchester’s Etihad Stadium in 2023 / Credit: Wikicommons / The Manc Group
4. Ed Sheeran: 218,639 – Etihad Stadium (2022)
Starting his musical career just over the hill busking in Hebden Bridge before becoming one of the UK’s most prominent and successful artists of all time.
In 2022, the ‘Galway Girl’ singer took to Manchester City‘s awesome stadium to play hits from his full discography titled ‘The Mathematics Tour’ in honour of his equation-themed album titles.
The one-man, one-guitar show attracted almost 55,000 people across four nights who watched the singing red-head belt out his bangers on a 360 circular stage.
Ed Sheeran at V Festival in 2014, already a star in his own right / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
3. The Stone Roses: 225,000 – Heaton Park (2012)
The Manchester rock pioneers played a three-night hometown residency as part of their reunion tour following a 17-year concert hiatus.
Fans came in abundance to pack out to Heaton Park, a notorious music-hosting site which has hosted a plethora of acts as well as this formidable band.
Spanning from 29 June to 1 July, The Stone Roses played to a whopping 75,000 fans every night across the three sold-out Manchester shows at Heaton Park in 2012.
The Stone Roses performing at Fuji Rock Festival in 2012, the same year as their Heaton Park residency / Credit: Wikicommons Media
2. Oasis – 400,000 – Heaton Park (2025)
This year has seen some cracking live music events but none will ever be as monumental as the five nights the two Burnage boys and their troupe hosted this summer.
Liam and Noel Gallagher decided to get the band back together for a series of groundbreaking shows titled ‘Oasis Live ’25’.
Each night drew in 80,000 avid bucket-hat wearing Oasis fans and the support acts were just as legendary with The Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft and Liverpool lads Cast helping make history.
Oasis was one of the biggest dates in Manchester’s music calendar ever/ Credit: The Manc Group
In 2011, ‘The Flood’ boys put on a remarkable eight nights for nearly half a million lucky Mancs from 3 June till 12 June, making for a summer everyone could ‘Never Forget’.
However, they weren’t the only boyband gracing the Manchester City stadium as dance duo Pet Shop Boys supported them on their ‘Progress Live’ tour across the UK.
A fan-captured moment of Take That reunited amidst their eight show run at Etihad Stadium in Manchester/ Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Honourable mention:
One Love Manchester, 55,000 – Old Trafford Cricket Ground (2017)
Even though this event may not be topping the attendance records, this concert was a special and remarkable moment in Manchester’s history.
Fronted by Ariana Grande, just two weeks after the Manchester Arena attack, Old Trafford Cricket Ground saw a multitude of artists coming together to celebrate the importance of music while paying respect to those affected by the events in the month prior.
BBC reported the ‘One Love Manchester’ live show had 14.5 million viewers at its peak with an average of 10.9 million worldwide and this benefit concert has since raised more than £10 million for the ‘We Love Manchester Emergency Fund’.
Danny Jones -
19th September 2023 
