Review: Shed Seven at Fibbers, York

One of the great survivors of the halcyon days of Britpop, Shed Seven arrived on stage for the second of a brace of sell-out concerts with a swagger that they would have perfected way back in the dim and distant past of the mid-1990s.

And it was certainly justified after the group had stormed the top 10 with a first studio album in 16 years.

Rick Witter, still the consummate frontman despite suffering from a throat infection, played to the crowd, repeatedly reminding them of the chart success with Instant Pleasures debuting at number eight.

And while the gigs in York kicked off the biggest tour that the band has undertaken in their 27-year history, this was an evening for rekindling a few memories too.

Just four new tracks were played, Nothing To Live Down and Room In My House book-ending the main set, with It’s Not Easy also featuring and Better Days starting the encore.

But the remainder of the 15-song set was a 90-minute dash through the band’s most memorable tracks from a back catalogue that boasts Disco Down, She Left Me On Friday – which segued into the instrumental section of The Stone Roses’ I Am The Resurrection – and Getting Better.

Witter’s son, Duke, took on lead vocals for Going For Gold after playing the support slot with his own band, Serotones. Ending with a mass singalong for Chasing Rainbows, it was always going to be a gig to reminisce, but Shed Seven still offer so much more than hazy recollections of past glories.