February 2008
Give us your personal summing up of the tour...
Rick: It's funny because when we first discussed playing again way back in February '07 it was all about doing maybe 6 or 7 gigs for our own amusement.Then Paul agreeing to do it gave it a better edge. I think we were all pleasantly surprised at the response it got. Personally, it justified our presence in the 90s and kind of made me see that we made a dent on popular music that lasts. It's easy to slag us off but it shows we had a great set of loyal fans.
Paul: The whole tour for me was simply amazing! It delivered everything and more that I had hoped for! I never thought I would do anything like that again in my life so I really wanted it to be extra special and it was!
Tom: Well, it was great actually, a bit tiring, but that's a minor quibble. Getting a bit wrecked is as much of a requirement as doing the gigs. It's not quite Amy Winehouse standards but even a quiet night is, well, it does impact on you the following day.
Did all the feelings come flooding back when you started the first few gigs?
Paul: Haha, well to be honest I was more than a little nervous about performing onstage again as it has been a long time; but your right all the feelings and memories flooded back not just at the first gig but every-night! And it felt like the most natural thing to be up there rocking alongside my mates once again! I loved it!
Rick: There's nowt like playing to an apprieciative crowd and the nature of the tour meant that every gig had a great feeling of anticipation prior to our entering stage left. It did make me remember the old days but that just made me think how old I'm getting so I generally tried not to think too much. Or drink too much for that matter.
Tom: It was weird really, it kind of felt like we'd never been away in a way, like those four years just hadn't passed. It was definitely a buzz though, yeah.
Any songs you wish you had played, or didn't play on the tour?
Tom: Mmm, well we could maybe have mixed it up a little bit more and perhaps added more songs but at the end of the day we couldn't really avoid hitting a groove where some stuff just works and goes down better than other stuff. We did learn something like 25 songs but some of the non-singles were favoured more than others. There's nothing I regret playing but of course with 4 albums and about 15 b-sides to choose from there was always gonna be other stuff we could have played. You'd have had to wait til 2010 for us to learn the whole back catalogue!
Rick: It was tricky working out a set. It was a reunion tour so we had to play the majority of the singles obviously, with the exception of the abysmal 'Why Cant I Be You?', which I'm starting to hate with a passion. We did that best B-Side thing on our site but it kinda didnt work in the end, as the majority or the crowd were there to hear the singles. We tried 'Killing Time' a few times and came to the conclusion that it was making the set drop too much. However, if you had come to any soundcheck you would have heard it countless times as it was a staple.The same applies to stuff off 'One Hand Clapping' which I would have loved to play, but as I say I suppose the nature of the tour meant we had to cater for the masses. I understand the die hards would have loved to hear something less obvious so to them; I can only apologise and invite them round to mine for an intimate gig and fish supper
Paul: Not really, I think the set worked well, obviously there was some great tunes that we didn't play and perhaps some that were unexpected but that's why I enjoyed it, it made it feel fresh again!
Have to say that Dolphin and Where Have You Been Tonight both sounded mint all the way through the tour. Which song did you think had matured best over the years?
Rick: It struck me that all the songs have stood the test of time and dont appear to have dated. I think the 2 guitar aspect freshened them up a bit. I suppose 'Ocean Pie' has probably matured gracefully.
Paul: Well 'Parallel Lines' Lines still rocks after all these years!
Tom: Well I've always thought Dolphin has stood the test of time well and is still one of my favourites to play live. The fact that we've changed it a little bit over the years keeps it fun to play too. I'd agree with WHYBT too, I think it worked particularly well with the 2 guitars.
Which was your favourite gig of the tour?
Paul: Hmmmmmmm far too tough a question, but I was just thankful to be doing it all again so I loved of every second!
Rick: I honestly enjoyed them all. That is all down to the crowd having a good night out and looking like they had a great time. With the exception of getting ill I dont think there was a bad gig.
Tom: That's the tough one! From what I can remember I'd say probably the first Manchester Academy, although both were great. Also Leeds, London and Glasgow are certainly worthy of a mention.
Seeing Rick suffer from his throat problems must have been pretty bad, did anybody else suffer during the tour?
Tom: Not to that extent, there were coughs and colds going round a fair bit and some flu-ish stuff knocking about on the bus at the end of the tour. My dose of flu kicked in when we were done. On Xmas eve. Lovely! It was a real struggle for Rick around London and it was pretty touch and go whether to go ahead, certainly on the Friday, but some quack filled him with drugs and he did well, with the help of the crowd.
Rick: Halfway through the Portsmouth gig I was struck with what turned out to be bronchitis and a throat infection which floored me. We had a day off in Portsmouth the next day which I spent shivering and sweating, and trying to sort out Xmas presents for people in the local Argos. When we got to London a foxy French lady doctor came and threw steroids down my throat which helped to keep me going. I'm thankful to the crowd in Llondon as they helped by singing every word. I cant really remember being on stage on that Friday night but I hear there was a mass sing along after we had finished which would have been nice to join in on.
Paul: Oh yeah that was tough when Rick got ill and top marks to him for carrying on, I dont think I could have if I had felt that bad! So no, no one got as ill as Rick but there was plenty of colds and stuff going around as the tour bus aint the most hygienic place to spend 5 weeks!
A lot was said of the possible tension on stage by certain sections, do you find that sort of thing laughable?
Rick: I dont really understand the issue. I think sometimes people can look too deep into something and maybe see things that just arent there. We all had an ace month playing drinking and generally being mates. On stage some may want to look cool or stand still or smile or jump around like a lunatic sticking a microphone in a back pocket and swinging a non existent arse. Each to their own.
Paul: Yeah I read some of that and was a little confused by it all to be honest; I think people were looking for problems that just weren't there. I can promise you that there was no tension between band members in the slightest, perhaps there was more concentrating going on on stage than there would have been back in the day but that's because we all wanted the shows to be the best they could be and there was so much to remember? Shame really that some people have got the wrong end of the stick!
Tom: Well, I can certainly say that there was no tension whatsoever, and I don't think you need to be beaming ear to ear to be having a good time on stage.
What now for each of one of you? Back to the day jobs?
Paul: I have had to just pick up from I left off really, concentrating on the film stuff which is going well. I was in the middle of editing a film for the Education Authority when the tour kicked off so I had to finish that when I got home! Over the next few weeks I have a music video and two corporate films to make so hopefully I will have a successful year doing something I enjoy.
Rick: I'm back doin the Dukes thing again now. Our drummer Matt left last Autumn and so we have been auditioning drummers and have just begun writing new stuff. The plan is to write 7 or 8 new tunes and start gigging again in maybe May/June time.
Tom: Yep, back to the regular grind I'm afraid. I'm still really enjoying doing 'people: in airports' and we have a few gigs coming up (all in York) including our first headline at Fibbers on April 19th. Check our myspace and get the tunes downloaded! (Plug, plug, plug!) We just wanna do more gigs and record more stuff and see what happens.
The big question... Whats the future plans for Shed Seven? Any plans for any sort of semi/fully permanent comeback? New songs or any further gigs in 2008?
Tom: Well, I think we're on the market for festivals, and yes, that's this year, but we'll have to wait and see, nothings confirmed yet. I'd be surprised if we didn't tour again, but we're taking it one year at a time. We don't have a five year plan. No-one's trying to be evasive but there's no point in saying we're doing anything before we know that we are. As for new songs, that seems to have been ruled out. It certainly takes things to a whole different level and it's not a step people are ready to take, certainly at the moment, which is understandable. For the record the e-mail sent through Simon Lawlor which alluded to new material was done by Polydor. We never saw it so it's content was never approved. Also while I'm moaning about the (ex) record company they cocked up by putting the newer version of 'Dolphin' on the Singles Collection when we requested the original. I read one or two comments on this on the forums so thought I'd set the record straight. It wasn't our decision, still I reckon you've all got both versions of 'Dolphin' anyway, right?
Rick: Due to the response during the tour we would be foolish to draw a line under it. If we are offered a festival or two there's a chance we will sit down and discuss our options and then maybe some time in the future do another little tour. However, there are no plans to do this. There are also no plans to write or record any new material.
Paul: Too early to say really as the success of the tour kind of took us all by surprise, one thing is for sure that we all would love to do more things together but there is nothing planned as yet. We are not meaning to be cryptic we just simply don't know. I wouldn't hold your breath where new material is concerned though, it was annoying when Polydor sent out the e-card (for the new Singles Collection) that basically hinted that new stuff may be on its way, becasue it's not but it definitely isn't the last you have heard from us.
A final message for the fans??
Rick: I hope people had a great time at the gigs. Cheers for coming and for the support over the years. I hope to see you at a Dukes gig in the future.
Paul: I would just like to say a big thank-you to everyone for making the tour so successful and enjoyable ! Thank you.
Tom: Well just to say thanks again for so many of you coming out on the tour and particularly the hardcore regulars. See you again! ;-)