I Wrote That: Shed Seven on 30 years of ‘Going for Gold’

‘The first single we ever released, Mark, was about leaving an impression forever,’ Shed Seven frontman and co-songwriter Rick Witter tells M. ‘I wanted those lyrics to be captured on a seven-inch vinyl because even if we bombed, in my eyes, I’d done it. But luckily, we’ve continued — we’re still here.’

The UK indie veterans are more than just making up the numbers, though. In recent years, Shed Seven have enjoyed a remarkable resurgence that has even seen them make chart history after they scored two number one albums in 2024. The first, A Matter of Time, set a new UK chart record thanks to the 29-year gap between the release of their debut album and their first chart-topper (just over 29 years). Nine months later, they became only the 20^th act to have achieved two UK number one albums in a calendar year, joining the likes of ABBA, Queen and Ed Sheeran as Liquid Gold hit the top spot.

‘A Matter of Time almost feels like [it’s our] debut album,’ says guitarist Paul Banks. ‘We have this new energy: it’s the sound of five guys who love making music playing together. The writing process for our new material has been reminiscent of when we wrote our second album, where the songs were flying out of us.’

Said second album, A Maximum High, served as Shed Seven’s breakthrough moment in April 1996, powered by such singles as Getting Better and Going For Gold. 30 years on, cuts from that record continue to delight their fans just as much as the band's evidently popular new material.

‘It’s been amazing to see how our music still means so much to people,’ Rick notes. ‘The songs are standing the test of time, which is such a buzz. It’s one of the reasons why I wanted to release music in the first place.’

‘It’s been amazing to see how our music still means so much to people.' - Rick Witter

The Shed Seven story began in 1990 in York, where Rick and Paul first met as teenagers during the eighties. ‘We bonded very quickly over music, spending hours in each other’s room designing record sleeves for songs that we were yet to write,’ Rick recalls. ‘We were hungry to create stuff from the get-go.’

Recruiting Tom Gladwin on bass, Shed Seven attracted a strong local audience as its members were spread across three different schools. ‘I was always good at marketing, so we’d design posters and sell tickets to [our] mates,’ says Paul. ‘We did this gig at the Spotted Cow in York. It was rammed, but it all kicked off due to the mix of kids from different schools. There were fights breaking out and tables being overturned.’

Along with drummer Alan Leach, Rick, Paul and Tom comprised Shed Seven’s core line-up. As their momentum grew in the early nineties, frequent trips down to London to play gigs and showcases eventually won over Polydor A&R Paul Adam.

‘We played this gig at the Bull & Gate in Kentish Town to about four people. One of them happened to be Paul Adam!’ guitarist Paul explains. ‘We didn’t think we were getting anywhere, but then we got a call the next day saying they wanted to sign us.’

‘I love indie music, but I always wanted to go further and sign to a major,’ Rick adds. ‘The Polydor logo makes me think of The Jam, and I wanted us to be at that level.’

Shed Seven's debut album Change Giver arrived in September 1994, just prior to Britpop’s peak. A moderate success, the band swiftly returned to the studio with the intention of working on a follow-up record.

‘We had a plan and even the title of the record, In Colour,’ says Paul. ‘But when we entered the studio, it was obvious we weren’t ready. I remember coming out of the sessions after two weeks feeling really deflated. Our recording of Going for Gold was sluggish; the whole thing was so disappointing. We then decided to give ourselves longer to write, which was quite a bold move at that point — especially it being 1995, when you could see where the music industry was going.’

Rather than release a substandard album, the band returned to York and decamped to a nearby potato farm where they rehearsed and refined their approach. In this unlikely setting, the songwriting chemistry between Rick and Paul was reignited.

‘We wrote Getting Better, On Standby and Parallel Lines — the big songs off the record,’ Paul recalls of this period. ‘The magic was there because we reverted to this partnership between me and Rick. If we had released the album as In Colour, we would have been dropped [from our label] and we wouldn’t be talking today. It took a lot of courage, aged 21, to push back against a major label.’

'We decided to give ourselves longer to write, which was quite a bold move at that point.' - Paul Banks

The vast majority of the album, now titled A Maximum High, was recorded at RAK Studios in London. Among those cuts was Going for Gold, which became Shed Seven’s highest-charting UK single (reaching number eight) upon its release in March 1996. Its inception, though, was tricky.

‘With some songs, I just picked up the guitar and it was effortless,’ Paul recalls. ‘But with Going for Gold, I had the riff but I didn’t know where else to take it. I just couldn’t find the chorus for a while.’

‘Ever since we were 13, our process has been: Paul gives me a guitar riff or set of chords, I’ll start humming over the top and, usually, the first melody that comes into my head is what sticks,’ Rick continues. ‘If I’m struggling, then I usually bin it and move on.

‘I do remember seeing two old dears sat at a bus stop having a chat, and one of them said, “I never said never ever”. I liked the sound of that phrase and probably built the whole [song] from it. Lyrically, a lot of our songs are born from me listening all around for inspiration.’

Paul picks up on that thread: ‘Even when writing now, I’ll be in the kitchen or something and a melody will suddenly pop into my head. I have to stop what I’m doing, pick up my guitar and just try to capture it — I can’t give up until it’s there. Those are the songs where it’s almost like the energy is coming from somewhere else.’

‘Even when writing now, I have to stop what I’m doing, pick up my guitar and just try to capture [an idea] — I can’t give up until it’s there.' - Paul Banks

A Maximum High cracked the top 10 upon its release in April 1996. But as the nineties went on, the Britpop bubble burst and many bands lost their way. Shed Seven, Paul says, were among those to have ‘got a bit lost’ by the time they started worked on their third album Let It Ride.

‘We needed a break,’ he admits now. ‘We tried to write a new record in 1997, but that was more of a hard slog as we were exhausted — although I do look back fondly on our third album.’

1999 saw Shed Seven part ways with Polydor following the release of the Going for Gold compilation before Paul exited the band, citing musical difference. The remaining members carried on until formally splitting in 2003, before reuniting four years later with Paul back in the fold. Since then, regular tours, new music and, as happened in 2024, commercial success have all followed. 

What has endured since those early days is Shed Seven’s strong bond with their fanbase, with the rise of social media in the second half of the band’s life playing a big role in their recent success.

‘I see it online all the time, people saying they didn’t realise how many great songs we have,’ Paul notes. ‘We’ve got a real connection with our fans as we do everything ourselves. We’ve embraced the opportunities this new landscape is offering.'

Rick agrees: ‘We’re hungry and want more, so to find ourselves in a position where we are ready for the studio again is really exciting. This time, it’s on our terms: we decide where we want to go, the artwork [we want to use] and how long we want a tour to be. It makes the whole process so much more fun.’

Shed Seven will celebrate 30 years of Maximum High with a special outdoor gig at The Piece Hall in Halifax on 6 June.

Main image credit: Tom Oxley