With five Top 40 singles and five Top 40 albums in the UK, Shed Seven are one of the biggest names in Britpop history.
But when the alternative rock band played their first-ever show in Scotland at King Tut’s -Glasgow was not so sold on the hype.
“Most of the crowd were at the bar and I remember walking out and there was about 20 to 30 in the room,” said lead singer Rick Witten.
He continued: “When we played the first song of our set, there was a bit of applause and then someone just went ‘f*** me, I wish I had a gun.’”
Despite the rocky start with us Glaswegians, the band – which also consists of Paul Banks (guitar), Tom Gladwin (bass), Tim Wills (keyboards/guitar) and Rob Maxfield (drums) - has now been thoroughly welcomed into the city’s arms.
Rick said: “The lovely Scottish people seem to have really taken to us now and every gig has been a breeze, an absolute walk in the park.
“The atmosphere is always incredible, and everyone looks like they are having the best time.
“We almost feel like honorary Scots in that respect. It’s always a massive pleasure to come up there.”
And if words weren’t enough, the Chasing Rainbows hitmakers will be playing three shows in the city before the year is out.
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The group - who formed in 1990 - will play HMV Argyle Street on October 16, SWG3 TV Studio on October 17, and the O2 Academy on November 22.
Though Rick is buzzing about the upcoming shows, there is one particular venue he wished he was playing this year.
“We love playing the Barrowlands, that’s a special place for us,” Rick said.
He added: “There’s something magical about Barrowlands. Even when you arrive for sound check and there is nobody around, it just feels special.”
Nevertheless, the upcoming shows will celebrate 30 years of the band as recording artists as well as their new record, Liquid Gold, out Friday, September 27.
The album has been born out of the desire to not feed fans another greatest hits record, according to Rick.
He said: “We don’t want to rip our fans off in any way by making them buy the same record just with different artwork.
“That’s why we decided to go back into the studio, cherry-pick a few old songs and modernise them to how we sound now, and we’ve just put a big orchestra all over it.
“I think people who like the original recordings shouldn’t fear too much, we’ve just given these songs a new lease of life. It sounds amazing.”
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The band will be playing the ‘modernised’ versions of tunes at the upcoming gigs which Rick promises will be a night of quality entertainment.
He said: “We just want to put on a show.
“I don’t feel like there is much rock and roll about these days and in this current climate, people don’t have a lot of money, so if someone is going to put their hand in their pocket for a Shed Seven ticket then they deserve and need to be entertained.
“I want people to leave the venue at the end and say, ‘That was an amazing night out’, cause that’s what it is all about.
“For all those people who bought tickets – we’re coming for ya.”
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