It was way back in March 1994 when Shed Seven released their debut single, "Mark," and even though it's a couple of months early, they've just gotten one heck of a gift to celebrate their 30th anniversary: the first No. 1 album of their career.
A Matter of Time, the band's sixth studio album, made its debut at the top of the UK Albums chart this week, proving Shed Seven's mettle against such formidable competitors as Taylor Swift, Lewis Capaldi, and others who might seem more likely to make their way into the top spot than the York-formed group...which is not to say that they aren't more than deserving of the position, having had three studio albums and a best-of collection all make their way into the top 10 before this.
Shed Seven performing at Brixton Academy on December 16, 2017 in London
“It’s taken us 30 years to get to this point, and it feels like we’re bigger and better than ever, which is crazy,” lead singer Rick Witter said in an interview with The Independent. “In the Nineties we were caught up in it all, battling away against everyone else. I think now we’ve kind of proved that we’re not just some flash in the pan.”
Given that these were words spoken while Witter and his bandmates were in the midst of a tour celebrating the band's 30th anniversary, it's fair to say that he's right on the money with his remarks.
In addition to their success on the album chart, Shed Seven has spent a considerable number of weeks in the UK Singles chart as well. They first cracked the top 40 with 1994’s “Dolphin,” which hit #No. 8, then made their way into the top 20 in 1996 with “Getting Better,” and finally cracked the top 10 with the following single, “Going for Gold.” Granted, it remains their only top 10 single to date, but with only-slightly-lesser hits like “On Standby,” “Chasing Rainbows,” “She Left Me on Friday,” “The Heroes,” and “Disco Down,” make no mistake about it, they spent a good chunk of the ‘90s getting steady radio airplay.
While the band went on what was billed at the time as a “farewell tour” in 2003, they proceeded to do a greatest-hits reunion tour in 2007, did a few festival dates in 2008, and then did another tour of England and Scotland in late 2009 and early 2010, which was followed by a Christmas 2011 tour to commemorate the 15th anniversary of their second album, A Maximum High. Things went quiet for a bit after that, but in 2017 Shed Seven finally reemerged with a new studio album, Instant Pleasures, taking them back into the top 10 once again.
“That last album really helped pave the way for A Matter of Time,” Witter told The Independent. “It was done totally on our terms – a lot of it was written in [guitarist Paul Bank’s] music room and bashed into shape.”
The band's milestone comes just weeks after Madness managed to snag their first UK No.1, more than four decades after their debut.
