Shed Seven Go For Gold In Triumphant Yorkshire Return

York's Shed Seven appear to be having a second coming - having released their last album Instant Pleasures two years ago the band are more popular than they ever were back in the mid 90's.

Even the band themselves probably wouldn't have believed that they would headline Leeds Arena if you had told them that 2 years ago. It is a Saturday night in Leeds and the fans have travelled from Sheffield, York and of course Leeds and they are all fired up to welcome home to Yorkshire the band that along with Oasis, Embrace, Kaiser Chiefs and The Verve put the northern grittiness into BritPop.

In fact before they arrive on stage the DJ had been getting the fans in the mood with tracks from Ocean Colour Scene and the above mentioned bands - it could have been 1995 all over again.

Room in My House, a track off the last album opens up the set. Lead singer Rick Witter looks on as he promises not to swear as his mum was present tonight, though the promise is soon broken. He cracks a joke about asking a fan what his name is though as far as the 10,000 present are concerned there is only one name in their minds tonight.

The 3 man brass section bolster Where Have You Been Tonight? That might have been the question on the lips of one of the fans' wives, who refused to let her husband go to the Leeds gig, as Witter shares with the audience.

The set list reads like a Greatest Hits list and it is easy to forget how many hits they had in such a relatively short space of time.

On Standby gets a slight amendment as Witter changes the reference to the BBC in the track to Yorkshire TV, whilst Getting Better sees a fan trying to crowd surf over the audience.

Going For Gold had the Leeds Arena sounding like a football gathering as the fans take over the singing, but why the band decided to slip in the U2 track, Angel of Harlem into the song is a mystery, the track doesn't need any more input.

As Chasing Rainbows closes the gig it had been a triumphant return and the fan whose wife refused to let him go had missed a treat. For the rest of us it was one of those gigs that in years to come you will be proud to say that you were there.

As the fans leave the outside of the arena flashes in rainbow colours. For tonight though the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow was in Leeds Arena.