By Carron Stacey, A Humdrum Mum

I like to explain what kind of fan I am before a review/interview. I tell Rick I’m dead nervous as I’m such a fangirl. We’ve seen the Sheds many times, here at Victorious, in local venues and at the Shiiine On Weekender many times in Butlins. “Don’t be nervous,” he tells me. “I’m a nice guy. We’ll just have a nice chat like we’re round a pub table.” And he is a nice guy.  

• Read on for reasons including how to select a festival setlist from material going back to the 90s

I ask him how he chooses which songs to miss out when they have a short set. (The set was increased from 45 minutes to an hour due to bands pulling out.)

“Well that’s a very good way of putting that, because people usually ask the other way. But you’re right. It is a problem; we call it our happy problem. I’d rather be in this situation where you’ve got too many songs (15 Top 40 singles and five Top 40 albums to be precise, Rick) rather than worrying… shit I’ve only got two big ones. So it is a problem, but for example today, we’re playing for 45 minutes – which is an awful long way to come for 45 minutes.

“We came down last night from York so what do you do in 45 minutes? It’s over before it’s begun. You have to just cherry pick the biggest songs of your career really. I don’t understand bands that come and play festivals and they say at song 4, ‘This is an early b-side’ or ‘This is an extra track on a 12” we released’.

“You just want everyone to be having the best time possible. You don’t want to lose anybody. This isn’t our gig; our gigs are ace because we know that everyone there is there to see us. Why give anyone the opportunity to walk off? I can’t say for one minute that anyone out there knows any of our songs but let’s play our biggest songs in the hope that they do know them and stay and sing along.” 

I ask, seeing as they have played Victorious a few times, how do they rate it as a festival?  

“It’s really good, it’s one of the big ones isn’t it? This part of the country needs something like this. We played Beautiful Days last weekend in Devon and again it’s the same thing – it’s needed down there. [Victorious is] necessary and look it’s massive, everyone comes and enjoys it.” 

Rick makes a lovely dad joke at this point about going to watch Seal performing on the sea front, after we have a chat about the local sea defences.  

“People come to this festival because they know it’s good. There are so many festivals up and down the country which fold, because not many people go or they aren’t appealing enough. This is a staple. I mean how many times do we get to sit next to Rizzle Kicks’ dressing room?” 

I ask him if he’s planning to catch anyone else here or are they jetting straight off?  

“We can’t leave til midnight because of our bus driver, so I will be coming out for a little wander after. I just need to get our gig done first so I can relax. I will come and get a little bit drunk because we can’t leave til midnight and then it will take seven hours to get home. My family won’t be very happy when I arrive home at 7am. I’ve got things to do tomorrow!” 

I offer to buy Rick a cider if we see him round the Thatchers tent when Woody Cook is playing. He asks, “Will his mum be there because I met Zoe a few times in the 90s?” I am hoping for some juicy gossip here but as none is forthcoming, I try to tempt Rick into listening to Zoe and Jo Whiley’s podcast (Dig It) as it’s about menopausal women and gardening. He claims it’s something he’s been hankering after for some time. “Now I know that’s a thing, that’s amazing!” 

I put to Rick a question from local musician Robert Green: Have you always had this charisma and confidence on and off stage? It’s clear there’s a clearly special relationship between Rick and the audience that not every front person has. 

“I guess I probably have without really thinking about it. To me it’s just normal. When I was 9, I was in my bedroom with a hairbrush, looking in the mirror, singing along to my favourite hits. Adam Ant was amazing. The first single I ever bought was Showaddywaddy’s Under the Moon of Love. To me, it’s just natural. When you first start to do it in front of other people, it’s a bit weird but if people like it, then it becomes dead normal.

“Me and Paul (Banks, guitarist), we formed our first band when we were 11. We were in each other’s bedrooms, designing record covers to the songs we’d yet to write – including the barcode on the back and everything! Then we started writing songs. We were playing in pubs around York when we were about 14. We weren’t even allowed in pubs at that age, but we were doing gigs then. We quickly got quite a big following of people, so doing all that just becomes just what we do. Just like a job but a really good job.” 

I ask him what his pre-gig routines are.  

“You get a real weird energy, which makes you feel tired, so there’ll be an awful lot of pacing around. We don’t particularly get nervous, but you get conscious that something is about to happen and you want it to go well. The nerves are more … Shit I hope I don’t walk out and fall over, or if I open my mouth I hope something’s gonna come out. But once you’ve got into the first song and it’s going well, it’s fine. So yes, there’s an awful lot of pacing around and shoulder barging each other. Get out my fookin’ way, alright?”  

I ask what his musical influences are. 

“We love Duran Duran.” At this point, I add that they are my non-guilty pleasure. “The Smiths started and that was an amazing thing for music. The early Soup Dragons I really liked and then this amazing band from York came along and blew everyone out of the way.” 

It’s at this point that I explain that when Dolphin came out in 1994, it was mine and Mr Humdrum’s first joint favourite song and was really important to me. Sadly, Rick tells me he isn’t going to play it today. You’ll have to read the review of Day 2 at Victorious to see how they did fill the extra 15 minutes. Rick is an absolute star to interview and was very generous with this time with me. Festival highlight right there! 

This was Shed Seven’s last festival gig and actual gig for the year. They are going back into the studio to write some new music. Rick and the lads, we can’t wait. It’s just getting better all the time! 

• Pictures via Facebook courtesy Victorious. Tickets
• Read more from Carron at her blog A Humdrum Mum
• Have you seen any of these shows? Let us know what you thought in the comments below
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