Shed Seven (w/ Seb Lowe & The Guest List) Kick Off Summer Season at The Piece Hall [Photos]

York band Shed Seven made their return to the Piece Hall to host a special 30th anniversary shindig for their classic ’96 album A Maximum High, and started the 2026 season of summer shows off in fine style to a sold-out crowd.

Manchester’s The Guest List began proceedings to a decent-sized crowd, and they certainly made an impact with their engaging lyricism and sound – not a traditional Mancunian band at all, but possessing a more Arctic Monkeys kind of swagger to them. Set closer “Weather Man” sounded fantastic, and their set has put them firmly on our radar as they will be playing at Tramlines festival in July.

As will second support Seb Lowe, who has a fantastic stage presence and a way of delivering his politically doused lyrics that instantly captivates the audience. The heavy inclusion of violin riffs underneath his charismatic delivery of poetic lyrics is often reminiscent of The Levellers, and bar the mid-set pause to check on the well-being of an audience member, his set was perfect.

The main event saw the members of Shed Seven take the stage to rapturous applause and launch instantly into classics such as “Dolphin” and “Speakeasy” with frontman Rick Witter resembling a prize fighter relentlessly searching for the knockout blow.

Billed as A Maximum High played in full show, it was five songs before the band launched into album opener “Getting Better after Rick had briefly disappeared for a ‘Kylie Stylie’ costume change into a shiny red shirt – that was apparently not kind on the nipples.

With the addition of a brass section and backing singers, the band sounded huge, and the atmosphere was electric – even with songs that hadn’t been played live in nearly as long as they’d been released – and it was a reminder of how many great songs the band had written. “Going for Gold” and “On Standby” were highlights, but it was album closer “Parallel Lines” that proved to be something special and would have made a great set closer. After a brief break, they returned for a final barrage of hits to seal the deal.

Not before Rick had read a list of shout-outs from fans – that mentioned a lot of young fans who were at their first show, and a successful wedding proposal.

“High Hopes,” “Disco Down” and the obligatory – and emotional – “Chasing Rainbows” finished off what was a truly special show – that looked like it may have been documented for some kind of release in the future.

As for the immaculate Piece Hall, as the song says, it’s getting better all the time. With more than forty shows still to come this summer, 2026 is shaping up to be another record-breaking year for what remains the finest live music venue in the country.

Shed Seven (w/ Seb Lowe, The Guest List) @ The Piece Hall (Halifax, UK) on June 6th, 2026

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