Shed Seven – Live Review – Scarborough Open Air Theatre
By Steve Crabtree, June 2025
Three of my favourite things beginning with S: Sunshine. Scarborough Open Air Theatre. Shed Seven.
And, when I get all three of them at once on a Saturday night (another favourite ‘S’ thing), could life be any better?
Performing their largest open air gig at Europe’s largest open air theatre, York’s most iconic indie rockers Shed Seven were about to give 6,000 fans one of the best shows of their 30+ year career.
Me? I couldn’t wait. I love this band, and even when I don’t think they can get any better, they do. So seeing them in Scarborough always promised to be something special…
“Full of people, full of life”
I was there in Scarbs with my father-in-law, and when we arrived, the place was full of people, full of life, and full of the best vibes. The sunshine had clearly lifted the mood and although we didn’t make it in time for Cast’s support set (which I was gutted about), we did catch plenty of Jake Bugg while queuing for beer and finding our seats. He sounded great and set things up nicely for the main event.
There was a mix of hardcore Sheds fans proudly showing off their t-shirts back to the 90s, and others who maybe hadn’t seen them live before. But everyone was up for it. You could feel that as soon as you were in the place.
“Full throttle”
At around 8.45pm, Tim, Maxi and the five-piece choir strolled onto the stage and began the intro to ‘Room In My House’. Tom and Paul followed soon after – and then out came Rick Witter, strutting on as only he can, to a roar of approval. They launched straight into their now-traditional opener and the set was on.
He told us it was their biggest ever outdoor show, and that we were going have some fun tonight. And he wasn’t wrong. ‘Let’s Go’ and ‘Speakeasy’ followed early, and from that point, it was full throttle through a career-spanning set that had the crowd in their element.
“Classic Rick Witter”
It was a pure hit fest from the off. ‘Going For Gold’, ‘Bully Boy’, and ‘Dolphin’ were all met with massive cheers and arms in the air. ‘On Standby’ – as always – featured the crowd jumping the gun on the intro pause. Witter had a good-natured moan about that…also as always.
‘Getting Better’ and ‘Talk Of The Town’ also went down a storm, and the banter between songs was classic Rick Witter. He told us how his careers officer once dismissed his musical ambitions – before cheekily suggesting that the careers officer should take a look at the giant LED screen displaying the Shed Seven logo on it. The crowd loved it.
Another huge highlight came when Rowetta joined the band on stage to perform ‘In Ecstasy’, and her pipes were as huge as they’ve always been – vocals that are just something else. All of us in Scarborough lapped it up.
“Another cracking night”
This one was loud. Everything was booming, and the sound quality was perfect. Possibly the clearest (and loudest) I’ve ever heard them. Add to that the visuals – the lighting, the colour shifts on the backdrop, the setting sun turning to night – and it became another cracking night watching this great band.
I know it’s easy to say that the fans were loving every moment, but they were. So, so much.
And it helps that Scarborough Open Air Theatre is a venue that always delivers. Tonight was no different, and the show flew by too quickly as well.
“A huge five-song encore”
As we headed towards the end of the main set with ‘Parallel Lines’, Witter let us in on the plan: They’d leave the stage for three minutes, we’d beg for more, and they’d come back and give us what we wanted. And that’s exactly what happened.
We then got a huge five-song encore, kicking off with a stunning version of ‘Better Days’, stripped back with just Rick on vocals and Paul Banks at the piano. ‘Your Guess Is As Good As Mine’ was a proper treat too – not one I’ve heard them do live before, and a welcome surprise.
‘Disco Down’ turned the place into a raucous sea of dancing and singing, and then, to wrap it all up, we got the big one: ‘Chasing Rainbows’. Arms in the air, voices at full volume – it was the ultimate Shed Seven moment and a perfect way to close the night.
“Scarborough, we must come back and do this again,” Witter said as the band left the stage to raucous levels of appreciation. They’d done an amazing job, and given us an amazing show.
If this really was the biggest ever outdoor gig Shed Seven have played, they absolutely nailed it.
Images: Cuffe & Taylor
Give Steve music, give him food, give him theatre, tech or travel… and he’s a happy man. He’s been writing professionally since 2003, turning to journalism in 2017 when it offered him the chance to enjoy a lot of his existing passions, and learn some new ones at the same time. Steve can be found spending many of his summer nights watching bands at The Piece Hall in his hometown of Halifax, or enjoying a bite to eat and a drink with his wife anywhere in Yorkshire at any time of year. Random fact: He does the best impression of Zippy and George from Rainbow that anyone has ever heard.
