Skylights: York band are making friends with their hit single Enemies
BUOYED by their Enemies anthem entering the official physical singles chart at number two at the weekend, York indie-rock band Skylights have booked their biggest headline show yet.
The Leeds United-supporting four-piece from Acomb will top the bill at Leeds Brudenell Social Club on Saturday, February 20 2021, with tickets going on sale on Wednesday at 9am at seetickets.com/tour/skylights. “Where better [to play] than one of the country’s number one venues, the Brudenell,” they enthused on Twitter today.
In April, Skylights signed a deal with 42’s Records to launch their debut album, whose title and release date are now awaited.
In the meantime, singer Rob Scarisbrick, guitarist Turnbull Smith, bass player Jonny Scarisbrick and drummer Myles Soley are celebrating the chart success of Enemies. “What a few weeks it’s been for us. Waiting for the charts felt like forever,” they said on Twitter.
“No-one has the type of loyal fan base we have. The number two position for a song that was available for streaming since January is down to our fans and I hope you all feel part of it.”
First Doncaster Racecourse, now The Piece Hall in Halifax as Shed Seven head outdoors for the summer
YORK’S Shed Seven will top an all-Yorkshire bill at The Piece Hall, Halifax, on June 26.
Joining the Sheds will be Leeds bands The Pigeon Detectives and The Wedding Present and Leeds United-supporting York group Skylights, plus the Brighton Beach DJs.
Tickets for this Futuresounds Events show will go on sale on Friday at 9am at lunatickets.co.uk, seetickets.com and gigantic.com.
This is the second outdoor show announcement by the Sheds in quick succession, after confirming they will be chasing winners as well as Chasing Rainbows at Doncaster Racecourse on August 15, when they play Live After Racing, under starter’s orders at 5.45pm.
“We’re doing this Piece Hall show partly because our 2018 gig at Manchester’s Castlefield Bowl went so well,” says Shed Seven lead singer Rick Witter, whose revived Britpoppers drew 8,000 that June day and now will perform in the 5,500-capacity square of the renovated 18th-century Halifax cloth hall that now houses history exhibits and independent shops, bars and restaurants.
The Sheds have just mounted their biggest ever Shedcember winter tour, chalking up their record run of 23 shows between November 21 and December 21, with Leeds First Direct Arena on December 7 at the epicentre.
“After we did the Shedcember gigs, we just fancied doing something similar to Castlefield Bowl this summer, but this time a Yorkshire gig,” says the Stockport-born Witter.
Stockport, Mr Witter?! “I know, but I consider myself a Yorkie now,” says Rick, who attended Huntington School in York.
David Gedge of The Wedding Present, part of the June 26 bill at The Piece Hall, Halifax
“I remember Embrace playing The Piece Hall [Elbow have done likewise], and it’s taken a few months to confirm our gig since we came up with the idea of playing there. We wanted to do an outdoor show, and to do it in such a salubrious setting will be a great buzz.”
As the Sheds look forward to their Halifax and Doncaster concerts, complemented by seven summer festival gigs, with two more to be added, Rick says: “It’s a weird one for us: as the Shedcember tour showed, it seems we’re more popular than ever now. It’s a strange phenomenon but long may it continue.
“Having a new album out [Instant Pleasures, released in November 2017], has definitely helped, because the shows aren’t just nostalgia now; there are new songs too.”
Given that fresh impetus, backed up by October 2019’s gold vinyl re-issue of the Sheds’ greatest hits compilation, Going For Gold, Rick says: “Now we need to do that again: write some more new songs, and as busy as everyone is doing their own thing, there might be room to meet up once a week.”
Definitely new this year will be Shed Seven’s first racecourse concert at Donny. “I went as a guest to see Kaiser Chiefs play at York Racecourse [July 22 2016], and it was a great day out. People love it because it’s a full day out with racing and music. Let’s feel the love that day as everyone makes a big day of it. We can’t wait.”
Tickets for Shed Seven’s Music Live performance at Donny are on sale at ticketmaster.co.uk, with more information available at doncaster-racecourse.co.uk. Gates will open at 11.15am for the 1.10pm racecard,
