After Dinner Speakers: Shed Seven, Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Peter MacNicol

This much maligned indie rock band from York, England comprises Rick Witter (lead vocals), Tom Gladwin (bass), Paul Banks (who replaced original guitarist Joe Johnson in 1993) and Alan Leach (drums). Together they brought a flash of domesticity and anti-glamour to the independent scene of the mid-90s - their interests including slot machines, bad television (Banks allegedly writes songs while watching Prisoner Cell Block H) and cheap alcohol. There was a refreshingly parochial atmosphere to their profile - best symbolized by the fact that Leach is the boyfriend of Witter's sister - despite the fact that their primary influences included Happy Mondays and Stone Roses. The only hint of celebrity, aside from Witter once coming second in a karaoke competition in Cyprus, involved their vocalist's dalliance with Donna Matthews from Elastica. However, as their recorded output demonstrated, and many critics suggested, it remained a thin line between level-headedness and mundanity. To their credit, Shed Seven were unconcerned with the trappings of cool, happily signing to a major, Polydor Records, and making their debut with "Mark": "We chose to put Polydor on the middle of our records - like the Who and the Jam, two of the best British bands ever. That's what we aspire to, not to some crap indie credibility'. After playing the New Musical Express' On Into 94 gig, they made two appearances on BBC Television's Top Of The Pops, and achieved two Top 30 singles and a Top 20 album. The band was clearly at their best live, however, and their 1994 sell-out tours cemented a strong following. The band's second album, including their Top 15 UK hit "Getting Better", was released in April 1996 to mixed reviews. They returned to the post-Britpop music scene in March 1998 with the defiantly brash single "She Left Me On A Friday" and Let It Ride, another slice of retro indie-pop. The 1999 compilation set marked the end of their association with Polydor. Banks left the band the following January, and was replaced by original guitarist Joe Johnson. The band's new album, Truth Be Told, contained some sparkling moments of middle-eight joy, notably "If The Music Don't Move Yer".