In an exclusive interview, Shed Seven frontman Rick Witter tells Charles Hutchinson the reasons behind the band's split after 12 years.

IT IS not the end of the world, it just feels like that.

With those words, Rick Witter felt the weight of the decision that he and his band - York's only ever Top 40 success story - had just made. After 12 years, 15 hits and three record labels, Shed Seven have decided to disband.

"It's been in the air for a while to be honest," says Rick, speaking at his Holgate home yesterday. "I don't want to go into the nitty gritty, but I can say we haven't fallen out with each other.

"We've been holding conversations for the past few months, because we don't just want to go on playing live without new product."

The official announcement was made quietly, released via the Sheds' website, whose message board has since been deluged with emotional letters from fans. Those letters may be better directed at the group's record company, Taste Media, whose disinclination to release the Sheds' latest batch of songs is a primary factor in the split.

An autumn tour was already in place, originally programmed to promote the release of the Sheds' seventh album, planned for September. September came and went, and now the November and December dates will be the band's farewell.

"The latest record company is being just as bad as the last one Artful. They keep wanting a Top Ten hit; they keep wanting Chasing Rainbows Part Two, but we realise we're not going to get into the Top Ten again," says Rick.

"We could get to number 23 like we did last time with Why Can't I Be You and we'd be happy with that. Getting to number 23 with no radio and no press was brilliant.

"But if we went out and wrote Wonderwall tomorrow we wouldn't have a Top Ten hit and it's because we're Shed Seven. That's how it is. We know that."

The relationship with Taste had started well, with the hit single and a live greatest hits album, Where Have You Been Tonight? Live? in May. They set to working on new material at drummer Alan Leach's studio in Heslington Road. "We basically demo'ed a full album of material, and sent the record company the rough demos, and though we think there a lot of good songs, they kept saying 'Keep on writing'; they would wait for as long as it took us to come up with what they wanted.

"But it's a Catch 22 as the only way we can now make money is to go out gigging and we can't keep on gigging without having a new record to sell.

"We don't want to just keep playing Chasing Rainbows and Going For Gold, as people would get bored with that and eventually feel short-changed."

Will the demos ever see the light of day? "Frustratingly, we signed a one-album record deal with Taste so we can't release the songs as they own them, and they won't release them because they want the big hit single first."

It is too early to say what Rick or fellow band members Alan Leach, Tom Gladwin, Joe Johnson and Fraser Smith will do next, although the singer "may consider dipping my toes into the solo waters".

The focus, for now, is on the tour. "We thought it would be better to go out with a bang, rather than just fizzling out," says Rick. "We've always been a fan-based band, and we wanted to go out on a high, playing to our fans.

"It's a shame it's come to this; it's going to be a sad old affair as it's dominated our lives for 12 years, but all things must end - and the good thing is I'm still young!"

Rick, married with three young children, will be 31 next month.

As it stands, Shed Seven's last gig will be in London, at the Shepherd's Bush Empire, on December 17, preceded by Yorkshire shows at the Welly Club, Hull, on November 29; Sheffield Leadmill, December 12; and Leeds Metropolitan University, December 14.

However, the Sheds are in talks to say their final farewell in York, most probably at the Barbican Centre in Christmas week.

"Whenever it is, it will certainly be emotional," says Rick.

Updated: 11:16 Saturday, October 25, 2003