SHED SEVEN

But Rick Witter is pragmatic about the group's decision to allow their 1994 hit Speakeasy to be used to sell mobile phones.

"At the end of the day I'll put me hands up and say we allowed it to happen. Looking back it was a mistake, really, only because we didn't get enough money for it," he laughs.

"I'm not precious at all about our songs being used to advertise things, we're not one of those bands. If a song fits a certain image then so be it, really.

"With that one it was an old song, it was past its sell-by date, and it made us not like it even more really, so I don't think you'll hear that song being played live again."

Rick's attitude towards Speakeasy is typical for the singer who is so down to earth that he still shops in the supermarket where he used to be employed.

"I do go in the Sainsbury's where I worked but I tend to veer towards Tesco these days, because there's a lot of people who still work there from when I did and it usually takes me about three hours to go round shopping. Even though it's nice to go back and see people, it kind of takes up a lot more of your day," he says.

"I don't go back to rub people's noses in it but it's nice to go back and think 'I used to do that', it's nice to remind yourself of what you used to do. I've had loads of really rubbish jobs, really."

Rick still lives happily in his home city of York, where he leads a far from rock and roll lifestyle with his wife and three young children.

"It's supposed to be the done thing i'n't it , that if you get a record deal you go to the capital and you live it up with Peter Stringfellow and sit there stroking his hair all night but it's not really for me, that," he says, explaining his decision to stay in York.

He enjoys family life, although he's the first to admit it has meant some changes for him, including giving up one of the band's former pastimes - gambling.

"We haven't got any money to do that any more," he laughs.

"But I think a lot of that was just to pass the time, really. We'd all lose quite a lot of money to each other and sulk and end up fighting, but that was more because you're on the road living in each other's pockets all the time. It was a laugh being away, a jolly boys outing but with a young family those days are gone, unless we start earning loads of money and I can afford to do it but until that day I think I'd get a clip round the earhole!"

Rick fits being a dad into the band's touring schedule, making sure he spends plenty of time with his children.

But it's not just family life that has impacted on Shed Seven. The last couple of years have seen them change their line-up and their label.

They now have a deal for the UK, but nothing for the rest of the world.

"There's no point in playing abroad really, though we're always fishing to go away and do stuff. But it's frustrating, because you'd probably get people coming down to our gigs out of interest but without a product to sell, you find yourself doing a Del Trotter and taking a suitcase of your albums to sell and that's not on really," he says.

But even if Shed Seven have given up on the rest of the world for the time being, they have plenty of fans in this country and always play to a packed audience.

One of the reasons for their continuing popularity is that they always make sure they put on a good show.

"I think if you're playing live you should make the effort to make people go away feeling that they've been part of something," he says.

"You do go and see bands and they'll just stand there staring at their shoes looking like they wish they weren't there and that, to me, when you're spending ten or 12 quid on a ticket, is out of order.

"So when you hear people leaving the venue saying, 'do you remember when he did that', is the biggest buzz, really. I mean, don't get me wrong, not every gig is brilliant, but as a rule, we are quite a good quality live band, so people who come are expecting a good party atmosphere and we feed off the audience in that respect and they feed back off us and it turns out to be a nice circle."

And fans hoping to hear their favourite tracks needn't worry about being disappointed either.

"I'm usually asked 'what's the song you don't like playing,' but to be honest I get into my own zone when I'm playing gigs and I find them all quite nice to play. I never get bored of any of them. There are songs such as Chasing Rainbows that if we didn't play, it would get a bit - well they're songs I don't have to sing, I can just hold the microphone out which is a bonus I suppose."

Shed Seven will be at the Pyramid Centre, Southsea, May 24. For tickets and more information, call 023 9279 9977.