National Album Day announces Shed Seven as first Album Champions

04 September 2024 - Press release

THE DAY RETURNS ON SATURDAY 19TH OCTOBER

Today, National Album Day announces iconic alternative rock band Shed Seven as the first album champions to celebrate this year’s theme of Great British Groups. National Album Day returns on Saturday 19th October 2024. 

Hailing from York, Shed Seven released their debut album ‘Change Giver’ in 1994, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. To honour the anniversary, Shed Seven have partnered with National Album Day to present a special tour celebrating 30 years of the record and to promote the art of the album format. Tickets are available here. The band’s upcoming orchestral album ‘Liquid Gold’ is released on 27th September and can be pre-ordered here. 

Paul Banks, member of Shed Seven says: “For Shed Seven, albums are a powerful medium—a journey that tells a story, like a book or film. This belief shapes our music, including our new LP, Liquid Gold.

To us, an album is more than a collection of songs; it's a cohesive experience with a theme, mood, and intentional moments of tension and release. Every detail, even the silences, is deliberate and meaningful.

Making an album involves more than music; it's a full artistic endeavour. We're deeply involved in every element, from the songs to the cover art, which extends the album’s narrative. The album as a format deserves to be protected and cherished because it blends multiple artistic disciplines into one experience.

That's why we support National Album Day on October 19th, which celebrates Great British Groups and highlights the importance of albums. As long as we make music, we'll craft albums that tell stories and provide a full experience, like our latest, *Liquid Gold*. We hope you'll join us on this journey.”

Released earlier this year, Shed Seven’s latest album ‘A Matter of Time’ marked two huge milestones for the band; becoming the band’s first No.1 album, and making them the first ever band from York to have a #1 record on the Official Albums Chart. The album also out-sold the rest of the top #10 physically combined (competing with heavy-hitters Lewis Capaldi, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and The Weeknd) in week one.

The group have six successful albums in total and to date they have secured four top #10 UK albums, three of which have been certified gold and spent a combined 51 weeks in the UK album charts. Shed Seven have also had 15 consecutive top #40 singles, which combined have spent 49 weeks in the UK singles chart. 

Since its launch in 2018, National Album Day has been supported by a broad range of artist champions, including Kylie Minogue, Joy Crookes, Sharleen Spiteri, Lewis Capaldi, Mark Ronson, La Roux, Elbow, Paloma Faith, Blossoms, Alice Cooper, Novelist, Tom Odell, Mahalia, Toyah Willcox and Jazzie B. Last year Gabrielle, Declan McKenna, Tricky, Nuno Bettencourt, Shola Ama and The Corrs were the latest talents to add their voices as passionate advocates of the album.  

National Album Day is organised jointly by the BPI – the UK association of record companies and independent labels (BRIT Awards and Mercury Prize) – and ERA, the digital entertainment and retail association (Record Store Day). The event is supported across Radio 2 and the breadth of BBC Sounds, radio, TV and online channels, and is backed by the wider recorded music community, taking in UK record labels; AIM, PPL and other trade associations; independent record stores and specialist chains including HMV; and online retailers and digital/streaming services including Amazon, Spotify and YouTube.

Keep track of National Album Day online for regular news updates and for details of how to get involved over the coming months.