Paul Banks | |
|---|---|
 Paul Banks performing with Shed Seven at the V Festival, Weston Park, 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 6 July 1973 York, England |
| Genres | Alternative rock Britpop Indie rock |
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 1986–Present |
| Labels | Polydor (1993–1999) |
Paul Adrian Banks (born 6 July 1973) is an English musician. He is a songwriter and the lead guitarist with the rock band Shed Seven.
Paul Banks formed his first band with schoolfriend Rick Witter in 1986, while in his early teens, and went on to play in other local bands, including Brockley Haven, with Witter, Tom Gladwin and John Leach.
Banks joined Witter, Gladwin and John's brother, drummer Alan Leach in Shed Seven just before they gained their first record deal with Polydor Records in 1993, replacing Joe Johnson as their lead guitarist. He spent the next six years recording and touring with the band. Banks became known for his distinctive, dramatic riffs and catchy tunes, and from 1993 to 1999 he co-wrote many of the band's most popular songs, with 14 consecutive hits in the UK including "Chasing Rainbows", "Going for Gold" and "She Left Me on Friday". The band's third album Let It Ride with all music composed by Banks to Witter's lyrics, spawned four singles which all reached the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart. [1]
In 1999 the record company asked Banks to write a new lead single for Shed Seven's "Greatest Hits" album, Going For Gold . The song, "Disco Down", later became a Top 20 hit, but Banks was becoming increasingly unhappy with the lack of originality in the music he was expected to write and perform. In an interview in 2002, he said:
I spent about two weeks, and I wrote a song called "Disco Down", that was just complete to a formula. "Right, that'll do, there's your single." And the record company creamed themselves when they heard it. It was like, "I can't do this any more." I was writing it, and I could see the video, and I could see the front cover of the single, and it was just complete formula. There was no soul in it... [2]
Going For Gold – The Greatest Hits reached number 7 in the UK Albums Chart, [3] but by the time Shed Seven finally left Polydor in 1999, [4] Banks had already decided to leave the band.
The last straw was the Greatest Hits album….I can honestly say that I sold myself short for the last six months...I thought it was better to just stop it and move on. [2]
After parting with Shed Seven somewhat acrimoniously later that year, officially due to "musical differences", Banks returned to York and formed The Rising with David McKellar (of The 88's on vocals), Rob "Maxi" Maxfield (of Audioweb on drums) and Stuart Fletcher (of Rick Witter & The Dukes on bass). He also spent a short time with Fletcher in The Yards, as well as working as a freelance film-maker and music tutor, teaching guitar, bass and songwriting at his studio in Pocklington, York.
In late 2006, Paul joined the Alistair Griffin-fronted band, Albion. They wrote and recorded a number of songs together, releasing several free download-only tracks via their official MySpace page.
However, the following July saw Shed Seven announce their reformation, with the line-up including Banks along with all of the original members. His appearance on the subsequent Greatest Hits tour was the first time he had appeared on stage with the band since leaving in 1999. Following the announcement of the Shed Seven reunion, an official statement from the band noted that it would "not affect the individual members' projects which will continue as before". Yet, despite this vow, Albion abruptly split up in August 2007, for reasons which were not made public. When interviewed, Griffin commented "Things weren't working out the way we anticipated and it seemed the right time to call it a day". [5]
As of 2019, he was still with Shed Seven, including recording their album Instant Pleasures .
Lisa Jane Stansfield is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. Her career began in 1980 when she won the singing competition Search for a Star. After appearances in various television shows and releasing her first singles, Stansfield, along with Ian Devaney and Andy Morris, formed Blue Zone in 1983. The band released several singles and one album, but after the success of Coldcut's "People Hold On" in 1989, on which Stansfield was featured, the focus was placed on her solo career.
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"I Will Survive" is a song recorded by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978 by Polydor Records as the second single from her sixth album, Love Tracks (1978). It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris. The song's lyrics describe the narrator's discovery of personal strength following an initially devastating breakup. The song is frequently regarded as an anthem of female empowerment, as well as a disco staple.
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"Heart of Glass" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie, written by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. It was featured on the band's third studio album, Parallel Lines (1978), and was released as the album's third single in January 1979 and reached number one on the charts in several countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.
"I Was Made for Lovin' You" is a song by American hard rock band Kiss, originally released on their 1979 album, Dynasty. It was released as the A-side of their first single from the album, with "Hard Times" as the B-side.
Shed Seven are an alternative rock band, formed in York in 1990. They were one of the groups which contributed to the Britpop music scene of the 1990s. They originally comprised singer Rick Witter, guitarist/keyboardist Joe Johnson, bassist Tom Gladwin and drummer Alan Leach. Johnson was later replaced by Paul Banks, but a later line-up of the band included both Johnson and Banks.
Richard James Witter is a singer/songwriter in the York-based band Shed Seven.
Change Giver is the debut album by British rock band Shed Seven, released via Polydor Records on 5 September 1994. It was produced by Jessica Corcoran and was issued during the formative year of the Britpop movement—a scene that dominated British alternative music in the mid-1990s.
A Maximum High is the second studio album by the British rock band Shed Seven, released in April 1996 via Polydor Records. The album was written by all four band members at the time of release; Rick Witter, Paul Banks, Tom Gladwin and Alan Leach. The album title comes from lyrics in the song "Parallel Lines".
Let It Ride is the third studio album by the British rock band Shed Seven, released in June 1998 via Polydor Records, and was the band's first LP to be written solely by Rick Witter (lyrics) and Paul Banks (music).
Going For Gold is a singles compilation album by the British rock band Shed Seven, released in May 1999 via Polydor Records. The album features sleevenotes written by Mark Sutherland, the former editor of Melody Maker, who refers to the LP as the band's "Best of Album", whereas the album artwork itself carries the sub-title The Greatest Hits.
"Silly Love Songs" is a song by the British–American rock band Wings that was written by Paul and Linda McCartney. The song first appeared in March 1976 on the album Wings at the Speed of Sound, then it was released as a single backed with "Cook of the House" on 1 April in the US, and 30 April in the UK. The song, which features disco overtones, was seen as being written in response to music critics accusing McCartney of predominantly writing "silly love songs" and "sentimental slush"; however, McCartney has since clarified that the song was actually directed to John Lennon who accused him of writing such songs.
"Cum On Feel the Noize" is a song by the English rock band Slade, which was released in 1973 as a non-album single. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart, giving the band their fourth number one single, and remained in the charts for twelve weeks. The song was included on the band's 1973 compilation album Sladest. In a UK poll in 2015 it was voted 15th on the ITV special The Nation's Favourite 70s Number One.
"Mama Weer All Crazee Now" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1972 as the lead single from their third studio album Slayed? It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached No. 1 in the UK, giving the band their third number one single, and remained in the charts for ten weeks. In the United States, the song reached No. 76.
Truth Be Told is the fourth studio album by the British rock band Shed Seven, released via Artful Records in May 2001. Initial copies of the album featured a limited edition bonus disc with additional CD-ROM material along with an exclusive bonus track.
"The Bangin' Man" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1974 as a non-album single. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached No. 3 in the UK, remaining in the charts for seven weeks. The song was certified UK Silver by BPI for sales over 250,000 that same year.
Instant Pleasures is the fifth studio album by the British rock band Shed Seven, released via BMG Rights Management in November 2017. The album charted at No.8 in the UK album chart, on sales of 13,277. This is being the first Shed Seven's album for 16 years since 2001's Truth Be Told and marked the return of lead guitarist Paul Banks since 1998's Let It Ride.
"Chasing Rainbows" is a song by Britpop band Shed Seven. It was released in November 1996 as the first single from their third studio album, Let It Ride, over a year before the album was released in June 1998. The homesickness-inspired song was written by band members Paul Banks and Rick Witter while on tour promoting their previous album, A Maximum High, and it was produced by Chris Sheldon.
A Matter of Time is the sixth studio album by British rock band Shed Seven. It was released on 5 January 2024 through Cooking Vinyl Limited. The album marks their first studio release in over six years.
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