One of the final holdout bands from the days of Britpop yore, SHED SEVEN, have decided to split following their current UK tour. The surprise announcement today reveals that these final live dates will be "a celebration, a retrospective, a Shed Seven tour to remember," and stresses that the band's greatest hits catalogue will be showcased alongside "lost gems" not often heard at Shed Seven gigs. Despite nearly continuous critical backlash for their entire career, Shed Seven managed to outlast most of their Britpop contemporaries, and we here at Excellent are a little wistful to see 'em go.

SHED SEVEN have signed a new record deal, following their departure from Polydor Records last year. The band will now be releasing all material through Artful Records, best known for their work with The Fall and The Clint Boon Experience. The band are expected to enter the studio next month to begin work on the next album, expected in early 2001.

SHED 7's guitarist, Paul Banks has quit. He will be forming his own band while the rest of Shed 7 are looking for a replacement. Thanks for Keven Green for the update.

Well, it's seemingly fall cleaning season with some of the major UK record labels, and this time round, an extraordinary number of bands have been dropped and left out in the cold. Many analysts agree that the current music climate has labels focusing on more pop-oriented acts and less on the indie scene, causing many familiar names to be dropped from label rosters. Left homeless this summer/fall include:

ARNOLD, who were dropped by the Creation label earlier this summer.

SHED SEVEN, who couldn't reach a deal with Polydor and quickly left the label.