Interview: The Shed Project

The Shed Project are a five piece alternative rock band from Bolton. Despite only forming at the beginning of this year, they have already released five punchy tracks which could easily have sprung from the ‘Madchester’ scene. Down-to-earth and relatable, The Shed Project are a modern-day DIY rock band – incredibly humble and not afraid to speak their mind. 

I found all of this and more when I sat down with Lead singer Roy Fletcher, where we discussed the bands history, key influences, their new track ‘Bedtime’, as well as the band’s association with mental health organisation WhysUp. We began with a quick chat about how useless we are with technology, something we bonded over after struggling to navigate zoom.

The Indiependent : Start us off with a quick introduction about the band. Where did the Shed Project begin? 

Roy : We had a tribute band, which we started eight years ago in an attic above a pub, which we called ‘The Attics’. We did covers of Oasis, Roses… that kind of stuff at Wedding, Funerals, Christenings (Baptism’s). Then our singer moved away … So in the meantime me and John (The Rhythm guitarist) started writing tunes and John would do these riffs in a shed. So obviously we were the Shed Project. There were two us: Me and John who started it. Then we met Tim in town (The Lead Guitarist), from there little riffs and tunes started becoming songs. We released our first song back in January and it took off from there. 

The Indiependent : You only began in January, but how are you finding it so far? 

Roy : Loving it mate. Just wish I started it 25 years earlier, could have been a millionaire. 

The Indiependent : So you have obvious influences such as Oasis and The Stone Roses, but are there any other bands which influence you. 

Roy : Yea of course, we all grew up in that era. So The Charlatans, The Stone Roses, The Happy Mondays. They were all of our heroes, so were just trying to rekindle that spirit of 89. 

The Indiependent : Are you excited for your first live performance as a band? 

Roy : Of course, we have plans and have been rehearsing for months now. We have a cracking set of twelve, and are just waiting for the green light to start announcing things. We’ve had talks with bands to support and stuff, but we’re wanting to bring back the old warehouse parties like the roses did in 86. Hiring out old warehouses and not telling anyone, that’s the kind of stuff we want to do. 

The Indiependent : Bands across the country have felt the impact of the pandemic, but as a more recent band how has it affected you? 

Roy : We all have been getting on with our lives, we all have day jobs so we’re out working for our wage. But as a band it’s been good for us, we’ve been writing and rehearsing as well as getting our tunes out. We’ve been able to get a platform out there now, so we’re ready to start gigging. 

The Indiependent : For your new track ‘Bedtime’ you have teamed up with Bolton based mental health organisation WhysUp, how did this come about? 

Roy : Well, I know Mark and Liam who set up the project a few years ago. Both who have struggled with addiction, have been through rehab and are now clean. They both wanted to help other people, and it’s went from strength to strength. 

I wrote ‘Bedtime’ about my mum having four months to live and finding out my brother was a heroin addict at the same time, taking those thoughts to bed and not being able to sleep. So it was a no brainer to team up with them, and raise some awareness. 

We had people ringing up and raising money for WhysUp now, and even getting one person to ring them up it’s a plus for us. But now that many have got in touch we’re quite touched. 

The Indiependent : What’s next for the group? 

Roy : Well we were in the studio with MC Tunes on Sunday, so we could remix our tune ‘One Shot’, which I’m really excited for. And of course we’re looking at an album, we’ve got six tracks done but we’re looking for eleven, hopefully get it ready for April of next year. 

The Indiependent : Finally, What are your goals as a band? 

Roy : We don’t really have any goals, we just want to show people they can do it themselves. Our stuff so far has been class, it’s all a dream right now. 

Interview conducted by Paul Dawson

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