Shack made their return for their first concert in 15 years last night (April 15).
The Liverpudlian band, led by frontman Michael Head, kicked off their UK comeback tour at the Eventim Olympia in the city performing tracks from all five of their studio albums.
They started their first show since 2010 with ‘Sgt. Major’ from their 1995 album ‘Waterpistol’ before going on to perform the likes of ‘Miles Apart’, ‘Pull Together’ and ‘Streets Of Kenny’. They ended their performance with a cover of Love‘s ‘A House Is Not A Motel’. You can view footage from the show below.
The concert was their first in a series of concerts which will see the band perform in Glasgow and Manchester before wrapping up at London’s Union Chapel on May 5. You can purchase any remaining tickets here.
Made up of Head, his brother John on guitar, Peter Wilkinson on bass and Mick Hurst on drums, the band released their debut album ‘Zilch’ in 1998. Follow-up ‘Waterpistol’ arrived several years later after all the masters of the album were destroyed in a fire at the band’s then-record label.
.@Shack_Band | 5 May
Performing a curated selection of their most beloved songs, including classics from Waterpistol & HMS Headful, in a true celebration of the band’s enduring influence on British indie music.
Set reminder for on sale Fri 7 Mar, 10am at https://t.co/aWuuFMZCFu pic.twitter.com/37bEAZaNpB
— Union Chapel London (@UnionChapelUK) March 3, 2025
They re-formed after a split, releasing ‘H.M.S Fable’ and ‘Here’s Tom With The Weather’, and later signed to Noel Gallagher’s Sour Mash label where they released ‘The Corner Of Miles And Gil’ in 2007.
Head has since shared music with Michael Head & the Red Elastic Band, whose album ‘Dear Scott’ was released on The Coral‘s record label Modern Sky UK.
Shack played:
‘Sgt. Major’
‘Pull Together’
‘Soldier Man’
‘Miles Apart’
‘Stranger’
‘Mr. Appointment’
‘Meant To Be’
‘Cornish Town’
‘Cup Of Tea’
‘Undecided’
‘Hazy’
‘Butterfly’
‘Captain’s Table’
‘Hey Mama’
‘Comedy’
‘Streets Of Kenny’
‘A House Is Not A Motel’
Last year, Head opened up to the Guardian about his struggles with addiction, recalling a period in 2019 when The Red Elastic Band guitarist Nathaniel Laurence checked in on him frequently.
“He’d say, ‘I promise you I’m gonna sort this out, we’ll finish that record because the songs are amazing,’” Laurence said of that time. “Conversations were getting repetitive. He wouldn’t let us see him. We really thought we were gonna get a call to say he’d gone.”
Head went on to explain that sobriety allows him “to put my money where my mouth is and do the things I want to do – keep writing, keep the reconnection with my family. It’s too much to lose”.
