Shack, Union Chapel review - the surprise return of the Liverpool legends does not run to plan

After kicking off with the psychedelia-tinged “Sgt. Major,” they keep coming. A string of songs as Sixties-influenced as they are edgy and propulsive. The tempo may not be speedy but there is always forward motion, even in a song where different sections unite in a portmanteau structure.

The filigreed, swirling “Pull Together,” the muted, bossa nova-esque “Soldier Man,” the shadowy “Miles Apart,” with its Bacharach and David touches, the gently churning, foggy “Stranger.” Each is instantly memorable, and each – the opening five songs of this evening’s show – remains seductive. Lovely songs. All underpinned by a classic songwriting sensibility.

Up to a point, this show restates that Shack are as good as their reputation

Shack, responsible for these gems, was the Liverpool band which didn’t quite break through. Formed by brothers John and Michael Head after the demise of The Pale Fountains, they have been an intermittent presence since late 1987 until their final brace of shows at the end of 2009. Since then, their members have been in other bands, played solo, pursued their own paths. Shack’s return was a surprise.

Up to a point – exactly where is gone into below – this show is a celebration, one restating that Shack are as good as their reputation indicates.

There had been signs that, within the band's camp, there was interest in the past. Shack reissued their fourth album, Here's Tom With the Weather on their own label in December 2023. A new edition of third album H.M.S. Fable followed in October 2024. But no sign of live shows. The stimulus for these dates was an invitation to record a session for BBC Radio 6 Music’s Riley & Coe radio show to tie in with the most recent reissue. New versions of “Soldier Man,” “Undecided,” “Butterfly” and “Comedy” were aired. After this, the announcement of dates booked for late April and early May 2025.

This show, the Union Chapel, is the last of four, preceded by Liverpool, Glasgow and Manchester. Loophole, Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band’s last album, was issued last May, close-to exactly a year earlier. Bearing in mind the timeline, the older Head brother’s re-embracing of Shack – notwithstanding the late 2022 death of the band’s drummer Iain Templeton – suggests he sees the band within a fluid continuum.

What Shack did rippled through the Stone Roses and, a little later, Oasis

In line with this, the set list plucks non-chronologically from Waterpistol (recorded over 1990 and 1991, but first issued in 1995), H.M.S. Fable (1999), Here's Tom With the Weather (2003) and The Corner of Miles and Gil (2006, issued by Noel Gallagher’s Sour Mash label). Intriguingly, 1988’s debut album Zilch is ignored. On stage, Michael Head says there was a rehearsal discussion about going counterintuitive by not playing the Waterpistol fan-favourite “Sgt. Major.” It was, nonetheless, the set opener. Waterpistol and H.M.S. Fable are the albums most strongly represented.

The frontline is Shack constants John Head (guitar, one of which is a very cool Burns 12-string), Michael Head (acoustic guitar) and Peter Wilkinson (bass). The Coral’s Ian Skelly is on drums. Beside, but a little behind, the drummer is guitarist Nathaniel Laurence. From The Red Elastic Band, he’s an inconspicuous presence but one binding everything together. Also on stage are a trombonist and a trumpeter. The latter is Martin Smith, another Red Elastic Band stalwart, but the former is unidentified. As much of Shack as it could be then, with a fair complement of The Red Elastic Band: whose members are familiar with Shack’s songs – the bulk of what’s performed has, at one time or another, cropped up in their sets.

All this adds up to an extraordinary opportunity to experience, hear and revel in one of the great pop bands which emerged in the late Eighties, after which their path was stop-start, erratic. Even so, what they did rippled through the Stone Roses and, a little later, Oasis. Closer to home, Cast too (Wilkinson was a founder member). Shack, though, did their own thing; partly driven by Michael Head’s preoccupation with Arthur Lee and his band Love. Shack backed Lee in 1992.

After 'Butterfly,' the band suddenly leave the stage. There are songs remaining in tonight’s set list

Some of the distinctiveness is to the fore. The drifting, vaporous feel of most songs is instantly recognisable. While “Stranger” has always had a sea-shanty lilt, tonight’s “Cornish Town” and “Cup of Tea” nod towards English folk. “Cornish Town”, sung by John Head, hints at Unhalfbricking Fairport Convention. John Head’s guitar playing has its characteristics. Solos are never long, but they fascinate. During “Stranger,” The Doors’ Robby Krieger comes to mind. The flurries towards the end of “Captain’s Table” also point that way. Wilkinson’s no-plectrum bass bubbles; a driving throb recalibrating The Beatles’ “Taxman.” Drummer Ian Skelly has the jazzy swing necessary for this music. A pleasure. Inevitably, Michael Head is the focus. It’s two or three decades since much of what's played was originally recorded and, although his voice can never be what it was, he, the songs and the musicians are at one. However, things do not go to plan.

After “Butterfly,” John Head says what sounds like “We’ve got to take five.” Suddenly, the band leave the stage. No good nights or end-of-show ritual. The confusion amongst the audience is clear. There are songs remaining in tonight’s set list: “Hey Mama" and “Streets of Kenny,” plus an encore of Love’s “A House is Not a Motel.” Is everything OK? Apparently not. Earlier, Michael Head had appeared unstable a couple of times, as if he were about to lose balance. Snatches of his between song chat were disjointed. After five minutes, the band returns to the stage for “Streets of Kenny.” That is it. “Hey Mama” has been scrubbed as has “A House is Not a Motel,” also the encore at the previous shows on these dates. When “Streets of Kenny” is finished Michael Head is alone on stage, in front of fans who have rushed to the front. He looks lost.

Nothing perceptible indicated the performance was about to differ from what was planned. A confused, confusing ending to what had been a delightful celebration of a great band.

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