SHED SEVEN - INSTANT PLEASURES Well, this is a pleasant surprise. You would have been forgiven for expecting Rick Witter and co to trade on memories, but this first album in 16 years measures up to much of their Britpop heyday.

The cocksure Nothing To Live Down and the lyrical delivery of Butterfly On A Wheel in particular are classically Shed Seven, while there are storming riffs on It’s Not Easy and Star-Crossed Lovers.

The single Room In My House is an impressive if over-stuffed statement of intent, while People Will Talk finds the York quartet partying like it’s 1999 ... except I thought they burnt this disco down?

What is perhaps missing is one of the band’s glorious slow numbers - Better Days does not quite hit the mark and the excellent Hold On To Yourself changes tack into a euphoric chorus, though the closing Invincible somewhat recalls a personal favourite in High Hopes. 8/10

- Tom White

NICK KNOWLES - EVERY KIND OF PEOPLE “Oh look, it’s another TV presenter doing music!” you cry, rolling your eyes. But wait: Nick Knowles (yes, the DIY SOS guy) is offering something disarmingly different from the usual swing or opera-esque releases from many of his TV star contemporaries.

Having kept his singing and guitar-playing talents under the radar for decades, the 55-year-old is taking a step into the music world with his debut album Every Kind Of People, a collection of covers.

Knowles has been bold with his song choices, and this serves him well. The strikingly deep timbre of his voice works well, notably on his version of Bob Dylan’s Make You Feel My Love and a reworking of Barry White’s My First, My Last, My Everything.

Knowles manages to steer clear of a karaoke vibe, and offers up an album that will be enjoyed by those wishing to hear familiar songs performed with an as-yet unfamiliar voice. 6/10 Lucy Mapstone