20 Years of Shed of the Year: The Best Songs from the Shed Sessions

First post in an undetermined series looking back at 20 years of Shed of the year.

One of the many highlights of being Head Sheddie was visiting Jon Earl, way back in 2011 to experience his brilliant Songs from the Shed.

I was lucky on the day I visited to see the brilliant Natalie McCool play.

Natalie McCool – Black Sun (Session #114)

Natalie’s haunting vocals and intricate guitar work sound incredible in the wooden acoustics of the shed. It captures exactly what Jon Earl set out to do—capture raw talent in a humble setting.

But here are my other Top 10 performances from Songs from the Shed:

Amelia Coburn – Down In The Tube Station At Midnight (Session #422)
Taking a gritty Jam classic and transforming it into a ukulele ballad is a bold move, but Amelia pulls it off brilliantly. Her voice is theatrical and expressive, turning the song into a storytelling masterpiece that feels right at home among the garden tools

Passenger – Dancing In The Dark (Session #256)
Before he was selling out stadiums worldwide, Mike Rosenberg (Passenger) squeezed into the shed to deliver this stunning Bruce Springsteen cover. It is stripped back, intimate, and showcases that distinctive voice that eventually took over the charts.

Alabama 3 – Woke Up This Morning (Session #78)
It is surreal to see the band behind The Sopranos theme song performing acoustically in a garden shed in Somerset. They strip away the production and leave the raw blues and soul of the track. It’s cool, cramped, and completely unforgettable.

Steve Harley – The Last Time I Saw You (Session #59)
A true legend in the shed. The Cockney Rebel himself delivers a touching, mature performance. The addition of the violin adds a beautiful melancholic layer to the track. It proves that the Shed isn’t just for up-and-comers, but for music royalty too.

The Wiyos – Yellow Lines (Session #88)
This session brings a fantastic vaudevillian, old-timey energy. With the washboard percussion and the harmonica, they turn the shed into a speakeasy. It’s impossible not to tap your foot to this one; the energy is infectious.

Nick Harper – Lies! Lies! Lies! (Session #454)
Filmed at the Larmer Tree Festival pop-up shed, this captures Nick Harper’s frantic, brilliant acoustic guitar wizardry. His energy is manic in the best possible way, driving the song forward with intensity and political bite.

Rob Heron and The Teapad Orchestra -Drinking Coffee
I love seeing how many people they can fit in the shed! This is a great slice of North East Western Swing. It’s tight, rhythmic, and has a great retro feel that suits the vintage aesthetic of the shed perfectly.

Elles Bailey – Medicine Man (Session #449)
Elles brings the smoky, bluesy vibes. Her voice has a wonderful huskiness to it that pairs perfectly with the slide guitar. It feels like a performance from the deep south, transported to the English countryside.

The Lottery Winners – Little Things (Session #451)
Another band that has gone on to huge things, including Number 1 albums. Here we see their charm, their tight harmonies, and their knack for writing perfect pop songs, all delivered with a smile in the glow of the shed fairy lights.

Polly Paulusma – Snakeskin
Polly’s guitar playing is intricate and her voice is tender, proving that a great song can transcend its genre when placed in the right hands (and the right shed).

It’s a shame that the Shed sessions are no longer going, as I’m sure Jon would have had more and more upcoming artists in the shed. But I know it was a hell of a lot of work for one person.

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