Paul Banks

Paul Adrian Banks (born 6 July 1973) is an English musician. He is a songwriter and the lead guitarist with the rock band Shed Seven.

Career Paul Banks formed his first band with schoolfriend Rick Witter in 1986, while in his early teens, and went on to play in other local bands, including Brockley Haven, with Witter, Tom Gladwin and John Leach.

Shed Seven Banks joined Witter, Gladwin and John's brother, drummer Alan Leach in Shed Seven just before they gained their first record deal with Polydor Records in 1993, replacing Joe Johnson as their lead guitarist. He spent the next six years recording and touring with the band. Banks became known for his distinctive, dramatic riffs and catchy tunes, and from 1993 to 1999 he co-wrote many of the band's most popular songs, with 14 consecutive hits in the UK including "Chasing Rainbows", "Going for Gold" and "She Left Me on Friday". The band's third album Let It Ride with all music composed by Banks to Witter's lyrics, spawned four singles which all reached the Top 40 of the UK singles chart.

In 1999 the record company asked Banks to write a new lead single for Shed Seven's "Greatest Hits" album, Going For Gold. The song, "Disco Down", later became a Top 20 hit, but Banks was becoming increasingly unhappy with the lack of originality in the music he was expected to write and perform. In an interview in 2002, he said:

Going For Gold – The Greatest Hits reached number 7 in the UK Albums Chart, but by the time Shed Seven finally left Polydor in 1999, Banks had already decided to leave the band.

quote|The last straw was the Greatest Hits album….I can honestly say that I sold myself short for the last six months...I thought it was better to just stop it and move on.

Shed Seven have since recorded and released three new albums. Instant Pleasures in 2017 and A Matter of Time and Liquid Gold which were both released in 2024. Both A Matter of Time and Liquid Gold reached Number 1 in the UK music charts. The band continue to tour regularly.