Music / Rough Trade
Review: Shame, Rough Trade
January is usually a quiet month for new releases – but then Shame aren’t exactly ones to follow convention. The Londoners swung by Rough Trade to launch their debut album Songs Of Praise on the day of its release.
It’s only the second in-store appearance at the venue following Idles last month – but as people file into the venue it already feels like a new home for the music community. There’s a rife sense of anticipation ahead of this one, something which has only been amplified by five star reviews and all the right attention.
The band played on the day their debut album was released
Shame’s anti-rock-star pose is perhaps what makes them stand out in such a saturated world of noisy guitar music at the moment. The songs heard tonight like One Rizla and Concrete are born out of a clear sense of social realism. “My voice ain’t the best you’ve heard, and you can choose to hate my words, but do I give a fu*k?”, snarls frontman Charlie Steen. It’s a message to their doubters written in a black and white.
is needed now More than ever
Shame signing records after their set
It’s easy to forget you’re within a shop during the gig as the main room is a darkened stand-alone-venue. Obviously at points the energy created by the band causes things to bubble over into those watching. They’re in our face from the word go and you can’t help but feel somewhat sucked into their world. This is most notable during the mammoth Gold Hole which seems to neatly summarise everything they stand for. In essence it will be interesting to see what else 2018 brings for Shame as they’ve already kicked it off with tremendous magnitude.
Photos: Shona Cutt
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