Biography
Shame emerged from South London in 2014, when school friends vocalist Charlie Steen, guitarists Sean Coyle-Smith and Eddie Green, bassist Josh Finerty, and drummer Charlie Forbes were still teenagers. A family connection secured rehearsal space at the Queen's Head, a raw Brixton pub that also housed Fat White Family. Early shows alongside that group, the Garden, and Slaves secured a slot at the 2016 Pitchfork Music Festival Paris. Later the same year the five-piece enlisted Dan Foat and Nathan Boddy to cut their first single, “The Lick/Gold Hole,” issued by Fnord Communications. After inking a deal with Dead Oceans, they returned to Foat and Boddy for the March 2017 follow-up “Tasteless.” Two further singles, “Concrete” and the immigration-focused “Visa Vulture,” preceded their debut album.
Cut with Foat and Boddy in just ten days, Songs of Praise landed on Dead Oceans in January 2018. The record’s sharp post-punk edge earned widespread praise and reached number 32 on the U.K. Albums Chart. Once touring wrapped, the band began shaping its next release; Coyle-Smith drew from Talking Heads, ESG, and Nigerian highlife, while Steen mined the turbulence of sudden success for his words. Produced by James Ford and titled after the hue used to pacify rowdy drunks, Drunk Tank Pink appeared in January 2021, expanding the group’s dynamic range and landing inside the U.K. Top Ten. Support dates with Foals and U.S. headline shows followed. Closing the year, November’s “This Side of the Sun” and December’s festive “Baldur’s Gate” signaled a more tuneful, exploratory turn that carried into the February 2023 album Food for Worms. Working with producer Flood, the musicians tracked every song live, channeling the spirit of Lou Reed, Merchandise, and Blumfeld to fuel a looser yet still ferocious approach.
Cut with Foat and Boddy in just ten days, Songs of Praise landed on Dead Oceans in January 2018. The record’s sharp post-punk edge earned widespread praise and reached number 32 on the U.K. Albums Chart. Once touring wrapped, the band began shaping its next release; Coyle-Smith drew from Talking Heads, ESG, and Nigerian highlife, while Steen mined the turbulence of sudden success for his words. Produced by James Ford and titled after the hue used to pacify rowdy drunks, Drunk Tank Pink appeared in January 2021, expanding the group’s dynamic range and landing inside the U.K. Top Ten. Support dates with Foals and U.S. headline shows followed. Closing the year, November’s “This Side of the Sun” and December’s festive “Baldur’s Gate” signaled a more tuneful, exploratory turn that carried into the February 2023 album Food for Worms. Working with producer Flood, the musicians tracked every song live, channeling the spirit of Lou Reed, Merchandise, and Blumfeld to fuel a looser yet still ferocious approach.
Singles
