Yesterday, September 11th, South London band Shame released their new single Alphabet along with a captivating music video. The band also announced a live show at the Electric Ballroom Brixton on the 22nd April. Tickets for this go on sale September 18th at 10 am.
Alphabet is the bands first new content since they covered the B-52’s Rock Lobster for Spotify Single back in 2018. They have been riding off the back of the success of their 2018 debut LP Songs of Praise, and quite rightly so. The album was a 10 track amalgamation of the old and new, obviously influenced by bands like The Fall and their contemporaries Fat White Family but with a humour and intelligence unique to them.
Stand out track One Rizla, previously released as a single in 2017, is a catchy tune with guitar licks as slick as the sweat on the band-members foreheads during live performances. Frontman Charlie Steen shouts down the mic ‘My voice ain’t the best you’ve heard// And you can choose to hate my words// But do I give a fuck’.
The anarchic sentiment expressed here is nothing new, we’ve heard it from The Clash, The Sex Pistols, and more recently bands like Fontaines D.C. and Warmduscher; but the lyrical wit of Shame sets them apart from the rest. On 2017 single Visa Vulture the band deliver an ironic ode to Theresa May with weepy sounding guitars and a slow rhythm reminiscent of an Elvis love song. This track actually got them a shout out from The Sun, who criticised them for ‘crudely insulting the PM’.
Also, Charlie Steen’s voice is actually pretty good. You can hear the softness in it on the last track of the debut EP: Angie. Angie is a romantic song filled with melodic guitar riffs. It is more U2 than the Ramones, showing the versatility of the band.
Their new song Alphabet is worth the wait, with angry guitar licks and fast percussion Shame remind us who they are and why we love them. ‘What you see is what you get’ shouts Charlie Steen, who actually features in the video along with the other band members.
The video was directed by Tegan Williams, who also directs music videos for West London band Babeheaven’s dreamy tunes. Inspired by ‘a series of surreal dreams’ that Steen had while writing the song, it is arresting and unforgettable; like the band itself.
