At 19, one might imagine that the members of London band Shame had never heard of 1970s post-punk Gang of Four, from Leeds, U.K. If they haven’t, then the work of that band has somehow seeped through the decades and across England, because the deadpan, darkly humorous influence is there.
Shame formed in the summer of 2014, when the members were only 16 or 17. The Queens Head pub in the Brixton area of London was their unofficial headquarters, a bar the band members describe as “a place no teenager should gravitate towards.”
The men of Shame describe their style as “music for the weak,” and say that their mission is aimless, all of which harkens back to that dark and self-effacing humor. There’s also a knowing modesty that they use to hide their ambition a touch. They say that they currently have a small but devoted following in the U.K., but that is slowly progressing into the “decent-size” category.
Things really started to look up when they scored a three-album record deal with Dead Oceans Records in 2016.
“Dead Oceans approached us and started frequently coming to our shows,” the guys collectively told us via email. “We naturally got to know the team at the label, as well as their roster, which includes some of our favorite artists like Kevin Morby and Slowdive. By the time a deal was being seriously discussed, we definitely knew it was the right label for us. They seemed to have a genuine interest in nurturing us as a band so we hope to stick with them for the long run.”
The Songs of Praise debut album was released in January, the first release for the new label. Prior to the deal, two singles (“Gold Hole/The Lick” and “Tasteless”) constituted the only recorded output.
Date Signed: March 2017
Label: Dead Oceans
Band Members: Charlie Steen, Eddie Green, Josh Finerty, Sean Coyle-Smith, Charlie Forbes
Type of Music: Punk
Management: Gross Management
Booking: Ground Control Touring
Legal: Paul Spraggon, [email protected]
Publicity: Jessica Linker, [email protected]
Web: shamebanduk.bandcamp.com
A&R: Adam Nealon
