Shame at Windmill Brixton review – brash, in your face, and fun

Yush Kalia went to see local band Shame perform at the final Independent Venue Week gig at Windmill Brixton. Awesome photos by Holly Whitaker.

It’s Sunday night, which usually means shaking from the previous night’s over indulgence or grappling with terrible TV, while keeping Monday morning fears at bay. Thankfully, I’m not doing either as I’m at the Windmill to see Brixton band Shame; bring IVW to a close for another year.

I won’t be focusing on the venue, which I did my best to describe in my previous post, but on Shame, who I had the pleasure of interviewing. More about that in another post. As I was interviewing, I did end up missing some of the bands but did manage to catch a quality performance by the Dead Pretties.

The lead singer Jacob had a death stare that could scare the shit out of any tough guy, and an on-stage presence that was frankly beyond his years. The vocals were Dylan/Jagger-esque, accompanied by a strong bluesy guitar sound. A very exciting band and definitely one to seek out in the future.

Back to Shame. A five piece set up hailing from Brixton, with Charlie Steen leading the vocals, Josh on bass, Eddie and Sean on guitars and another Charlie on drums. Their sound is punk with a bit of ska dropped in there too. Their music is brash, in your face, and fun. Fun isn’t normally a word I’d associate with punk but with amusing tracks like ‘One Rizla’, and the ‘Dun Dun Song’, which sounds like you’d imagine, their music puts a smile on your face.

The set kicked off with ‘Gold Hole’. A thrashing of guitars and stage antics ensued. It was clear looking at the faces in the crowd that Shame have small loyal following which seemed to feed off band’s’ energy and vice versa.

Second up, ‘Sweat’. A track that raised the temperature of the room so much so that Steen started to shed clothes. From researching the band and speaking with a few bods in the crowd, I’m reliably informed this is all part of the show which have made Shame a band that needs to be seen as well as listened to.

The tracks flowed – the standout one for me was ‘Angie’, which had deep and meaningful lyrics. By the time we hit ‘Gone Fisting’, a track title that naturally gets repeated whenever you say it to anyone, the guys were firmly in their zone. Josh was playing like a man possessed and the crowd lapped it up.

Talking of lapping it up, a yellow card to the chap who licked red wine off a semi naked Steen. I appreciate how easily it is to get caught up in the moment but do that again, and you’re off.

It seemed fitting for Shame to wrap up Independent Venue Week and they’re really what the week was all about.  Keeping these venues alive ensures there’s somewhere for raw talented bands to get air time and hone their skills. Shame’s passion for their craft is obvious to anyone who sees them perform and something I encourage you to do. They are grounded and are fearless, which I’m sure will carry them towards a successful future.