Music / Reviews
Review: shame, Electric Bristol – ‘A galloping, thrusting power-rock party’
In my head tonight’s show was set to replicate shame’s epic video for single Cutthroat in which vocalist Charlie Steen performs stunts on a motorbike inside a carnival wall of death – but in gig-form.
Steen was, in fact, the first person I saw tonight, supping a Guinness in the Bell for – presumably – his pre-gig warm up. shame are back in Bristol on their Massive Monster UK tour celebrating their best album to date.
is needed now More than ever
In support are Dublin four-piece Bleech 9:3 who take to the stage and launch straight into heavy grunge with bassist Josh Finerty cutting a tall dark figure, shame scarf on, hood up, bass up loud.
Vocalist Barry Quinlan attacks his guitar, launching his arms in pronounced fury, wide-legged and fully in the moment. Before I know it he is right in front of me lit up by a white light bulb, wide-eye balling the crowd.
Feedback fills the gaps between songs, the band giving little chat but big rock on their first gig in Bristol.
The Irish quartet are now based in London
“Bristol is one of our favourite places to play in the world,” Steen says to a boisterously buzzing crowd. Shame have indeed filled most Bristol venues over the years.
With new album Cutthroat added to their armoury this promises to be an abundant bounce of an evening.
Steen literally hits the stage running, nodding and jogging on the spot in a black leather jacket, no shirt, dog collar and shades. Minimalist and stylish, this is how all vicars should and would dress if they were allowed, surely?
The show is a continual, unflagging indie-rock onslaught.
shame hit the ground running and don’t let up, sending the crowd into a frenzy
It takes all of one minute 23 seconds before a crowdsurfer dressed only in boxers with ‘SHAME’ scrawled across the ass comes flying over my shoulder and into the saving arms of security, taking the strain off the front row as they relinquished his 6ft sweaty, squirming frame.
With him he took my £7 Guinness Zero (shame on Electric Bristol) and my adulation.
Cowards Around sees Steen wielding the mic stand and poking at the crowd with intent. The jacket is off but the collar remains as they launch into 6 Pack with its skuzzy rhythmic riff and relentless drum beat. 51 days of touring clearly hasn’t dampened their passion and energy.
Vocalist Steen is quick to get in the mix of the riled-up crowd
The pit expands and stretches far and wide with repetitive culprits surfing the shame wave. Retreating to the side for, aptly, Quiet Life, I observe the light reflecting off the sweaty heads of a crowd that are on shoulders, mangled into each other, hair in mouth and legs in the air.
Bass player Josh Finerty is the epitome of the energy in the room as he stampedes around with continuous jumps and kicks, rarely on one spot.
After Party and Spartak are pure indie bangers which give the crowd their biggest singalong moments of the night as they blur into each other.
Steen eventually joins the crowdsurfers that have been ‘riding the shame wave’ since the get-go
There’s no encore, thankfully: it must feel empowering after all the energy and adoration from this crowd to know you still have two songs to get any crowd going. But this crowd has already gone, heads lost and well prepared for the awesome duo of One Rizla and set closer Cutthroat.
A galloping, thrusting power-rock party, it picks us up and drops us, leaving us in a frenzy.
All images: Matt Barnes
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
