SHAME BRINGS THEIR WORKOUT PLAN TO NYC
WORDS: Jules Kelly
PICTURES: Alex Shapiro
May 22, 2023
British post-punk Shame has been hitting the states to get you in shape. They brought their new workout regime to Irving Plaza on May 15 in support of their most recent album, Food for Worms. The five piece brought an inextinguishable energy to the East Village.
Lead singer Charlie Steen had an insatiable energy the moment he first stepped on the stage that lasted throughout the entire set. He carries himself with a swagger that died with the frontmen of the 1970s, dancing wildly during “Six-Pack” and bumming cigarettes from audience members during “Burning by Design.” During the group’s opening song, “Fingers of Steel,” Steen jumped down to the barricade and sang into fans’ faces before hoisting himself onto the crowd and letting the audience hold him up as he finished the song. It was an act the singer performed multiple times throughout the night and one in which elicited an excitement from the crowd.
One Tony from the eponymous opening act, TONY OR TONY
Matching Steen’s energy was the four other band members who stayed on stage and played masterfully as Steen waltzed around the crowd. Josh Finerty, the band’s bassist, would sprint around the stage and circle other band members as he played solos. During “The Fall of Paul”, Finerty threw himself to the floor, fell into a forward roll, and planted himself to the floor on the black—and never once stopped playing his bass.
The audience had an unbridled energy, screaming back every word sung at them and willing to support Steen in any means necessary—especially physical. Crowd surfing was a must for both fans and Steen during tracks like “One Rizla” and “Water in the Well.” Shame treated this like a hometown show; people traveled far to be there. Before performing “Lampoon,” a deep cut for the band’s touring setlist, Steen called out three fans in the audience who flew from Glasgow, Scotland to be in the audience.
Shame during their set
Supporting the brits at this show was TONY OR TONY, an eclectic electronica-rap duo made up of two guys named-and you’ll never believe this-Tony. Following them was New York’s very own Been Stellar, a youthful indie rock band who had legions of their young fans that came out just to see them, but ended up sticking around for Shame’s energetic performance.
The second opening act, Been Stellar
Shame ended their wild set with another deep cut, “Gold Hole”. While performing, Steen had climbed atop a platform located to the right of the audience and scaled the second story balcony and continued to sing from there. As the song neared to a close, Steen went back to the platform, urged the audience to come closer, before crowd diving onto them and finishing the song as he drifted upon audience member’s hands.
In one night, Shame found a way to take over New York. Their energy was completely unmatched: one that left even the venue security guards saying, “You know, I kinda really liked them.” You can’t stop a band like Shame, you just have to roll with the punches and experience it.