Live Review: Shame - Yes, Manchester 26/06/2019

Planned only a week before the gig took place, Shame sold out The Pink Room at YES within hours of announcing the show. As one of the newest and best venues in the city centre, it’s already brought some unforgettable shows, and Shame are now certainly sitting high on that list.

Support came from Mush, a four piece post punk outfit from Leeds. After a few early technical difficulties, they won over the crowd, who were singing and dancing the whole way through their set. Long instrumentals and snappy vocals made them an exciting support. 

It wasn’t long before Shame stormed the stage. Having never seen Shame live before, I was mega excited to be finally seeing them, especially in such an intimate venue, I knew we were in for an absolute treat. Although I knew it would be a wild one, I still wasn’t quite ready for the madness of a Shame gig!

By the end of the first song three fans were already crowd surfing, singer Charlie Steen soon joined in on the action, the chaos had begun! Honestly, I’ve never been so happy to be pushed about down the front, the crowd was rowdy but kind. Everyone was there for the same reason, with smiles beaming around the room and a genuine concern for others safety, it was exactly the type of atmosphere you expect at a sweaty intimate gig.

Running through catchy singles and some of the grittier tracks from their debut album ‘Songs of Praise’, we were also amongst the first to hear 5 brand new songs. If you haven’t seen a Shame gig before then you are wholeheartedly missing out. Their songs on record just aren’t the same as seeing them live, where the passion and excitement is raw, it’s the realest it can get.

Before playing their final song ‘Gold Hole’ Shame assured us it wouldn’t be long before we saw them again. “We’ll be back soon Manchester, with a new album and with a bigger and better show”. I cannot wait.

Words and photography by Abbie Jennings