If there's a must see live band in 2018, then it's almost certainly Shame

Shame have worked for this. Last year, they played every festival under the sun no matter what slot may be chucked their way - whether the crowd asked for them or not, they were there. Now, things have changed a bit. With ‘Songs Of Praise’ out in the wild, everyone is after them - and it’s understandable why. Tonight, in the midst of a sell out UK headline tour, their homecoming beckons - building on the frenzied fever that has followed every London show. There are queues outside, people begging for tickets in front of the main door, as Electric Ballroom fills for a band that suddenly are being taken seriously. They used to lug gear and instruments around on the top of buses, playing half-empty venues with frontman Charlie Steen having to stride out to grab the attention. Not anymore. One thing is clear. Shame are a band thriving with confidence. From the moment ‘Dust On Trial’ rips into view, their aims are clear - to take one of their biggest headline shows to date and turn it into a unrivalled party celebrating just how far they could still rise. Steen wastes no time, diving into the crowd from the very first number - a dynamic presence that leads a sold out Electric Ballroom through one of the most vital sets the venue has seen for many a while. Live, Shame are a bulldozer, ripping through their debut album with a ferocity that comes from months on the road all over the globe, playing to audiences not yet fully sold. They’ve learnt how to command a crowd. Tonight, they sound incredible, a blistering punk force. Creating standout moments, yet flowing with an uncompromising drive, ‘Lampoon’ scatters pogoing bodies across the venue, ‘Tasteless’ is arms-in-the-air hysteria while ‘The Lick’ is a pointed reminder of everything that makes the band great. Like lighting a fuse and watching the fireworks go off, Shame never fizzle out. The untitled new track they air tonight suggests an introspective new direction for where they go next, but ultimately tonight is about looking up. Shame are a band who spent their time chipping away at the world, yet now find themselves leading an exciting and meaningful new charge. They’ve treated every live moment as if they were already playing bigger stages. Now they’re starting to reach those levels, they’re more than ready for them. Shame already have one of the albums of the year. If there is a must see live band in 2018 then, as Charlie Steen rounded out “Shame, Shame, Shame. That’s the name”. <em>Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett / Dork</em>