shame @ Off Broadway | 05.26.23

Touring behind their new record Food for Worms, British post-punk quintet shame crowd surfed the fuck out of a packed Off Broadway in St. Louis on May 26th, 2023.

Last October, I caught shame when they were on tour with Viagra Boys. I was really impressed with their performance. The energy radiating off the stage was hard to ignore, with frontman Charlie Steen hopping into the crowd multiple times and generally getting everyone all riled up. I hadn’t been to many shows since the pandemic started, and had kind of forgotten what a good set like theirs could feel like. I knew if they came back to St. Louis, I had to see them again, and preferably with a camera in hand.

So, you know, here I am.

When my girlfriend and I arrived just a bit after doors at Off Broadway, there was already a good crowd amassing at the front of the stage. We were able to get a good spot stage right, up against the barricade. We both noticed just how incredibly warm the venue was, which wasn’t typically the case at Off Broadway. I guess there was an HVAC issue, as the room has normally been a little cooler than one would expect at past shows. The weather is also starting to approach that balmy Midwestern summer heat that can really knock you out if you’re not careful. It didn’t get much worse as the crowd filed in and, thankfully, it didn’t end up like that Boris show at the Firebird I photographed in 2010 where the AC died just before load-in.

As I watched the crowd bounce around during shame’s set, I realized this is probably the most amped up energy I have felt in the room in a long, long time. Bassist Josh Finerty bounced around like a maniac during most songs, while vocalist Charile Steen rarely broke his vision from the crowd before him. For all their rambunctiousness on stage, they sound tight and consistent. Their songs aren’t so fast that Charlie risks getting out of sync with the rest of the band while stage diving and slapping hands with those in the front. This was the band’s first headlining tour in the US, and you could tell they were loving ever minute of it.

The Shoot

For this one, I didn’t bring my Fujifilm GFX50sII. I knew I would miss too many good shots working with the slower shooting experience that comes with that camera. Instead I paired my trusty Fujifilm x100V with my Fujifilm X-S10. On the X-S10 I tossed on a FUJIFILM XF 35mm f/2 R WR, which is equivalent to 50mm on the crop sensor. I am generally pretty happy with the set up for most small shows. However, with some of antics on stage, I definite found myself wishing I had a 24mm or 28mm equivalent lens with me.

The room was packed, but I don’t think it was sold out. It made it a little tough to move around and get different angles after I moved away from the front of the stage, but I found some good spots to post up for a song or so that worked out pretty well.

As always, I wish the stage lights were about a half-step brighter, but I was able to work the shooting conditions quite well and ended up with a lot of photos I was super happy with.

Unfortunately, my girlfriend and I both had an incredibly long, punishing week and were basically over the human experience by the time the 26th rolled around. We bounced about 2/3rds through the set. Hopefully, the universe can throw us a little less bullshit the next time shame comes through St. Louis.

While I’m wondering if I accidentally took two Strattera instead of one this morning, check out the rest of of my photos of shame at Off Broadway here!