I’d heard along the grapevine that Shame’s set at Yours and Owls Festival was the one to catch, best of the weekend, unfiltered punk energy carrying the day forward ahead of headliners Fontaines D.C. Naturally, expectations were sky-high as I navigated the winding corridors of Metro Theatre and slipped into the cavern that is Metro Social.
Opening the night was Eora/Sydney locals Shady Nasty, a band I last saw supporting UK hardstyle punkers High Vis. They’re rapidly building a cult following, and if you’re looking to stay ahead of the curve, this is where you’ll find the future of Australian music. Despite only just releasing their debut album, they had no shortage of fans screaming lyrics alongside frontman Kevin Stathis, whose presence strikes a balance between SPEED-like grit and something more delicate, all with a voice like an angel. Their post-punk-meets-hip-hop hybrid is another example of the thrilling multi-genre wave sweeping the Australian music scape right now, alongside Naarm/Melbourne’s Sex Mask and Meanjin/Brisbane’s Radium Dolls.
With no green room offstage, Shame had no choice but to cut straight through the crowd to reach the stage. Those paying attention may have already spotted members of Fontaines D.C. lingering in the audience—they’re in Eora/Sydney ahead of their Opera House Forecourt headline show, with Shame on opening duties. Formed in South London, Shame cut their teeth in the same fruitful post-punk scene that birthed IDLES and Soft Play.
‘Fingers of Steel’ into ‘Concrete’—a double punch that sent the room into instant motion, limbs flailing in ways that looked like a group-possession. Frontman Charlie Steen, suited up with a priest’s collar, looked equal parts composed and completely untethered, while bassist Josh Finerty launched himself around, only kept from his full acrobatic routine by the lack of stage space, but it didn’t matter there was no slowing down.
It was no more than four songs before Steen was being carried across the crowd, never missing a word as he hovered over the chaos. Fans joined him in the air whenever the moment took them. The setlist tore through their discography, spanning Songs of Praise (2018) to Food for Worms (2023), with each track building the room into something more unruly, more euphoric.
Preaching to his congregation of sweat and swinging fists, Steen climbed a speaker, glanced at the drop below, and jumped. Just full commitment, a plunge into the chaos, microphone still in hand, voice still ringing out above it all while the outskirts of the packed room stood in awe.
After a set like that, it’s no surprise they went on to match that energy at the Sydney Opera House Forecourt, opening for Fontaines D.C. on one of the world’s most iconic stages. Next, they’re off to Naarm/Melbourne, where they’ll hit Croxton Bandroom for a headline show whilst joining Fontaines D.C. once more.
MELBOURNE
Sat 8 Mar 2025 – PALACE FORESHORE – WITH FONTAINES D.C.
Sun 9 Mar 2025 – CROXTON BANDROOM
Mon 10 Mar 2025 – PALACE FORESHORE – WITH FONTAINES D.C.
AUCKLAND
Wed 12 Mar 2025 – SPARK ARENA – WITH FONTAINES D.C.
WELLINGTON
Thu 13 Mar 2025 – MEOW
Image Credit: Jess Hutton
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