Shambolics were the last band I seen live before the pandemic and this tune had not long been released prior to the gig, It’s a rock anthem that gets the whole crowd going. It’s the type of song you can listen to on repeat and not get sick of, another quality track from the Shams’
Perhaps it’s the way that Lewis McDonald and Darren Forbes, who share duties as front men, harmonise, or that their songs have titles like Council State of Mind, and Teens Schemes Dreams. They know what people want from a song and as a foursome they provide it. But there’s a detached and poetic clarity of mind going on behind the ability to please.
Or perhaps it’s the way they have the confidence to play around. To look at, you can’t decide if they are neo-romantic (that floral shirt), Siouxsie-era goth (that hat, those cheekbones) or outright Scottish rockers (that beard, nose, and John Byrne knee-length plaid jacket), or all three at once. They rounded off the set with their funky hit Love Collides, on which Jordan McHatton picks bass with the best and the effervescent Jake Bain bangs out the rhythm.
I wanted more and one advantage of the livestream experience is that you can arrange your own encore. Check out their brilliant Beatles/Eminem mash-up and — mamma mia! — the mad thrill of the Shambolics covering Abba.
Official music video for “Sandra Speed” released on Creation23 Records
