Today, shame announce Food for Worms, their explosive new album out February 24th on Dead Oceans, and present its lead single/video, “Fingers of Steel.” In conjunction, the band announces their biggest headlining tour to-date, with stops in Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Chicago and more. Following 2021’s Drunk Tank Pink, “the sound of a band stretching into new shapes” (Pitchfork), shame finally arrive at a place of hard-won maturity on Food for Worms, which frontman Charlie Steen declares to be “the Lamborghini of shame records.”
Food for Worms marks a sonic departure from anything they’ve done before, and – for the first time – the band are not delving inwards, but seeking to capture the world around them. Abandoning their post-punk beginnings for far more eclectic influences, Food for Worms draws from the sharp yet uncomplicated lyrical observations of Lou Reed, as well as the more melodic works of 90s German band Blumfeld. They called upon renowned producer Flood (Nick Cave, U2, PJ Harvey) to execute their vision. “I don’t think you can be in your own head forever,” says Steen. A conversation after one of their gigs with a friend prompted a stray thought that he held onto: “It’s weird, isn’t it? Popular music is about love, heartbreak, or yourself. There isn’t much about your mates.”
The “Fingers of Steel” video, directed by James Humby, sees the band work 19-hour shifts creating fake social media accounts to like, follow, and comment on their own material. Of the video, frontman Charlie Steen says: “Self-obsession, social media flagellation and death can all be seen in this Oscar-nominated performance. No one’s ever done a video like this before and when you watch it, you’ll see why. Think Casablanca, but in color, and better.”
LISTEN TO/WATCH “FINGERS OF STEEL” NOW
shame 2023 Tour Dates
Wed. Mar. 1 – Dublin, IE @ Button Factory
Fri. Mar. 3 – Glasgow, UK @ SWG3
Sat. Mar. 4 – Newcastle, UK @ Boiler Shop
Sun. Mar. 5 – Leeds, UK @ Stylus
Tue. Mar. 7 – Sheffield, UK @ Leadmill
Wed. Mar. 8 – Liverpool, UK @ Invisible Wind Factory
Thu. Mar. 9 – Bristol, UK @ SWX
Sat. Mar. 11 – Manchester, UK @ New Century Hall
Sun. Mar. 12 – Cardiff, UK @ Tramshed
Tue. Mar. 14 – Nantes, FR @ Stereolux
Wed. Mar. 15 – Paris, FR @ Cabaret Sauvage
Thu. Mar. 16 – Bordeaux, FR @ Rock School Barbey
Sat. Mar. 18 – Lisbon, PT @ LAV
Sun. Mar. 19 – Madrid, ES @ Nazca
Mon. Mar. 20 – Barcelona, ES @ La 2 de Apolo
Wed. Mar. 22 – Nimes, FR @ Paloma
Thu. Mar. 23 – Milan, IT @ Magnolia
Fri. Mar. 24 – Zurich, CH @ Plaza
Sun. Mar. 26 – Munich, DE @ Technikum
Mon. Mar. 27 – Berlin, DE @ Astra
Tue. Mar. 28 – Hamburg, DE @ Markthalle
Thu. Mar. 30 – Oslo, NO @ Vulkan
Fri. Mar. 31 – Stockholm, SE @ Debaser
Sat. Apr. 1 – Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA
Mon. Apr. 3 – Brussels, BE @ AB
Tue. Apr. 4 – Cologne, DE @ Floria
Thu. Apr. 6 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
Fri. Apr. 28 – London, UK @ Brixton Academy
Wed. May 10 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
Fri. May 12 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
Sat. May 13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Sun. May 14 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
Tue. May 16 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
Thu. May 18 – Montréal, QC @ Foufounes Électriques
Fri. May 19 – Ottawa, ON @ Club SAW
Sat. May 20 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
Mon. May 22 – Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell’s Eccentric Cafe
Wed. May 24 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Fri. May 26 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
Sat. May 27 – Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
Sun. May 28 – Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge
Tue. May 30 – Dallas,TX @ Granada Theater
Fri. Jun. 2 – Austin, TX @ The Scoot Inn
Sat. Jun. 3 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
Sun. Jun. 4 – New Orleans, LA @ Toulouse Theatre
PRE-ORDER/PRE-SAVE FOOD FOR WORMS NOW