SHAME + GHOSTWOMAN
@ THE PHOENIX CONCERT THEATRE, TORONTO
JANUARY 23, 2026
English post-punk band shame exploded onto the scene in the late 2010’s with the album Songs of Praise, and since then have continued to build momentum with each new release. Their latest LP Cutthroat is raucous, punchy, and loud, and that’s exactly the type of energy that ripped through the Phoenix Concert Theatre.
Canadian garage psych band GHOSTWOMAN opened the night with a groovy set of tracks including “5 Gold Pieces,” “Levon,” and “Alright Alright.” Lead singer Evan Uschenko’s off-kilter guitar playing complemented Ille van Dessel’s motorik drumming and had the audience really vibing out. If you’re a fan of krautrock, this would be a great band to add to your music listening repertoire.
The crowd waited restlessly for shame, the 5-piece punk band, to come on as the lights dimmed. The group stormed out to the hip hop song “Simon Says” by Pharaoh Monch, jumping up and down and gesturing for the crowd to make some noise, which they happily obliged.
CUTTHROAT ALBUM REVIEW
They opened with “Axis of Evil,” “Concrete,” and “Tasteless,” all crowd-pleasing bangers that would set the tone for the rest of the evening.
The band played a good number of songs off their latest album including “Cowards Around,” “Spartak,” and of course the epic spoken-word track: “Lampião” which took a grungy live approach with Steen growling the refrain “Ô Lampião where are you now?” over distorted guitar chords.
The crowd sang along passionately to the song “Quiet Life” and it’s clear that it has become a new fan favourite. It’s a really catchy song with vulnerable yet funny lyrics reminiscent of post-punk revival bands such as The Strokes and Interpol.
Lead vocalist Charlie Steen continued to prove that he is one of the most electrifying hypemen in the modern punk scene, urging the crowd to get wild every chance he got. The singer crowdsurfed and shook hands with concertgoers during the last few songs, ending the set with “Snow Day,” “One Rizla,” and “Cutthroat,” the latter song getting especially rowdy, seeing as the band likes to go out with a bang!
(Photography by Cory Barter)
shame Photos
GHOSTWOMAN Photos
shame Links
GHOSTWOMAN Links
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