The post-punk band’s wild tour antics led to major burnout. Now older and wiser, they’re back with a deeply personal new album
A short walk from Nunhead station in south-east
London, a disused nursing home has been converted into a communal living space for sculptors, joiners, welders and creatives. Behind a murky brown curtain you’ll find what used to be its utility room. More of a cupboard than a room, its washing machine has been dragged out to make way for a mattress, and a line of disconnected switches and pipes give it the air of Dr Frankenstein’s lab. Most notably, the walls, floor and ceiling have been painted a vivid pink, the shade used to calm down violent prisoners in jail. This is “the womb”, the place where Shame frontman Charlie Steen sought refuge while the band hatched their second album, Drunk Tank Pink.
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