Scottish quartet Shambolics have been steadily building a compelling case over recent months as to why they are the band to watch in the current crop of indie rock. Their last few wildly infectious, effervescent rock singles have all become instant anthemic hits, providing respite from the gloom and offering a glimmer of hope for better times to come, commanding the attention of an ever-growing fanbase; all aided and abetted by regular airplay on 6 Music, Radio X and Amazing Radio, as well as the continued love of cult actor Ford Kiernan.
And if the first singles from their forthcoming debut album ‘Dreams, Schemes & Young Teams’ (including ‘Attention’, featuring The View‘s legendary Kyle Falconer) are a true harbinger of what’s to come, fans are in for a real treat when the LP arrives this coming 16 February 2024.
‘Dreams, Schemes & Young Teams’ echoes the experiences the Shambolics have witnessed and, in some cases, lived through during their early years in Kirkcaldy: a town blessed with beautiful coastal scenery, but also a place that offers little to keep the local youth busy.
Frontmen Darren Forbes and Lewis McDonald founded the band as a way of escaping their days drinking in the park, and were soon joined by Scott ‘Paws’ Williamson (keys/vocals) and Robert Land (drums). They attracted a local following with their riotous gigs ten miles west at PJ Molly’s in Dunfermline, before the inimitable music business executive Alan McGee (Oasis, Primal Scream, Happy Mondays, Cast, Teenage Fanclub and many more) pushed things to the next level.
The band ended 2023 with a bang, joining forces with Kyle Falconer and The View for special guest shows in London, Edinburgh and Kilmarnock, as well as the Year’s End Fest in Manchester. And now, with the approaching release of ‘Dreams, Schemes & Young Teams’, fans can expect things to start intensifying even more, with a string of Assai Records in-store appearances already confirmed for this month, followed by a tour of England in the second half of April.
So, in anticipation of the release of Shambolics’ epic debut album (which you can pre-order here), CinemaChords’ Howard Gorman caught up with frontman Darren Forbes to discover the genesis behind the band’s Trainspotting-inspired LP promo video, the album’s thematic threads and how many of the tracks came about far more spontaneously than you might have thought.
