Gambit Of Shame

© Gambit of Shame. All rights reserved.
Their first vinyl outing appeared with two cuts on the infamous Thing from the Crypt compilation album in 1981, which was re-released due to popular demand by the esteemed San Francisco based label Dark Entries Records, in 2013.  The Gambit of Shame had numerous line-ups throughout their existence but possibly the band’s pivotal moment, was around the release of their only single in 1982, No Bounds, which was produced by ex-Soft Machine member, renowned musician and political activist, Robert Wyatt. Unless you had an ear extremely well fixed to the English post-punk scene of the late 1970s and early ‘80s, you would be forgiven for having never heard of the Gambit of Shame. In fact, it could be argued they were not only one of the better bands to have slipped through the net, but were ahead of their time when comparisons are made with certain genres of today’s music scene. Unfortunately, whilst together, the band only really existed on the underground and fringe of the mainstream music scene, materialising from the fallout of other punk acts in a mutated form from 1979, until their demise in the apt year of 1984.  The band’s studio recordings have finally been collated together to form a retrospective entitled ‘No Bounds’... so, if you missed them the first time around, there’s a second chance to get to know one of post-punks hidden mysterious gems from yesteryear. Pictured from left to right above: Paul Mex, Lindsay Beard, Mike Wallis (RIP), Amanda Ashby and Gary Pinker. Photographed at The Spider’s Web Hotel, Hertfordshire, 1982. 21st Century Gambits! A little bit of 'Googling' and more than 20 years later, ex-Gambit of Shame members Lindsay Beard, Paul Mex and Mike Wallis, meet up for the first time in London's Wardour Street, February 2006. Mike Wallis and Paul Mex regret not having Sir Peter Blake design the Gambit of Shame record cover back in the day! London, December 2006. Paul Mex and Mike Wallis regret not having Mick Rock take the Gambit of Shame photos back in the day! London, September 2016.