BOOK OF SHAME is a glorious, clattering sonic engine built by accident and fueled by beautiful artistic friction.
Born in a London rehearsal space and stitched together from midnight bedroom tape-loops, the project is a compelled collision of old ghosts and new machines. Imagine Dylan Thomas stumbling into a late-80s Bristol warehouse party, trading notes with Captain Beefheart while Talking Heads and The Velvet Underground tracks play at the wrong speed in the background.
Fronted by media pioneers and musical renegades Peter Boyd-Maclean and Gary Bridgewood, BOOK OF SHAME crafts a unique, genre-bending blend of post-punk grit, experimental indie rock, and dirty disco basslines. Backed by an exceptional court of live musicians and legendary studio producers, they make lo-fi, high-concept alternative music for those who like their melodies with a bit of teeth.
The duo’s musical DNA is a gung-ho tribute to the alternative legends they grew up with. Their sound pairs dirty disco bass and smashed live drums with slicing mandolin, jagged guitar melodies, and urgent, street-preacher vocals. It is a striking clash of ideas: acoustic instruments forced against electronic-ambient-rock soundscapes.
"We enjoy the clash of ideas; old sounds forced against new; acoustic-electronic-ambient-rock." — Gary Bridgewood
To bottle this beautiful monster, BOOK OF SHAME assembled a powerhouse lineup of collaborators:
Fergus Gerrand (Sting, Spice Girls) provides the heavy-hitting, live drum foundation.
Jo Foster (Anima) & Claire Nicholson deliver smoky, ethereal, and soulful vocal dynamics.
Rico Conning (the legendary producer behind Wire, Depeche Mode, and William Orbit) helms the mixing desk, expertly polishing the electronic and rock textures into a cohesive, immersive experience.
The band's debut single, 'Compatibility', is a raw reflection of our modern times—capturing both the isolation and the urgent desire for connection. The track is underpinned by a psycho-mesmerising animated music video, produced and directed by the band’s own Peter Boyd-Maclean.
The creative pedigree behind BOOK OF SHAME runs deep through the history of British alternative culture and music video history.
Peter Boyd-Maclean (Guitar, Vocals): A visionary filmmaker and artist, Peter was a founding member of the acclaimed Duvet Brothers, the radical art collective responsible for pioneering the "scratch video" phenomenon in the 1980s. His groundbreaking visual style went on to reshape the landscape of music television and promos, including directing the iconic visuals for New Order’s Blue Monday.
Gary Bridgewood (Guitars, Bass, Strings, Synths): A versatile multi-instrumentalist woven deeply into the UK musical underground, Gary’s diverse credits include co-writing the soundtrack for the cult feature film Strawberry Fields (backed by Paul Weller). He has also recorded and toured with the dark-cabaret outfit The Real Tuesday Weld, Michelle Stodart of The Magic Numbers, and the acclaimed Balkan/Kezmer band Beskydy.
Driven by an absolute refusal to follow industry formulas, BOOK OF SHAME bypasses standard 3-minute pop rules to create cinematic, immersive musical journeys. This is art-rock with stakes.
Experience the genre-bending, post-punk soundscapes of Peter Boyd-Maclean and Gary Bridgewood. Listen to the debut single Compatibility, the gritty post-punk follows Damned and Killing Pickle, and our nearly seven-minute epic Hope and Glory on your preferred streaming platform.
Listen on Spotify — Search for "Book of Shame"
Listen on Apple Music — Find our artist page under "Book of Shame"
Watch on YouTube — Dive into the psycho-mesmerising animations directed by Peter Boyd-Maclean