Scottish indie band Shambolics score chart success with debut album 'Dreams, Schemes & Young Teams'

Scottish indie rockers Shambolics are celebrating the success of their debut album, 'Dreams, Schemes & Young Teams', which hit number 3 in the Scottish charts today, Friday, February 23.

The Fife/ Glasgow band filmed a Trainspotting-style promo video for the album in Edinburgh, where lead singer Lewis McDonald currently works at the Guitar Guitar music shop in Corstorphine.

After a busy week promoting their debut release on English independent label Scruff of the Neck Records, the band were delighted to make the top 5 albums in Scotland and number 4 in the UK iTunes chart, as well as number 16 in the UK physical sales chart. It also ended up at number seven in both the UK vinyl and indie charts.

The band have received celebrity backing from the man who discovered Oasis, Alan McGee, as well as fellow Fifer Ian Rankin, Still Game star Ford Keirnan, Trainspotting actor Robert Carlyle, and just last week Libertines singer Pete Docherty recorded a video message urging fans to buy Shambolics' debut album.

Shambolics guitarist and backing singer Darren Forbes told the Evening News how he feels about Dreams, Schemes & Young Teams and its success.

He said: "I'm happy, but we never made this album to focus on chart positions, it was to enjoy making music and for people to enjoy our music. We live for these enjoyable moments.

"It was great to make the album. It's been a long bumpy road, but to finally get it out was amazing. We recorded with Chris Marshall, who works with Gerry Cinnamon, he made it a lot easier. We learned a lot of lessons about being under pressure and just writing to enjoy it.

"We started panic writing a few months before going into the studio, but the recording process only took about two weeks. I'm already focusing on the next album as I'm one of those people that can't sit still. But we hope this album lives forever, or at least a year while we write the second one!

"I think this debut is a good reflection of the band, the songs talk about everything we have seen growing up skint in Kirkcaldy. It reflects the last 10 years of our lives, so I'm happy it reflects our real lives."

The band's name came back to haunt them this week when they had to reschedule two intimate Scottish gigs in Edinburgh and Glasgow to promote the album, after singer Lewis McDonald was hit with a chest infection.

This was the first time 'The Shams' have cancelled a gig, at possibly the worst time due to the album release, after playing a raucous album launch show in Dunfermline as well as acoustic record store gigs in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee last weekend.

'Forbes' added: "It might be the first time, but it had to be done, Lewis was really ill, he couldn't talk let alone sing, and it lives up to our name. But we have had lots of ups and downs since we started the band, it's just the way things go for us, it's never boring, you've just got to roll with it.

"We have learned a lot of lessons this past year. Luck has not exactly been on our side at times but we have learned a lot. It makes us stronger.

"Now we are just looking forward to touring the album, playing as many gigs all over the place as we can. The Scottish gigs sold out in a day so we're just trying to sell out the English dates now.

"We are also looking at festival dates later in the year but the main focus is currently the UK tour, but as always, we just take it one step at a time."

Dreams, Schemes and Young Teams by Shambolics, released by Scruff of the Neck Records, is available to buy online.

It includes the infectious title track, as well as singles including 'Attention' - co-written with The View frontman Kyle Falconer who provides backing vocals, the playful and contagious 'Universal Credit', political track 'Losing Your Mind' and the pulsating singalong anthem 'Never Be Mine'.