Schande originally started way back in 2002 as the solo project of principle songwriter Jen. Schande have evolved through a number of line-ups, including in their words, “mostly three-lettered named band members”, with Jen currently joined by Cat and Gio. The band’s latest offering, Pedigree, came out recently on Everything Sucks, and today we’re premiering the video to the EP’s second track, Community Theatre.

Much of Pedgiree was penned during a period where Jen was struggling with mental health issues, panic attacks and debilitating anxiety, themes Schande tackle across the record, including on Community Theatre. In Jen’s own words, Community Theatre “intersects with the processes of doing the work, seeking help, and building the strength to vag up and tell your anxiety to fuck itself. And that you are worth every ounce of energy that goes in to doing so. And yes, we said vag up.”

Musically, Community Theatre is Schande at the most vital and bruising, grungy guitar-riffing scuzz their way atop hefty drum hits, as Jen’s multi-tracked, and perfectly distorted vocals flitter atop the noise. While there’s a distinctly Seattle in the early-90s feel to Schande’s sound there’s more than enough freshness here too, like the favourite band of our youth getting back together only without all the conflicting egos making it rubbish. The track is accompanied by an excellent video, which Jen discussed below.

“We really wanted to make a video for Community Theatre yet with all of the traveling I was doing in the first part of the year, spare time was a luxury we did not have. So, the idea struck me to ask my friend Nopse if he’d be interested in making a video for us. Based in Montpellier, he is a brilliant artist and musician (he makes music as Nopse) and without hesitation I trusted him with whatever he thought would be a good idea for the song. It’s a rare thing to be able to trust someone else’s interpretation and vision for something you’ve created, but I trust Nopse completely. He and I create music together in a project called This Is Thunder, which we started almost 10 years ago, so he and I know each other both personally and creatively. He knows where I’m coming from, he knows where the band is coming from, and, in short, he just “gets it” and we’re grateful.

So, for the video, he brought on Maël Ganieux as director, and comedian Océan Husson as the actress. It was shot at La Grande-Motte, in France, in February 2019.

Video credits: Lafine production 2019 Produced by Nopse Directed by Maël Ganieux Starring: Océan Husson

We are so completely grateful for the video they created for us and how they interpreted and captured the song….we don’t want to say too much about it as we aren’t particular fans of art that explains itself, but in terms of capturing the tensions between what harms and what heals…they nailed it. we also want to move to the south of France now and live on the beach….”

Pedigree is out now via Everything Sucks Music. Click HERE for more information on Schande.

This Saturday, you can see Schande supporting Savage Mansion at the monthly gig night we co-promote with Scared To Dance at The Victoria in Dalston. Click HERE for details.