The Shambolics were a notoriously chaotic four-piece garage punk band from Wellington, New Zealand, active primarily in 2003–2004. They specialised in raw, dirty blues-infused rock’n’roll that blended high-energy punk aggression with sleazy, noisy swagger.

Formed by Dead Boy Shambles (guitar) and Stumbly Shambolic (drums and lead vocals), the band later expanded with Sleepy Sam Shambles on bass and Evil Stan Shambles on saxophone. Their sound and attitude were heavily inspired by excess drugs, GG Allin-style provocation, and a general disregard for musical or social niceties. The Shambolics terrorised Wellington audiences with unpredictable, high-volume assaults that captured the spirit of Japanese noise rock and classic punk chaos.

One legendary performance on 12 July 2003 at the Cross Bar was recorded and released as the live album Drunk and Mean at the Cross Bar on the local art-noise label Postmoderncore (around 2004-2005). The recording is a document of their unhinged energy, often compared to the excesses of bands like High Rise.

After Dead Boy Shambles departed overseas in 2004, the band’s activities wound down. In 2006, Postmoderncore released a posthumous EP of their “studio” recordings titled First: I Kill You, Then: I Steal Your Power, featuring tracks such as “Petrol,” “Stoopid Bitches,” and “Bad.” The EP was recorded in September 2004 at Rick’s in Brooklyn, Wellington.

Origin	Wellington
Genre	punk rock, blues rock, rock’n’roll, noise rock
Years Active	2003 -2004
Labels	Postmoderncore
Associated Acts	Carnys
Past Members	Dead Boy Shambles (guitar) Stumbly Shambles (drums, vocals) Sam Shambles (bass) Evil Stan Shambles (saxophone)

Releases

Title	Date	Label	Type	Format
Drunk and Mean at the Cross Bar	2003	Postmoderncore pmc043	live album	CDr
Trashed!	2004	Monsterr	compilation	CD
Retrospective 1999 – 2004	2005	Postmoderncore	compilation	CDr
First I Kill You, Then I Steal Your Power	2006	Postmoderncore	EP	CDr