Sharks are an rock n roll, punk band hailing from Leamington Spa in the UK, just outside of Birmingham. In their three years of activity, the band have put out two EP’s and this year, released The Joys Of Living (2008-2010); an album which features tracks from their earlier releases plus two brand new songs for fans already familiar with the band.
For those of you who are big fans of The Clash, James Mattock’s voice (lead singer/guitarist) may be a little too close to the bone in comparison to that of Joe Strummer’s, but let it be known, he does it very, very well. Tracks like The Joys of Living and Trains share the same amount of conviction and passion that you associate with songs by The Clash and make for great listening. For me, the comparison is impossible to ignore, but they do it so well; the collection of songs is very clean cut, there’s no in between filler junk, the album just feels like a very pure insight into what this band is all about… I guess this is what you’d want with an album which is meant to act as a summary into their first three years of existence.
Aside from The Clash, The Gaslight Anthem are another band which are of clear influence to Sharks. It All Relates and Glove In Hand are good of examples of when the band do it particularly well. These tracks have the same “woah-ah-oh” sing-a-long moments and spoken word elements which make for memorable moments on the album. Sharks actually supported The Gaslight Anthem in 2010, as well as previously Gallows (their name apparently comes from Gallows’ track In the Belly of a Shark), Babyshambles, Lost Prophets and Fucked Up.
The other track which is a clear standout for this album, and is one that isn’t as heavily associated with the influences previous mentioned is Sweet Harness, the lead single to come from this album. The catchy as all hell chorus makes this a song that has gone to bed with me many a night and one that I have woken up with, still buzzing about in my head. I think this track is quite different to those on the rest of the album, and could be a sign of where the band may be looking to head in the future.
Speaking of the future, it looks like the band will have some more new material out next year. In an interview with the NME, Sharks told the magazine that they had all but finished the recording of 16 new songs, which had been recorded in the period of September to October of this year. The album has been produced by Brian McTernan who has worked with a large range of artists. In recent times he’s worked with We Are The Ocean, House vs Hurricane and Senses Fail. If this collection of songs is anything to go by, then any news of a new album would be welcomed with open arms.
Check out the video below for their single, Sweet Harness. And if you like what you hear, be sure to grab a copy of the album here.
