Sharko is a Belgian indie

pop-rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

band formed by David Bartholomé (bass guitar, guitars, vocals) in 1997. Sharko released its first album, ''Feuded'' in 1999, on the indie Belgian label BANG! The album has also been released in France and the Netherlands and received a very positive press coverage. Helped on stage by guitar player Teuk Henri, Sharko toured those three countries in 2000 and gained a reputation as a live act. On this tour, they opened for acts like

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, Venus,

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, or

Paul Weller John William Weller (born 25 May 1958), better known as Paul Weller, is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame in the late 1970s as the guitarist and principal singer and songwriter of the rock band the Jam, alongside ...

. The second album, ''Meeuws 2'', was released in February 2001 in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Produced by Mike Mogis (from the American band Bright Eyes), ''Meeuws 2'' includes "I Went Down" which became an underground hit in

, the

and

. David and Teuk were then joined by drummer Julien Paschal. In 2003, the album was released in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

where it got good reviews in papers such as

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

, The Face and

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

. The band toured

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in the summer while recording their third album ("TimeOut" even declared their London gig "concert of the week"). Released in September 2003 in

, ''Sharko III'' was later released in

, the

, and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. In February 2004, Sharko played with fellow bands

Ghinzu Ghinzu is a Belgian alternative rock band founded in 1999 in Brussels. Lineup *John Israel (also known as John Stargasm) (voice, keyboards), full name John-David Simon Israel *Mika "Nagazaki" Hasson (bass), full name Michael Salvatore Hasson ...

and

Girls in Hawaii Girls in Hawaii is a Belgian indie pop band. Girls in Hawaii's first release was ''Found in the Ground: The Winter EP'' in early 2003, after which the band toured Belgium and France. In the meantime they started recording what would become their ...

a sold out

Ancienne Belgique The (''AB'') is a concert hall for contemporary music in Brussels, Belgium. Located in the historic heart of Brussels, it is one of the leading concert venues in Belgium, hosting a wide variety of international and local acts. Some 300,000 pe ...

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

. The album received great reviews, especially in France where Sharko became an acclaimed indie act as the single ''Spotlite'' enter the playlist of French mainstream radio

France Inter France Inter () is a French public radio channel and part of Radio France. It is the successor to Paris Inter, later known as France I, and created as a merger of the France I and France II networks, first as RTF Inter in October 1963, then ren ...

. The year 2005 was a dark year for David Bartholomé who almost decided to end Sharko. Instead of this, the trio entered in contact with producer

Dimitri Tikovoï Dimitri Tikovoï is a French, Grammy-nominated record producer and DJ who has worked with bands including Placebo, Purple Disco Machine, Ghost, The Horrors, Charli XCX, TWICE, Black Honey, Mikky Ekko, Marianne Faithfull, Becky Hill, Blondi ...

(

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The Horrors The Horrors are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea in 2005 by lead vocalist Faris Badwan, guitarist Joshua Hayward, keyboardist and synthesizer player Tom Furse, bassist Rhys Webb, and drummer and percussionist Joe Spurg ...

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) to start the recordings of their fourth album. ''Molecule'' was released in October 2006 in Belgium and the Netherlands and received great reviews. The sound of the album differs from its predecessors, having more density and depth. ''Molecule'' ended the year reaching number 1 on the iTunes French download indie chart. In January 2007, Sharko sold out the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels. ''Molecule'' was later released in France, Switzerland and Australia. In 2008, Sharko toured in Canada and in New York City, they played in clubs such as

Arlene's Grocery Arlene's Grocery is a bar and music venue located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It is located at 95 Stanton Street between Orchard St and Ludlow St. The venue was opened by Shane Doyle and two partners in 1995. Shane Doyle was also owner ...

or Piano's. During the summer, Julien Paschal quit the band and was replaced by Charles De Croix. In 2009, they released fifth album ''"Dance on the Beast"'' which tried to surf on a more dance-oriented wave. The album was not so well received, either by the press nor the audience. "Dance on the Beast" surprised many fans by its "dance" sound and didn't instantly find the irony which suited the previous albums. In July 2010, a compilation ''"BeAst of Sharko''" was released on digital platforms. Sharko then went on tour with new drummer Laurens Smagghe. In 2016, after a 6-year hiatus, Sharko, with the help of new drummer Olivier De Cox, comes back with the album "You Don't Have To Worry" which includes the singles "You Don't Have To Worry", "Shalaine" and "Galileo". Being unsatisfied with the global reception of the album he considered being his best to date, frustrated not to get enough airplays on the radio, David Bartholomé then throws himself into a lengthy "hometour", doing concerts at people's home playing adapted acoustic versions of Sharko songs. Before the enthusiastic reactions and at the peak of that tour, Sharko (now mainly David Bartholomé) releases the album "Hometour Acoustic Woaw" in 2017, promoting it only through real home tours. The album contains a lighter "reggae" version of "When I Was Your Age" (an ode to Justin Bieber) which finally gains airplays in Belgium. The hometour resumes in 2018.

Discography

*''Feuded'' (1999) *''Meeuws 2'' (2001-2003 UK) *''Sharko III'' (2004) *''Molecule'' (2007) *''Dance On The Beast'' (2009) *''Beast of Sharko'' (2010) *''You Don't Have To Worry'' (2016) *''Hometour Acoustic Woaw'' (2017)

References

*http://www.sharko.be

External links

Sharko official siteSharko myspace page
{{Authority control Belgian rock music groups Musical groups established in 1997 English-language musical groups from Belgium