If MBV and Drugstore had a baby it would be called Sharkboy. Formed in Brighton in the early 90s, they released their albums on Nude Records, which was notable at the time for having brought Suede into people’s ears. Their debut, Matinee, was played so much in my car and on my personal stereo I had to buy a replacement cassette because the first one wore out and snapped. I only have the sleeve these days, so it was an absolute joy to discover that someone has been uploading obscure 90’s bands to YouTube.
And Sharkboy is one of them.
I say obscure, but many of the original Sharkboy went on to play in some well-known – some might even say famous – bands such as James, Placebo and Salsa Celtica; lead singer, and chief creative in the band, Avy, continues to release music under the Sharkboy moniker, mostly soundtracks to her award-winning short films. It was Avy’s vocals and laidback playing style that were the mainstay of the band’s sound: her guitar playing gave it that stoned shoegaze sound, but with a sharpness that lifted it above many of the other mid-nineties indie blandness that precipitated the BritPop era.
The thing that drew me to their music was the use of different instruments to those being used elsewhere in the guitar-based indie scene: trumpet, cello, and percussion. There is a Country-feel to some tracks, thanks to the liberal use of slide guitar, but the music is firmly rooted in indie. It’s hazy, blurry with multi-layered instrumentation, such as the opening to My Star, or the chorus on Crystaline. To my ears, they sounded anything but British.
Given the multi-layered atmospheric music of Sharkboy, it’s really no surprise that Avy crosses a multitude of artistic disciplines, from illustration to filmmaking, from music to fine art. Her willingness to experiment put Sharkboy’s music ahead of its time, so in 2023 that debut sounds as fresh now as it did then. It’s subtle, the way the songs on Matinee get absorbed, yet the osmotic quality they have means each song embeds inself into your consciousness; in early interviews, Avy gave off a ‘salty’ personality, so perhaps that is where this ability comes from? Regardless, it’s not as if you’ll be afraid of a repeat listen, so just let it happen.
And there is definitely a dark underbelly to Sharkboy’s songs, such as the verse on Forest Fire, or the entire three minutes of Sugar. However, like seedy parts of any city in the world, it enriches you the more time you spend with it. And you’ll definitely want to share the experience with your friends.
So, listen to the YouTube playlist and send the link on your mates. As with every Unspun Hero, they’ll thank you for it.
Thank you for bringing this 90s pearl to the attention of more people. “Matinee” is one of my favourite records from that era. I wrote about it in the beginnings of my musical blog.
https://blogdoputo.blogspot.com/2005/02/sharkboy-matinee-singles-1994.html
Thank you for your comment and the link to your site. Brilliantly written (thank you translation website!). I’ll check out your other posts, too.
Matinee is one of my favourite albums from the past, so it’s always glad to find other fans!
Thank you for your kind answer. I’ll also check the other records highlighted at your site. I arrived here thanks to a post on Sharkboy’s Facebook page. I am preparing my end-of-the-year lists and they will soon be published on the blog (my codename is Puto and my friend’s – the other collaborator – is Tipo). Cheers and have a great 2024!
Thanks so much for this post. I love the Sharkboy song “Razor” it’s the hidden gem of a song I share with my favourite people.
Always thought Sharkboy needed more recognition and sadly their albums are hard to come by these days.
They had a dreamy, elegant style that got overshadowed by the laddish Britpop culture of the later 1990s.