Fake Shark (formerly known as Fake Shark – Real Zombie!) is a Canadian

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

indie-pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...

band from

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, British Columbia. Formed in 2005, their early musical style mainly combined elements of

dance punk Dance-punk (also known as disco-punk, punk-funk or techno-punk) is a post-punk subgenre that emerged in the late 1970s, and is closely associated with the disco, post-disco and new wave movements.Rip It Up and Start Again: Post Punk 1978-19 ...

and IDM but have since shifted to a more commercial pop sound. The name is a reference to

Lucio Fulci Lucio Fulci (; 17 June 1927 – 13 March 1996) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. Although he worked in a wide array of genres through a career spanning nearly five decades, including comedies and Spaghetti Westerns, he ga ...

's film ''

Zombi 2 ''Zombi 2'' is a 1979 Italian zombie film directed by Lucio Fulci. It was adapted from an original screenplay by Dardano Sacchetti to serve as a sequel to George A. Romero's '' Dawn of the Dead'' (1978), which was released in Italy with the ...

'', where a real shark and a zombie engage in combat.

History

Fake Shark was conceived by Kevin "Kevvy Mental" Maher and Louis Wu in October 2005 as a way of combining the styles of the bands they liked in hopes to one day open for them. They met in high school and formed Fake Shark shortly after graduation. To complete the band, they recruited (via

Craigslist Craigslist (stylized as craigslist) is an American classified advertisements website with sections devoted to jobs, housing, for sale, items wanted, services, community service, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums. Craig Newmark began the ...

) bassist Dan Hughes and The Heck's former drummer, Malcolm Holt. In 2007, Hughes left the band and was replaced by The Heck's and

Hot Hot Heat Hot Hot Heat is a Canadian indie rock band from Victoria, British Columbia, formed in 1999. The band was signed by Seattle label Sub Pop in 2001 and released its first EP, ''Knock Knock Knock'', and first full-length album, '' Make Up the Break ...

's former bassist, Parker Bossley. The onslaught of MySpace buzz garnered the interest of Vinyl Junkie Records in Japan who released the band's debut album '' Zebra! Zebra!'' on April 25, 2007. While life-sized cut-outs of the band's members at

HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...

stores in Japan may indicate a popularity outside the arena of

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

, the band still adheres to the punk lifestyle. It has been said that bouncers have had to "manually take down microphones and disassemble gear for the band to stop playing."

Henry Rollins Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1980, Roll ...

has stated that they are one of his favorite new bands and has played them several times on his radio show, ''

Harmony in My Head "Harmony in My Head" is a song by Buzzcocks. It was released as a single in 1979, reaching number 32 in the UK Singles Chart. It was written and sung by Steve Diggle. In a 2006 interview with Pitchfork Media, Diggle revealed he had smoked 20 ci ...

''. Fake Shark have toured with artists such as Mindless Self Indulgence,

Klaxons Klaxons were an English rock band, based in London. Following the release of several 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles " Magick" and "Golden Skans", the band released their debut ...

Brokencyde Brokencyde (stylized as brokeNCYDE) is an American hip hop group from Albuquerque, New Mexico, founded in 2006. The group's lineup consists of David "Se7en" Gallegos and Michael "Mikl" Shea, and musically are one of the founding groups in the ...

The Birthday Massacre The Birthday Massacre (abbreviated TBM) is a Canadian rock band , formed in 1999 in London, Ontario, and currently based in Toronto, Ontario. The current lineup consists of lead vocalist Sara 'Chibi' Taylor, rhythm guitarist Michael Rainbow, le ...

Marianas Trench (band) Marianas Trench are a Canadian pop rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia, formed in 1999 by Josh Ramsay (lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, pianist) and lead guitarist Steve Marshall with Ramsay's sister Sara on keyboards and vocals, Erik Scott ...

Jeffree Star Jeffree Star (born Jeffrey Lynn Steininger Jr., November 15, 1985) is an American YouTuber, makeup artist, and former singer-songwriter. He is the founder and owner of Jeffree Star Cosmetics. In 2009, Star released a studio album, '' Beauty Ki ...

and

Test Icicles Test Icicles were a short-lived rock band that formed in England, primarily influenced by post-hardcore, dance-punk and indie rock but containing musical elements from a variety of genres (notably dance, hip hop, crossover thrash, and punk). ...

. They have also completed three tours of the United Kingdom and performed four sold out dates in Japan. 2008 saw Fake Shark with a

North American North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Ca ...

release of '' Zebra! Zebra!'' on March 11, 2008 and the release their new EP ''Style of Substance'' followed by additional tours of North America and the UK and festival appearances in Japan. During summer 2008, the band went into the studio with music producer Dave "Rave" Ogilvie (known for his work with Skinny Puppy,

Jakalope Jakalope is a Canadian Indie pop/ rock group, formed in 2003 and named for the mythical creature of the jackalope, and started by noted Canadian industrial musician and producer Dave "Rave" Ogilvie, most famous for his studio work with such act ...

, Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails) to record their second album. The result was ''

Meeting People Is Terrible ''Meeting People Is Terrible'' is the second album by Vancouver dance-punk band Fake Shark - Real Zombie!. Originally, it was set to be released April 25, 2009 in Canada but had been pushed back by the label to August 26, 2009 in Japan and inter ...

'', a sophomore attempt that seems just as eclectic as their first but with even more genres covered and mashed such as funk and

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

. The band had leaked two tracks ("Jewellery" and " Angel Lust") from the album and a bonus single, a cover of Portishead's "

Sour Times "Sour Times" is a song by English trip hop group Portishead, from their debut album, '' Dummy'' (1994). It was written by all three members of the band and released as a single by Go! Beat Records in August 1994, accompanied by three bonus tra ...

", on their MySpace page. They released the album, August 26, 2009 in Japan and May 31, 2010 worldwide. In 2009, Kevvy Mental scored the short film starring Canadian singer

Sarah Slean Sarah Hope Slean (born June 21, 1977) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, composer and musician. She has released eleven albums to date (including EPs and live albums). She is also a poet, visual artist, and occasional actress. Career Major recordi ...

entitled ''Last Flowers'' directed by

CJ Wallis CJ Wallis is a Canadian director from Vancouver, British Columbia, notable for releasing the films: Perfect Bid: The Contestant Who Knew Too Much. 1990s *Based on some writing samples, Wallis received an interview in New York City for ''Late N ...

. The film was nominated for a pair of

Leo Awards The Leo Awards are the awards program for the British Columbia film and television industry. Held each May or June in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the Leo Awards were founded by the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Foundation of British C ...

. Fake Shark Real Zombie's 2013 album is called ''Liar''. Producers and collaborators include Steve Bays,

Greig Nori Greig Andrew Nori (born November 21, 1962) is a producer and musician from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and is well known as the frontman, co-lead vocalist and guitarist of the pop punk band Treble Charger. In the late 1990s, he began working as a ...

Dave Ogilvie Dave "Rave" Ogilvie is a Canadian record producer, mixer, songwriter and musician. The former member of bands Skinny Puppy and Jakalope started his recording career in Vancouver working as an engineer at Mushroom Studios. He has been described by ...

Jimmy Urine James Euringer (born September 7, 1969), known professionally as Jimmy Urine, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead singer and programmer of electropunk band Mindless Self Indulgence. Early life James Eurin ...

, members of

Die Mannequin Die Mannequin is a Canadian alternative rock band from Toronto, founded by guitar player and singer Care Failure (born Caroline Kawa) in 2005. The band has toured across Canada several times, opening for Buckcherry, Guns N' Roses, Marilyn Ma ...

, Japanese Voyeurs, and

. In 2015, the band released three new singles, "Can't See You" (featuring

Renholder Daniel Patrick “Danny” Lohner, frequently known as Renholdër, is an American musician. He worked with Trent Reznor on numerous occasions, both with Nine Inch Nails and on the now defunct Tapeworm (band), Tapeworm project. He has also played ...

) for the Soska Twins' 2014 horror film ''

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'', "Zodiac" for ''

Vendetta Vendetta may refer to: * Feud or vendetta, a long-running argument or fight Film * ''Vendetta'' (1919 film), a film featuring Harry Liedtke * ''Vendetta'' (1950 film), an American drama produced by Howard Hughes * ''Vendetta'' (1986 film), a ...

'' starring

Dean Cain Dean George Cain ( Tanaka; born July 31, 1966) is an American actor. From 1993 to 1997, he played Clark Kent / Superman in the TV series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman''. Cain was the host of '' Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' a ...

and

Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...

, and "Cheap Thrills", the first single under the band's rebranded name "Fake Shark". On 13 May. 2016, Fake Shark released the second single, "Something Special" off their upcoming album. On March 20. 2017, the band announced their new album '' Faux Real'' and released the album's 3rd single, "Heart 2 Heart". ''Faux Real'' was released 26 May. 2017 via Light Organ Records. In 2021, the band was reported to be appearing on the podcast '' Storybound''.

Discography

;Albums * '' Zebra! Zebra!'' (2007) * ''

'' (2009) * '' Liar'' (2013) * ''Faux Real'' (2017) * ''Walking Through A Fantasy'' (2018) * ‘’Time For The Future’’ (2021) ;Compilations * ''Quadruple Dare: Vancouver Mutilation'' * ''Don't Forget''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fake Shark Dance-punk musical groups Musical groups established in 2005 Musical groups from Vancouver Canadian post-hardcore musical groups 2005 establishments in British Columbia