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

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, 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's film '' Zombi 2'', 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) 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! ''Zebra! Zebra!'' is the debut album from Vancouver dance-punk band Fake Shark - Real Zombie! released in Japan on April 25, 2007. Originally meant as an EP, they decided to add a few more songs to make it a full album. The album was released ...

'' on April 25, 2007. While life-sized cut-outs of the band's members at HMV stores in Japan may indicate a popularity outside the arena of punk, the band still adheres to the

punk lifestyle The punk subculture includes a diverse and widely known array of ideologies, fashion, and other forms of expression, visual art, dance, literature, and film. Largely characterised by anti-establishment views, the promotion of individual freedom ...

. It has been said that bouncers have had to "manually take down microphones and disassemble gear for the band to stop playing." Henry Rollins 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 ciga ...

''. Fake Shark have toured with artists such as

Mindless Self Indulgence Mindless Self Indulgence (often referred to as MSI) is an American electropunk band formed in New York City in 1997. Their music has a mixed style which includes punk rock, alternative rock, electronica, techno, industrial, hip hop, and breakb ...

, Klaxons,

, Brokencyde, The Birthday Massacre, Marianas Trench (band), Jeffree Star 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). T ...

. 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 release of ''

'' 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 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 ...

(known for his work with

Skinny Puppy Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial music group formed in Vancouver in 1982. The group is among the founders of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. Initially envisioned as an experimental side-project by cEvin Key (Kevin Crompton ...

, Jakalope,

Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...

and

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...

) to record their second album. The result was '' Meeting People Is Terrible'', a sophomore attempt that seems just as eclectic as their first but with even more genres covered and mashed such as

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

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

Steve Bays Steve Bays is a Canadian musician, audio engineer, and producer. He is a member of Canadian bands Hot Hot Heat, Fur Trade, and Mounties. Bays was also the frontman and one of the founding members of Hot Hot Heat. Career Bays has worked with a n ...

, Greig Nori,

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,

Japanese Voyeurs Japanese Voyeurs was a British band from London, England, formed in 2007 consisting of Romily Alice, Johnny Seymour, Tom Lamb, Rikki Waldron and Steve Wilson. The band's first release was ''Sicking and Creaming'', a 2009 EP. In 2010, they re ...

, and The Birthday Massacre. 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 project. He has also played for Methods o ...

) for the Soska Twins' 2014 horror film '' See No Evil 2'', "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!'' and ...

and Big Show, 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 ''Storybound'' is a podcast created, produced, and hosted by Jude Brewer, with original music composed for each episode. The show is a collaboration between ''Lit Hub'' and The Podglomerate podcast network, featuring household names and Pulitze ...

''.

Discography

;Albums * ''

'' (2007) * '' Meeting People Is Terrible'' (2009) * ''

Liar A lie is an assertion that is believed to be false, typically used with the purpose of deception, deceiving or Deception, misleading someone. The practice of communicating lies is called lying. A person who communicates a lie may be termed a l ...

'' (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