Sharko is a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

indie

pop-rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, ear ...

band formed by David Bartholomé (bass guitar, guitars, vocals) in 1997. Sharkoko 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

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

, Venus,

Arno The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. Source and route The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a ...

, or

Paul Weller Paul John Weller (born John William Weller; 25 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame with the punk rock/ new wave/mod revival band the Jam (1972–1982). He had further success with the blue-eyed soul mu ...

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

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, Switzerland, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. 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: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

where it got good reviews in papers such as

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

, 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 publish ...

. The band toured

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

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

, Switzerland, and Japan. 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 through Belgium and France. In the meantime, they started recording what would bec ...

a sold out

Ancienne Belgique Ancienne Belgique (French for "Old Belgium") 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 l ...

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

. 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 major French public radio channel and part of Radio France. It is a " generalist" station, aiming to provide a wide national audience with a full service of news and spoken-word programming, both serious and entertaining, li ...

. 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, Black Honey, Mikky Ekko, Marianne Faithfull, Becky Hill, Blondie and ...

(

Placebo A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. In general, placebos can af ...

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

Goldfrapp Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consists of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser). Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, their ...

) 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 in the Lower East Side district 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 al ...

Piano's Pianos is a two-story bar/restaurant/live music venue in the Lower East Side section of Manhattan at 158 Ludlow Street. Its stage attracts local and national alternative rock groups as well as DJs, though a more typical performance consists of ...

. 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