Glass Shark @ Tommy Flynn's

“Think of this MP3 as a first glimpse of a glass dorsal fin approaching in the water, then holler Brody like “We’re gonna need a bigger boat!”.”

It was late 2006 when Glass Shark first featured on this blog causing me to exhaust all my nautical fish related puns in one over excited froth of enthusiasm. “Clap your hands, say hit“, “will exercise your grin like an idiot muscles as well as those required to shake your ass“.

You could say I was impressed, even going so far as to jokingly ponder if this was the new LCD Soundsystem LP sneakily released under a pseudonym.  Dancefloor mayhem and immediate stardom seemed guaranteed but the Shark seemed unwilling to venture outside of their native Cornwall. A regular check of their myspace revealed the Glass Shark 2006/2007 tour consisted of playing a different Cornish venue 365 nights a year, with no room for a even a solitary trip elsewhere.
Now after 2 years of constant gigging and perfecting their live show, Glass Shark are ready! So watch out world the Shark are on the move, venturing into warmer waters, and like that big rubber fish visiting Antiga Bay in Jaws 4: The Revenge they’ll probably eat your helicopter, dancefloor and for good measure Michael Caine.

They say good things are worth waiting for and boy did we wait, with the support acts intent on upping the anticipation levels by playing endless sets. 10.30 came and went, and to my silent despair they declared “we’re going to play a couple more“! With only the Championship Play Off Semifinal on the pub tv to distract me it was 11pm before Tam hurriedly took to the drum kit announcing “Phew I’m exhausted, I feel like I’ve played a gig already“… perhaps they’re ardent Bristol City supporters!?

Word has spread of the mightiness of the Shark, with a gaggle of Shark-ettes on their feet dancing from the second the first drum beat hit, disappointingly none were dressed as Disco robots (pics here). During the wait I’d also found my own fan – of a less welcome kind – in the form of a very drunk middle aged Irish man who rambled incoherently while swaying and covering my face in spittle as I waited for Glass Shark to take to the stage.

Shamefully I only had opener “I Love my Disco Robot” as the 54th finest song of 2006, it should have been much higher, but what a way to start a show! The awesome bass slaps, clattering drums, “on and on and on” chorus, and singer Tam out James Murphying James Murphy as he spat “You, are a terrible dancer, with your arms everywhere…. you look so hottt!!“.  After 2 years waiting to see Glass Shark on stage, cooly clad in all black with pink ties – like The Hives doing a breast cancer awareness gig – I should have been in seventh heaven, but while most saw the track as an instruction to dance, my new found drunken pal chose the moment to lean forward and inform me “you have a lovely smile!!”  I checked if he liked my scowl as much then resorted to intently staring through him at the band.

My recollection of the exact setlist was slightly marred by my new found status as a drunken gay Irish man magnet, especially as he followed up his chat up line with the more direct approach of touching my knees during the second track. Thankfully, and they should put this on their press releases, Glass Shark are so damn good even being touched up by a drunken Irishman wont spoil your evening!!

Oscar Nominations are all well and good, but I’m sure Toni Collette would be far more honoured to discover she now has a song in her name. Not everyone can claim to have inspired a chorus as genius as “Make It Wet, Make It Wet, Like Toni Collette“.  With vocoda vocals, lines about drinking and screwing, and Jimmy Green going crazy on the cowbells, it sounds – as do half a dozen Glass Shark tracks – like a smash hit.

With a small but very happy audience either dancing or playing air cow bell, the Shark stormed through other gems such as “You Got Served Again” and “Take It Off“. The latters refrain of “Do It, Do It, Just Dance, Dont’ Don’t Dance” possibly going down the best of all aired on the evening.

Often bands with a drummer doubling as the lead singer suffer from the lack of a focused front man, but Glass Shark just about pull it off due to the sheer energy of Tam Johnstone on drums and vocals.

The only down side of the evening was the shortness of the set, due probably to the extended support acts. “Have we got time for one more” pleaded Tam to a bar manager who was having none of it. No room for the brilliant “Clap Your Hands” or any of the rumoured random cover versions of The Police or Pink Floyd talked about in other reviews.

Fortunately Tommy Flynn’s recognise a good thing when they see it and have invited Glass Shark to bring their “Disco” night back for a residency. As they posted on their facebook “We have returned triumphant from Camden“, Glass Shark are set for many more triumphs across the country. Visit their myspace, add them on facebook, download and buy the tracks, but most of all GO SEE THEM LIVE!

Glass Shark
Glassshark.com / Myspace / Facebook

Listen:
Glass Shark – “I Love My Disco Robot (edit)” (MP3)
Glass Shark – “Toni Collette (Shark Attack mix)” (MP3)
David Bowie – “Rebel Rebel (Shark Attack mix)” (MP3)
Visit the Glass Shark downloads page for a free download of the entire first EP!
Shark Attack downloads for more Shark Attack remixes, demo versions…
Glass Shark DISCO mixes for free here and even more on the DISCO myspace

Buy:
Puregroove still have copies of the Glass Sharp “First EP”

Watch:
Glass Shark – “I Love My Disco Robot”

Look:
Glass Shark @ Tommy Flynns (Flickr set)

The obscenly talented Tam also has another band “The General Store” generating feverish press with a sound that couldnt be further removed from the guitar disco of Glass Shark.  “Very highly recommended” by Rolling Stone Magazine, “The Best West Coast Pop Record in decades” said Popmatters while Tam describes the sound as being inspired by Neil Young, The Byrds and The Beatles.

The General Store – Myspace
Buy The General Store LP