SHARKO
Indie rock-pop from Belgium with great songs.
Stadium chants (… Read Full Bio ↴SHARKO
Indie rock-pop from Belgium with great songs.
Stadium chants ("Excellent", "Spotlite"), phony storytelling ("Rip off a phone call"), epic hit-single ("I went down"), one clean uppercut ("Motels"), witty funny titles ("Bootleg of AC/DC"), moody retro stuff ("Love is a bug"), cartoonish tunes ("Clash P"), intense songwriting ("President"), power emo rock ("Sweet protection"), tear-jerking melodies ("I need someone") and many more.

"Meeuws2 isn't the life and soul of the party, but the guy sitting in the corner with a wry smile and a nice line in dry put-downs. Amiable Belgian's UK debut." 7/10 NME April 2003

David Bartholomé: vocals, bass, guitars, keyboards?Teuk Henri: guitars?Julien Paschal: drums??1999: "FEUDED" - the first album is released in Belgium. ?A "one-man-band" then, Bartholomé plays almost all instruments and gets help from engineer Rudy Coclet to produce most of his songs. "Such a bone" which is included, gets noticed much due to its weird sexy lyrics.?The album is also released in Netherlands and France to positive reviews all over.??2000: Single "Wake up" released in January. With the help of guitar player Teuk Henri, Sharko tours as much as they possibly can. Supporting Paul Weller and Muse in France, Netherlands and Belgium, the two men develop a growing live reputation based on bizarre humorous performances by Bartholomé shrouded with wild guitar sounds by Teuk.??2001: "MEEUWS2" - the second album released in march in Belgium, France and Netherlands. Produced by U.S. producer Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes - whose reputation grows in the U.S.), "MEEUWS2" gets wild reviews. Built around Teuk's guitar playing and intense songwriting by Bartholomé, it includes crowd favorites such as "Bootleg of AC/DC", "Clash P" and "Queen is coming".?Video "I went down" gets airplays on MCM, MTV and other local music stations.?Single "Minute" is released in France and catches airplays.
Feeling it's time to get stronger on stage, Julien Paschal joins on drums.?A tour of more than 75 concerts is scheduled.?
2003: "MEEUWS2" released in Switzerland, Italy, Greece and Canada. ?In the springtime, "MEEUWS2" also gets a release in the U.K. and receives more than warm reviews from the press (The “NME” rates it to a fine 7/10, “The Independent” raises up to an 8/10). ?Sharko then tours in july with English band Black Nielson thoughout England and Scotland. The tour ends at the Metro club in London (regarded as "concert-of-the-week" for “Time Out” magazine). During that tour, UK magazine “The Face” notices "that crazy promising belgian band" and writes an article.?"Meeuws2 isn't the life and soul of the party, but the guy sitting in the corner with a wry smile and a nice line in dry put-downs. Amiable Belgian's UK debut." ?NME April 2003??2004: "III", Sharko's third album is out in Benelux and France. ?This new album reveals a much more mature songwriting.?Mixed by Ben Findlay (Peter Gabriel), it includes epic songwriting ("President"), phony storytelling ("Rip off a phone call"), funny songs “à la Prince-Beck” (“Luv Mix”), intense alienation (“Bath”), lynchian colours (“Car Was”) and crowd sing-alongs such as “Excellent”.
Lucent single "Spotlite" is released and gets heavy radio airplays in France.?A massive tour is scheduled.

2006: After a one-year hiatus, Sharko returns. Having dealt with a severe breakdown, Bartholomé comes back reluctantly with uncertain feelings.
Sensing an urgency to reach a new (if not higher) level, Sharko contacts and convinces London-based producer Dimitri Tikovoi (Placebo, Goldfrapp, The Horrors) to take control. Songs are heavy and dark, expressing issues Bartholomé no longer wants to hide, Tikovoi pushes them even further.
He dares the band to love the idea of vertigo before guiding them towards breath-taking heights.

2007: Brutal, profound, moody, but definitely sincere, fourth album "MOLECULE" is released in Belgium in january.
Single "Motels" is embraced by radios all over their home-country.
Praising the strong production and the straighter songwriting, "MOLECULE" gets wild reviews from convinced critics.
After having sold out the mythical "Ancienne Belgique" in Brussels, they embark on a massive tour to promote the album.
March 2007 sees the release of "MOLECULE" in France and Switzerland.
Soon followed by Australia and New Zealand in may 2007.

President
Sharko Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Pam and Jackie (Patsy) say it is
The young and lonely kid in Belgium is a ghost
It’s alright...
Ex-President of the United States
He forgets it by noon
He tries to forget his only only ex- ex-wife
Then follows it too soon
He tries to forget his only lack of life

Ex-President of the United States
Of America I fear

His only courage is to stand in the middle of, the middle of, the middle of
And meet love yeah...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Sharko's song "President" seem to be a commentary on the people in power who seem to forget their roots and become disconnected from the real life problems faced by the common people. The first lines "Pam and Jackie (Patsy) say it is / The young and lonely kid in Belgium is a ghost / It's alright..." perhaps suggest that even the people who seem to be at the top, like presidents and celebrities, may feel invisible or unknown at times. The next lines talk about an ex-president of the United States who forgets everything by noon. This forgetfulness could imply that the former president is not really in touch with reality or the struggles of those outside of their circle.

The lyrics then move on to the ex-president's attempts to forget their ex-wife and their lack of life. This could be seen as a commentary on how people in power often put their personal lives and desires ahead of the greater good. The final lines "His only courage is to stand in the middle of, the middle of, the middle of / And meet love yeah..." could suggest that the only way for those in power to become in touch with reality and connect with the common people is through love and empathy. It may also imply that true courage lies in standing up for love and compassion in a world that often seems to lack it.

Line by Line Meaning

Pam and Jackie (Patsy) say it is
According to Pam and Jackie, this is the case

The young and lonely kid in Belgium is a ghost
The young and lonely kid in Belgium feels invisible and ignored

It’s alright...
Everything is okay

Ex-President of the United States
Former leader of the United States

He forgets it by noon
He forgets about his problems quickly

He tries to forget his only only ex- ex-wife
He makes an effort to forget about his ex-wife

Then follows it too soon
But he ends up thinking about her again too soon

He tries to forget his only lack of life
He attempts to forget about his lack of excitement in life

Ex-President of the United States
Former leader of the United States

Of America I fear
I am afraid of the United States

His only courage is to stand in the middle of, the middle of, the middle of
He finds courage in the center of things