Glass Shark: 2006-2009
It all began back in 2003, seeing The Rapture play live, an event which eventually led to me sitting in the New York offices of DFA records in December 2005. These things can happen when you reach out to people. By the time I got home to England the following February, my Mac was crammed-full of beat-driven punky electronica and yet, I had no real aspirations for Glass Shark to be much more than that. Still, I wondered what it would be like.
Glass Shark album sample by Tam Johnstone
I played the demos to some friends of mine and suddenly, Glass Shark were a three-piece band. It sounded good. Really f*cking good. By the summer, we'd become a tight gigging machine, playing to an adoring and ever-growing fanbase. Looking back, it's scary how quickly it all happened. I'd had my own band before. I knew how hard it could be, not just getting where you wanted to be but being on the same page as the people who wanted to go there with you. We made an album, we got on T.V, we were offered a record deal and then...the magic went away. It often does when a band's music becomes it's business.
It's always fun at the start of something new (see Song Explosion) but, it's natural for human beings to want more and maybe that's when cracks can begin to appear. I have many regrets with Glass Shark but, in spite of that, I'm extreemly proud of what we accomplished as a unit. Making a room full of happy, sweaty people dance as if nothing else matters is a truly beautiful thing. As Jimmy said, "we came, we rocked, we f*cked off."
Glass Shark From the E.P, 'Model' available on Download only