There’s nothing I enjoy more than discovering another band doing Oi! properly. Simple, honest, sincere and most importantly, Lo- Fi; Shark Skin’s 2010 Demo comprises four tracks of Skinhead glory marching steadily out of your speakers.
Opener “Oi! The Fever” has the chainsaw guitar sound created by the first wave of Street Punk down to perfection, the bass is prominent and ballsy, and the drums provide a simple punching tempo for the vocals to strain and chant over. Lyrically and musically, this track communicates and establishes its conviction that “Oi! is here to stay” with a clarity managed by few. “Warrior” introduces itself with a Blitz- like bass line and culminates in a resilient vitality made audible, acting as an anthem of resistance against any outside oppression against the “Warrior”, who may be seen to represent Skinheads worldwide. “No One”, the third demo track is similar in anthemic quality and promotes the “hard and smart” ethos of the Skinhead subculture, and “You Don’t Know” is a slower, more measured and reflective track rife with working class sensibility and grace.
My only concern with Shark Skin is that they will lose their primitive sound should they encounter more success and have bigger budgets at their disposal. However, even if they were to up the ante on production- it’s near impossible to polish and refine this kind of brutality. Good work, lads.
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