Sharks – review

This might be their first UK headline tour, but Sharks have already evolved into a sleek live unit after two long stints on the road in the US. Those Stateside slogs have clearly toughened and tightened up the original trio from Leamington Spa, albeit at a certain abrasive cost. This is a band that goes through bassists like F1 drivers do brake pads (they're currently on their fourth). What Sharks retain is energy, paired with a canny sense of economy. When they open with 'Til the Wonders Rise – also the first track of their just-released debut album No Gods – it's a buzzy, brash mission statement, with a chorus whoosh worthy of Green Day . But instead of milking the melody, it's battered out in a three-minute burst, the quicker to get to current single Arcane Effigies , a song far more upbeat than that title suggests. The key terrace-chant line of "Hey Rudy, Rudy" may sound more like Kaiser Chiefs than the Clash, but it's the sort of earworm that can rocket a band into the mainstream. Sharks aren't quite there yet, judging by the relatively quiet turnout in Glasgow, but wiry singer/guitarist James Mattock gives it some welly anyway, head craning back to blast every line. Their pogo-punk may often look to the US, but Mattock's accent and lyrical vignettes remain defiantly British. There's not a whiff of Route 66 around On a Clear Day You Can See Yourself, a small-town tale of ambition and promise drip-dripping away. Even better is Sweet Harness, with a crunchy ascending chord progression that echoes pre-electronica Radiohead. Along with Camden's Tribes – who they'll be supporting on tour next month – Sharks have been pegged as great white guitar hopes for 2012. This short, sharp, hook-filled set confirms they've earned the title, even if they could do with a little more bite.