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[[File:Sharkboy Band Avy.jpg|alt=Sharkboy Band UK Avy|thumb|Sharkboy ]]
{{about|the band|the wrestler|Shark Boy|the movie character|The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2016}}
{{short description|English rock band}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Sharkboy
| image           =
| image_size      =
| landscape       = <!-- yes, if wide image, otherwise leave blank -->
| alt             =
| caption         =
| background      = group_or_band
| alias           =
| origin          = [[Brighton]], England, United Kingdom
| genre           = [[Alternative rock]]
| years_active    = Early 1990s–Present
| label           = [[Nude Records|Nude]]
Sign Of The Sharkboy Studio
| associated_acts =
| website         =
| current_members =
| past_members    = Avy<br />[[Adrian Oxaal]]<br />Alan Stirner<br />Gavin Cheyne<br />Dil Davies<br />Nick Wilson<br />Jessica Fischer
}}
'''Sharkboy''' is an [[alternative rock]] band from [[Brighton]], England, formed and led from the early 1990s by Avy, lead singer, songwriter and guitarist. She first released albums with [[Nude Records]], home of [[Suede (band)|Suede]], and continues to release independently through her creative audio-visual studio. /<ref> https://www.signofthesharkboy.com//</ref>
The current outfit features Avy as solo artist with collaborators including [[Adrian Oxaal]] and Brightons Mark 7, along with guest musicians.
==History==
The band was formed in the early 1990s by the [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]]-born Avy (vocals, guitar), recruiting American-born Oxaal (guitar, cello, keyboards) and multi-instrumentalist Gavin Cheyne on bass.<ref name="Strong">Strong, Martin C. (1999) ''The Great Alternative & Indie Discography'', Canongate, {{ISBN|0-86241-913-1}}, p. 558</ref><ref name="Larkin">Larkin, Colin (2006) ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|978-0195313734}}, p. 386</ref> The band signed to [[Nude Records]] after being championed by [[Brett Anderson]] of [[Suede (band)|Suede]] and released their debut album ''Matinee'' in 1994, which was described by ''[[CMJ New Music Monthly]]'' as "moody aggression with bite", and by [[Allmusic]] writer Ned Raggett as "an enjoyable, moody debut".<ref name="Strong" /><ref name="Taraska">Taraska, Julie (1995) "[https://books.google.com/books?id=GC0EAAAAMBAJ&dq=sharkboy+brighton&pg=PA22-IA8 Sharkboy ''Matinee'']", ''[[CMJ New Music Monthly]]'', March 1995, p. 41, retrieved 2012-05-01</ref><ref name="Raggett" /> Everett True wrote in Melody Maker that Matinee possessed ‘a sensuous collage of sounds which plays havoc with the emotions’.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=True |first=Everett |date=16 April 1994 |title=The Boy Can’t Help It!’ |journal=Melody Maker}}</ref> Original members included Toby Shippey (trumpet), Dil Davies (drums, percussion) Alan Stirner (guitar) and Nick Wilson (keyboards, trumpet, percussion).<ref name="Strong" /> Four singles in 1995 preceded the band's second album, ''The Valentine Tapes'', which included Dickon Hinchcliffe of [[Tindersticks]] on violin.<ref name="Strong" /> The band carried on in various forms, including drummer [[Steve Hewitt]] joining the outfit following the departure of Dil Davies. They released a limited edition 500 vinyl boxed set featuring cover versions of lounge classics and a thrash feedback version of the [[Serge Gainsbourg]] penned "[[Je t'aime... moi non plus]]" which remains a rarity. Following the demobbing of original members after the second album's release, Avy, Adrian Oxaal and Jessica Fischer (bass/cello) played to appreciative audiences in New York and Los Angeles in 1997.
Oxaal went on to join [[James (band)|James]]. Toby Shippey was a founder member of [[Salsa Celtica]]. Steve Hewitt joined [[Placebo (band)|Placebo]] before going on to form his own band [[Love Amongst Ruin]]. Avy’s work continues on soundtracks to her animated stop motion films, including the award-winning [https://bestshortfilms.discover.film/videos/a-new-life-tomorrow<nowiki>]the story of her stepfathers boyhood in wartime London. A new album / multi-media release titled ‘BirdTown’ is being recorded for release in 2023.</nowiki>
==Musical style==
The band has been compared to [[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]], [[Mazzy Star]], [[Drugstore (band)|Drugstore]], Tindersticks, and [[Mojave 3]].<ref name="Strong" /><ref name="Raggett">Raggett, Ned "[http://www.allmusic.com/album/matinee-r227635/review ''Matinee'' Review]", [[Allmusic]], retrieved 2012-01-05</ref> On the band's second album, Allmusic identified a "blend of country, blues, post-punk textures".<ref name="Raggett2">Raggett, Ned "[http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-valentine-tapes-r220843/review ''The Valentine Tapes'' Review]", [[Allmusic]], retrieved 2012-05-01</ref>
==Discography==
===Albums===
*''Matinee'' (1994), [[Nude Records|Nude]]
*''The Valentine Tapes'' (1995), Nude
===Singles===
*"Crystaline" (1993), Nude
*"Razor" (1994), Nude
*"Big Black Jaguar" (1995), Nude
*"Little Leopard" (1995), Nude
*"My Magnetic Susan" (1995), Nude
*"Tiny Seismic Night" (1995), Nude
*”Spell” (2018) Firehorse! Recordings
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:English alternative rock groups]]
[[Category:Rock music groups from Brighton and Hove]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in the 1990s]]
[[Category:Nude Records artists]]