The Sharp

The Sharp
Origin	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres	Rock, pop, rockabilly
Years active	1991 (1991)–1995 (1995), 2000, 2010, 2024
Labels	East West/Warner
Members	Charlie Rooke Piet Collins Scott Owen Louie Lee Feltrin
Past members	Allan Catlin Adam May
Website	https://thesharp.au

The Sharp are a Melbourne four-piece pop, rockabilly band which formed in 1991 with Allan Catlin on double bass and lead vocals, Piet Collins on drums and Charlie Rooke on guitar and lead vocals. They issued two studio albums, This Is the Sharp (1993) and Sonic Tripod (1994). Their highest-charting single, "Alone Like Me" (1994), reached the ARIA Singles Chart top 20.

History

1991–1992: Formation and Spinosity

In 1991 the Sharp were formed as a three-piece rockabilly, pop group in the Melbourne suburb of Collingwood by Allan Catlin on double bass and lead vocals, Piet Collins on drums and Charlie Rooke on guitar and lead vocals.^[1][2] Rooke had formed 59 Sharp, a "good-time bar-band",^[1] in 1988; he was later joined by Catlin, and alternating drummers Danny Simcic (also a member of Real Life, a new wave-synth pop band) and Tony Day (Broderick Smith Band).^[3] They "played 1950s rock'n'roll and rockabilly covers to a hardcore Melbourne following."^[1]

Piet Collins, who was writing Neighbours episodes at the time,^[4] joined on drums in 1991 due to other commitments for both Day and Simcic.^[3] The group were renamed as the Sharp, which according to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane "Boasting double bass, stand-up drums, rockabilly-tinged guitar licks and musicians dressed in all black... [they] presented a united front and an interesting twist on 1990s pop... [their] aesthetic push incorporated frisky pop melodies, tight arrangements, strong harmonies and grungy guitar riffs."^[1] For the Sharp, Catlin and Rooke wrote original tracks, both individually and jointly. The group acknowledged the influence of the Kinks, the Beatles and the Easybeats.^[1]

In June 1992 they issued their debut CD three-track single "Love Your Head", on Mushroom Distribution Services.^[1] It was produced by Nick Mainsbridge (The Triffids, Tall Tales and True, Ratcat).^[5] They were signed to East West Music/Warner Music Australasia later that year. Their first hit single, "Talking Sly" (from the Spinosity EP), was written and sung jointly by Rooke and Catlin, which "received plenty of radio support and high critical acclaim."^[6] The associated EP reached the ARIA Singles Chart top 30.

1993: This Is the Sharp

In May 1993, the band released "Train of Thought", the lead single from their debut studio album. It was co-produced by Mainsbridge with Peter Farnan (of Boom Crash Opera).^[1][7]

The Sharp released their debut album, This Is the Sharp, in September 1993, which was co-produced by Farnan, Mainsbridge and the group.^[1][5] It peaked at No. 13 on the ARIA Albums Chart. They promoted the album with an Australian tour as a support act for United States group, Spin Doctors.^[1] At the ARIA Awards of 1993 the Sharp received two nominations for "Talking Sly", ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist – Single and Best Video (directed by Chris Langman).^[6][8]

Further singles reached the top 50 of the ARIA Singles Chart including "Scratch My Back" and "Yeah I Want You". The latter had four cover versions of work by The Cure ("The Love Cats"), Blondie ("Hangin' on the Telephone"), Lou Reed ("Vicious") and The Violent Femmes ("Add It Up").^[2] Collins explained "We've been playing these songs in our live set on and off for the past two years and we've created our own versions of them."^[2]

The Sharp were parodied in the second season of the ABC's sketch comedy series The Late Show in 1993. Jason Stephens, Rob Sitch, and Santo Cilauro portrayed The Sharp in "Skivvies are Back," a parody of the music video for the band's song "Scratch My Back." This sketch can be found in the VHS release The Best Bits of The Late Show Volume 3 and the DVD release The Best Bits of the Late Show: Champagne Edition.

1994–1995: Sonic Tripod

A world tour followed in 1994 across the US, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Germany. At the 1994 ARIA Awards they received two further nominations, ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist – Album for This Is the Sharp and ARIA Award for Engineer of the Year for its tracks, "Scratch My Back", "Yeah I Want You" and "Train of Thought" by Mainsbridge and Kalju Tonuma.^[8]

In August 1994, the bands's second album Sonic Tripod, was released. It also reached No. 13 and was co-produced by Farnan, Mainsbridge and the group.^[1][5] Jacqueline Fuller of The Canberra Times felt it was "a foray into the new lyrical themes of social comment and psychological turmoil rather than The Sharp's typical love and party songs."^[9] It provided their highest-charting single "Alone Like Me", which peaked at No. 20. The group were known for their image of black high neck skivvies,^[6] and energetic live shows,^[3] including Catlin balancing on his double bass while playing, and Rooke leaping off the drum kit mid-guitar solo.^{[citation needed]}

Early in 1995 Adam May replaced Collins on drums, however in August the group announced their proposed disbandment due to burn out.^[1][3] Rooke explained to Liz Armitage of The Canberra Times in that month how the Sharp had decided to break up: "It was a round-table discussion. A lot of people like to think there was (a conflict) but there wasn't, otherwise we wouldn't be doing a tour."^[10] Rooke reflected on their legacy "I think people will remember us for being a bit different... I'm sticking with the simplicity... I seemed to go for that vibe in the first, and I've always believed in it. I think you can do so much with that approach, but most groups these days are into bigger production."^[10] According to Armitage "Both Catlin and Rooke are expected to release something (separately) at the start of next year."^[10]

A compilation album, Single File (The Best of the Sharp), was released in September.^[1] They performed their last gig on 22 October 1995 at the Hallam Hotel.^[11]

1996–present

A posthumous collection of previously unreleased studio tracks, Skeletons in the Closet, was released in 1996.^[3]

Catlin formed a group, the Rush Effect, and wrote music for ads; Collins took up a career in journalism and writing; Rooke formed a group, Earlobe.^[3] Rooke was later a studio session guitarist for Cezary Skubiszewski.^[12]

In 2000 the Sharp performed a reunion gig in Melbourne,^[3] and in July 2010 they reunited for a series of shows playing in Melbourne and Adelaide.

On 4th March 2024, The Sharp announced via their Facebook page that they would be reuniting without Catlin. Joining Charlie and Piet on double bass is The Living Ends' Scott Owen and vocalist Louie Lee Feltrin. They intend on touring the band's This Is the Sharp album in its entirety.

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with chart positions and certifications

Title	Details	Peak chart positions
		AUS [13][14]
This Is the Sharp	Released: 6 September 1993 Label: East West (450993510-2) Format: CD	13
Sonic Tripod	Released: 22 August 1994 Label: East West (450997336-2) Format: CD	13

Compilation albums

List of Compilation albums, with chart positions and certifications

Title	Details	Peak chart positions
		AUS [14]
Single File (The Best of the Sharp)	Released: September 1995 Label: East West (0630118042) Format: CD	133
Skeletons in the Closet	Released: 1996 Label: WoW Management (SHARP0001) Format: CD Note: Compilation of unreleased tracks	–

Extended play

List of extended plays, with selected details and chart positions

Title	Details	Peak chart positions
		AUS [13][14]
Spinosity	Released: September 1992 Label: East West (450990501-2) Format: CD	28
Thank You Good Night	Released: August 1995 Label: East West (063011387 -2) Format: CD	115

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Album
		AUS [13][14]
"Love Your Head"	1992	179	Non-album single
"Talking Sly"		—[A]	Spinosity
"Train of Thought"	1993	32	This Is the Sharp
"Scratch My Back"		40
"Yeah I Want You"		44
"Alone Like Me"	1994	20	Sonic Tripod
"Honest and Sober"		99
"Spider"		109
"Nightclub"/"Where Am I Now"	1995	—	Thank You Good Night

Notes

1. "Talking Sly" was released as a radio single only - and ineligible to chart in 1992.

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are a set of annual ceremonies presented by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987. The Sharp were nominated for four awards.

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
1993	"Talking Sly"	Breakthrough Artist – Single	Nominated
	Chris Langman for "Talking Sly"	Best Video	Nominated
1994	This Is the Sharp	Breakthrough Artist – Album	Nominated
	Nick Mainsbridge & Kalju Tonuma for The Sharp's "Scratch My Back", "Yeah I Want You", "Train Of Thought"	Engineer of the Year	Nominated

References

1. McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'The Sharp'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 30 September 2004. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
2. Leedham, Nicole (4 November 1993). "Good Times: Sharp's meteroic rise". The Canberra Times. Vol. 68, no. 21, 387. p. 3. Retrieved 11 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
3. Macgregor, Jody. "The Sharp | Biography & History". AllMusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
4. Donovan, Patrick (6 August 2003). "There goes the neighbourhood". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
5. Australian Rock Database entries:
   • The Sharp: Holmgren, Magnus. "The Sharp". hem.passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
   • Nick Mainsbridge: Holmgren, Magnus. "Nick Mainsbridge". hem.passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
6. "Entertainment: Sharp by Nature". Times. Vol. 88, no. 4, 128. Victor Harbor, SA. 14 May 1993. p. 8. Retrieved 10 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
7. "Sharp sound on the airwaves". Times. Vol. 88, no. 4, 132. Victor Harbor, SA. 28 May 1993. p. 8. Retrieved 10 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
8. ARIA Music Awards for the Sharp:
   • Search Results 'Sharp': "Search Results for 'Sharp'". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 10 April 2016.
   • 1993 winners and nominees: "Winners by Year 1993". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 14 December 2007. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
   • 1994 winners and nominees: "Winners by Year 1994". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 9 January 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
   • 1994 Artisan winners and nominees: "17th Annual ARIA Awards". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 23 February 2004. Retrieved 10 April 2016. Note: User may be required to access archived information by selecting 'The History', then 'By Award', 'Engineer of the Year' and 'Option Show Nominations'.
9. Fuller, Jacqueline (21 July 1994). "Backstage: The Sharp's test tube baby". The Canberra Times. Vol. 69, no. 21, 645. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. p. 30. Retrieved 11 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
10. Armitage, Liz (31 August 1995). "Backstage: Revenge sung sweetly". The Canberra Times. Vol. 70, no. 22, 050. p. 34. Retrieved 12 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
11. "The Sharp: 'Alone Like Us'". The Sharp Official Website. Archived from the original on 7 August 2003. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
12. Skubiszewski, Cezary; McKenzie, Daryl; Victorian Philharmonic Orchestra (2002), Black and white: original motion picture soundtrack, ABC Classics. Universal Classics & Jazz [distributor], retrieved 12 April 2016
13. Peaks in Australia:
    • All except noted: "Discography The Sharp". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
14. "The Sharp ARIA chart history". ARIA. Retrieved 21 July 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.