La Shark live review (Southampton Joiners, 19/2/2014)

Perhaps just as famous for their t-shirts that are splattered across tumblr, zany Londoners La Shark seem to be shrouded hype and nothing more. La Shark’s 2013 debut EP Limousine Mmmm, despite being a solid release, failed to blow anybody away, as was the case too with recent single Prison Palace. But despite this, the band have developed a “much better live” label, so the announcement that they were to play a one-off headline show at Southampton’s Joiners was met gleefully by anyone and everyone within a reasonable distance of the venue.

La Shark were to be supported by three local(ish) bands; Half Cut Roses, Confuser and London’s MT, all with something unique to offer the show. Basingstoke’s Half Cut Roses kicked off proceedings with their Nirvana inspired garage rock, whilst Confuser followed suite with their indie-rock, tainted slightly by the fecklessly unfunny on stage ‘banter’ offered by the frontman. Both bands had the Joiners crowd dancing and the both of them were worthy support acts, and both of them poised the night to be a great one.

Whilst the first two bands’ sets got the gig off to a flying start, MT’s set decided the tone for the rest of the night, as the four piece's vibrant set saw the crowd go wild. MT had the crowd prancing, dancing, and even sat on the floor cross legged through the slow bouncy songs, as their joyous frontman leaped around the stage as if he were the messiah. Maybe he is. He could’ve fooled me.

As the clock neared ten, La Shark took to the stage just as eccentrically dressed as ever. From the offset it was apparent that enigmatic frontman Samuel Deschamps would be the ringleader to the proceedings, as he clambered on stage holding an almost finished bottle of JD in only pinstriped trousers and an unbuttoned baseball jacket emblazoned with a La Shark logo.

Deschamps' elaborate stage moves saw the man upside down a little too often 

Before La Shark could kick off proceedings, the ever charismatic Deschamps launched himself into the first of many somersaults. Throughout the show Deschamps's elaborate stage moves involved somersaults, cartwheels, humping the ground, humping the synth player, and even the odd backflip. The stage presence of Deschamps was incredible, and whilst he regularly broke the fourth wall, the only word you could use to describe the Londoner was ‘enigmatic’. He was truly the ringleader to the La Shark circus.

The band’s sound was fantastically crisp, as everyone has come to expect from the Joiners, and the crowd sang avidly along to the La Shark’s better known songs. The atmosphere too, was one that sits hand in glove with the ever welcoming Joiners; everyone was on their feet and dancing as if the La Shark show were some sort of Siesta.

Whilst the crowd spent as much time on stage (“this is my stage, that is your stage” as Deschamps put it) the frontman’s acrobatic stage antics quickly spread into the crowd. The highlight of these was a cartwheel down an aisle of free space, created by the crowd forging a channel for Deschamps elegant acrobatics.

The sound of the band almost drowned out the frontman, but the party atmosphere and the togetherness of the four instrumentalists more than made up for it. And quite obviously, this was not a problem through Magazine Cover, as the audience’s sound was a bit louder than that of the band.

The set drew to a close at around eleven o’clock, in the way that we’ve come to expect from La Shark. Of the 100-strong crowd, a quarter were on Deschamps stage grooving away to the band’s unique electro-funk. La Shark had come to the Joiners, and conquered in what was an almost unforgettable manner. They may not be the most musically gifted, or brilliant, but London’s La Shark know all too well what it is to put on a great show.

Deschamps stripped down (photos all courtesy of Shannon Piper)

(Written by Calum Cashin)