The Music of Dave Sharp

Soul Co aim to inject music with realism

Soul Co

In true rock and roll style, Dave Sharp, co-founder of The Alarm, has decided to take his irritation at the state of the music scene and throw that energy into the production of something new, passionate and most of all, real.

Dave (far left) in 1983 with The Alarm

Sharp had been in America for a decade writing, recording and performing, and became increasingly despondent at what the UK was shipping over the Atlantic. 'I saw fewer and fewer UK rock bands able to make a lasting impact on US audiences,' says Sharp. 'There has got to be a serious British rock band capable of making a lasting impression on the United States. British rock has lost much credibility Stateside.'

Tired with the increasing corporate road that UK rock has been travelling down, Sharp left the States in 2002 to return to his native Manchester with a mission to inject some realism and emotion back into the sound he loves.

There followed a year spent getting back into the feel of Britain's scene, playing acoustic gigs and opening for the likes of Nick Harper and Bob Geldof. Then, after a chance meeting with bass player Keith Ashcroft, things started to come together for Sharp.

Ashcroft suggested 10cc drummer Paul Burgess, and with the addition of Dr Feelgood's Moe Witham on guitar, Soul Co were complete by November last year. As Sharp says, the idea is to produce something ''driven not by the here and now but by 'does it hit your soul?''', which, as statements of intent go, is a fine place to start from.