Formed in 2003, the Erlangen, Germany-based trio Shark Soup launched into a high-octane blend of punk and rockabilly—reminiscent of the Clash crossed with Stray Cats and closely aligned with the Living End—delivering it night after night in packed basement gigs. That same fall the group tracked its debut seven-song self-titled EP. Circulated across Europe, the recording drew favorable notices, and steady gigging soon generated a growing grass-roots following. Local festival appearances and opening slots alongside One Man Army and Mad Sin led to a summer 2004 European package tour with the North American bands the Briefs, the Turbo A.C.'s, and the Real McKenzies. After completing twenty shows in support of Nekromantix, vocalist/guitarist Chrissi Jany, drummer Stephan Wettig, and bassist Tim Heerwagen entered the studio to lay down their first full-length effort, Fatlip Showbox. Demos forwarded to California’s BYO Records caught the label’s attention, resulting in a contract and an August 2005 release.
