There was a time, three decades ago, when Charlie Rooke couldn't walk down a Melbourne street without being recognised.
His band, The Sharp, had hit the big time.
Formed in Collingwood in 1990, the three-piece quickly built a devoted live following with their electrifying performances and signature high-energy sound. Then Rooke (guitar/vocals), Allan Catlin (double bass/vocals), and Piet Collins (drums) released the single Love Your Head.
Triple J got on board, leading to a record deal with Warner Music. The Sharp's debut album, This Is The Sharp, went gold in 1993, catapulting the band to national fame with ARIA nominations, magazine covers, and television and radio appearances.
Even the hit comedy program The Late Show paid tribute, parodying The Sharp's song Scratch My Back as "Skivvies Are Back", referencing the black skivvies the band wore.
The Sharp returned to the studio in 1994 for their second album, Sonic Tripod, teaming up with American producer Rick Will. A whirlwind tour across Europe and the US followed, but the relentless pace took its toll. Wanting to go out on a high, the band called time in 1995.
Three decades after This Is The Sharp first hit the shelves, though, The Sharp is back. Allan Catlin has stepped away for personal reasons, with the void capably filled by vocalist Louie Lee Feltrin and bassist Scott Owen of The Living End.
It's a full-circle moment for Owen, who, as a young musician, snuck into Sharp gigs with his Living End bandmate Chris Cheney, dreaming of one day being in a band like them.
Last year The Sharp released a four-track EP, with a promise of more original material to come, and on September 12 they kick off their Live & Loud Tour at St Kilda Bowls Club. The gig is being recorded for release as The Sharp - Live & Loud, a new live album due for release on November 1. For Rooke, it's been a long wait.
"I didn't want the band to end, to be honest. Our music was about to be released by Warner in 14 different countries and we had tours of Japan and Europe planned," he tells Weekender.
"But we'd worked hard from late 1990, and toured solidly all year round. In our first year we did 428 gigs - sometimes we'd play three gigs in one day - and in those days we carried our own gear.
"We had six months off in 1995 and I was still writing songs but we never got back together."
The Sharp were known for their infectious guitar-driven songs, their melodies and harmonies, and their energetic (and sometimes theatrical) live performances. Not much has changed, says Rooke.
"Scott knows our songs inside out. Apparently when we played at a club in Collingwood in the very early days, we'd get on stage at 1am, and Scott and Chris would be there. Scott told me they used to finish school, get on a tram to Collingwood, sneak in through the front door before the place had properly opened, and then wait around until we played."
Rooke enjoyed touring and didn't experience the "burn-out" his bandmates did. What he found taxing was the public recognition that came with fame.
"I used to go to cafes in Fitzroy and Collingwood for breakfast, people-watching while writing song lyrics, and it got to the point I couldn't do it any more because I'd just be hounded," he says.
"Then people found out where I lived and were waiting for me when I got home. They were nice people, it's just that we were on show all the time."
He wasn't sure how news of The Sharp's reunion would be received by longtime fans of the band but has been buoyed by the response.
"Thirty years is a long time, hell, it's amazing we're still alive! The fans who saw us live in the '90s, hopefully their kids are old enough now so they can leave them at home and see us on this tour," he says.
"I'll never forget the early days playing electric gigs in universities, then when we were finally the headline act and we had a rider and support crew, we'd arrive at a venue and our guitars were already tuned. That was such a luxury. We felt that we had the best job in the world."
