U.K. Subs
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2008) |
U.K. Subs | |
|---|---|
 UK Subs performing in 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | London, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Punk rock Hardcore punk Punk blues |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Labels | New Red Archives Captain Oi! Fallout Diablo RCA |
| Members | Charlie Harper Nicky Garratt Jamie Oliver Alvin Gibbs Jet Storm |
| Past members | Steve Slack Terry Bones Gregor Kramer Jacek Ostoya Pete Davies David Ayer Alan Campbell Rory Lyons Belvy K Matthew McCoy Steve Roberts Brian Barnes Kim Wylie Paul Slack Mal Asling |
| Website | UK Subs Official Website |
The U.K. Subs are an English punk rock band, among the earliest in the first wave of British punk. Formed in 1976, the mainstay of the band has been vocalist Charlie Harper, originally a singer in Britain's R&B scene. They were also one of the first street punk bands.
Career
The U.K. Subs were part of the original punk movement in England that formed in 1976, with the initial name of the Subversives. The band's founder, Charlie Harper selected guitarist Nicky Garratt, bassist Paul Slack, and various drummers (eventually Pete Davis became fairly stable) under the initial name "U.K. Subversives".[1] The London based band's early line-up changed frequently.
Their style combined the energy of punk and the rock and roll edge of the then thriving pub rock scene. The band had some hit singles such as "Stranglehold", "Warhead", "Teenage", and "Tomorrow's Girls", with several of their songs managing to enter the United Kingdom's Top Forty.
The band played several John Peel sessions in 1977 and 1978 for BBC Radio 1, and then signed a recording contract with GEM Records. Under GEM, the U.K. Subs recorded an album in 1979 called Another Kind of Blues. The group also played a few opening gigs for The Police, as well as recording a set at The Roxy (a punk club), which was issued in 1980 as Live Kicks. Their biggest selling album came with 1980s Crash Course. Crash Course was recorded at the Rainbow Theatre in London on 30 May 1980 during the Brand New Age tour. The UK Subs support band on that tour was Liquid Stone, a four piece new wave band from Buckingham comprising Ronni Sunderland, Mick Marshall, Ian (Muz) Murray and Ian (Tanner) Tansley.
With the arrival of new bassist Alvin Gibbs and drummer Steve Roberts in the early 1980s, the songs took on a more heavy metal-influenced edge. In July 1982, they became the first western band to perform in Poland since the imposition of martial law, and the suppression of the trade union, Solidarity. Their concert was held in Gdansk, and they were supported by Brygada Kryzys.[2] In 1991, the U.K. Subs also had Lars Frederiksen (now of Rancid) on guitar for a 30 date UK tour. Decades after the disbanding of other late-1970s punk groups such as the Sex Pistols and The Clash, the U.K. Subs continue to perform.
Successive U.K. Subs album titles start with consecutive letters of the alphabet, and according to an interview with TxPunk.net, the band will start the process over after reaching the letter "Z". The U.K. Subs song "Down on the Farm" was covered by Guns N' Roses on their 1993 covers album "The Spaghetti Incident?". The U.K. Subs joined the bill for the 2006 Fiend Fest. The band have toured with The Misfits, The Adicts, Osaka Popstar, Agent Orange, and The Ramones.[citation needed] The U.K. Subs song "Warhead" is played in the movie, This Is England.
In 2007, drummer Jamie Oliver was a contestant on the UK quiz show Nothing But the Truth. Vocalist Charlie Harper was among the panel of witnesses. Oliver reached the £5000 mark, but lost it all in a bid to double his winnings. They are also one of the regular bands to play the Rebellion Festival nearly every year since at has been called The Holidays In The Sun Festival in 1996. Other bands are: 999, Goldblade, T.V Smith, The Vibrators, Subhumans, Vice Squad, Slaughter and the Dogs, Menace and Chelsea.[citation needed]
Band members
Lead vocals
Guitars
Bass guitar
|
Drums
|
Discography
Albums
- Another Kind of Blues (1979) (UK No. 21)
- Brand New Age (1980) (UK No. 18)
- Crash Course (1980) (UK No. 8)
- Diminished Responsibility (1981) (UK No. 18)
- Endangered Species (1982)
- Flood of Lies (1983)
- Gross Out USA LIVE (1984)
- Huntington Beach (1985)
- In Action (10th Anniversary) (1986)
- Japan Today (1987)
- Killing Time (1988)
- LIVE in Paris (1989)
- Mad Cow Fever (1991)
- Normal Service Resumed (1993)
- Occupied (1996)
- Peel Sessions 1978-79 (1997)
- Quintessentials (1997)
- Riot (1997)
- Submission: the Best of the UK Subs 1982-1998 (1999)
- Time Warp GREATEST HITS (2000)
- Universal (2002)
- Violent State (2005)
- Work In Progress (10 January 2011)
- XXIV (4 February 2013)
Miscellaneous albums
- Live Kicks (1979) (Recorded Live at the Roxy 1977)
- Dance & Travel In The Robot Age (1980) (Bootleg live album recorded in Milan)
- Live In London (1980) (Australian release of "Live Kicks" plus the rest of "A Farwell to the Roxy")
- Recorded 1979-1981 (1982)
- Demonstration Tapes (1984)
- Subs Standards (1986)
- Left For Dead (1986)
- Raw Material (1986)
- A.W.O.L. (1987) (U.S only release)
- The Singles 1978-1982 (1989)
- Europe Calling (1990)
- Down On The Farm (A collection of the less obvious) (1991)
- Los Exitos En Singles 1978-1985 (1992) (Argentinian release)
- Scum Of The Earth-Best Of (1993)
- The Punk Is Back (1995)
- Punk Can Take It - Rare And Unreleased 79-82 (1996)
- Self-Destruct - Punk Can Take It 2 (1997)
- Punk Rock Rarities (1998)
- Live In The Warzone (1998)
- The Punk Singles Collection (1998)
- Warhead (1999)
- Countdown (Live) (2001)
- World War (Live) (2003)
- Staffordshire Bull (Live) (2004)
- Before You Were Punk (2004)
- Live & Loud (2005)
- Original Punks Original Hits (2006)
- Complete Riot (2006)
- An Introduction to The U.K. Subs (2006)
- Stranglehold (2007)
- Greatest Hits (2009)
- Dance & Travel In The Robot Age (CD) (2010)
Compilation albums
- Hardcore Breakout USA (1990)
- Hardcore Breakout USA Volume 2 (1995)
- The British Punk Invasion Vol 2 (1996)
- The Punk, The Bad & The Ugly (1997)
- At War With Society (1998)
- A Triple Dose Of Punk (1999)
- Angry Songs and Bitter Words (2003)
UK chart singles
- "Stranglehold" - 1979 - No. 26
- "Tomorrow's Girls" - 1979 - No. 28
- "She's Not There" / "Kicks" (EP) - 1979 - No. 36
- "Warhead" - 1980 - No. 30
- "Teenage" - 1980 - No. 32
- "Party In Paris" - 1980 - No. 37
- "Keep On Runnin' (Till You Burn)" - 1981 - No. 41
12" singles
- "Another Typical City" (1983) (EP)
- "The Magic" (1984) (EP)
- "The Spell" (1984) (EP)
- "Hey Santa" (1987) (EP)
- "Motivator" (1988) (EP)
- "Sabre Dance" (1989) (EP)
Singles / EPs
- "C.I.D." (1978) (EP)
- "Stranglehold" (1979) (EP)
- "Tomorrows Girls" (1979) (EP)
- "She's Not There" (1979) (EP)
- "Warhead" (1980) (EP)
- "Teenage" (1980) (EP)
- "Party in Paris" (1980)
- "Keep on Running" (1981
- "Keep on Running EP Version" (1981)
- "Countdown" (1981)
- "Shake Up The City" (1982) (EP)
- "Another Typical City" (1983)
- "This Gun Says" (1985) (EP)
- "Live in Holland" (1986) (EP)
- "The Road is Long, The Road is Hard" (1993) (EP)
- "Postcard from L.A." (Split single) (1994) (U.S. only)
- "Betrayal" (1995) (U.S. only)
- "War on the Pentagon" (1997) (EP) (U.S. only)
- "Day of the Dead" (1997) (EP) (U.S. only)
- "Cyberjunk" (1997) (EP) (U.S. only)
- "Riot" (1998) (EP)
- "The Revolution's Here" (2000) (EP)
- "Drunken Sailor" (2002)
- "666 Yeah" (2006)
- "Warhead" (2008) (CD EP)
Tributes/References
- "I Lost My Love (to a UK Sub)" track by The Gonads (1982)
- "(Give Me) Charlie Harper (Any Day)" track by The Bus Station Loonies (1996)
References
- ^ "UK Subs Return To New Zealand & Australia", scoop.co.nz, July 8, 1009
- ^ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 368. CN 5585.
- ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 574. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.