UK Subs
Encyclopedia
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.
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 drummer
s (eventually Pete Davis became fairly stable) under the initial name "U.K. Subversives". 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 single
s 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
session
s 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.
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. 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
. 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.
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Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s 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
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
scene. They were also one of the first street punk
Street punk
Street punk is a working class-based genre of punk rock which took shape in the early 1980s, partly as a rebellion against the perceived artistic pretensions of the first wave of British punk. Street punk emerged from the Oi! style, performed by bands such as Sham 69, Angelic Upstarts, Cockney...
bands.
Career
The U.K. Subs were part of the original punkPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
movement in England that formed in 1976, with the initial name of the Subversives. The band's founder, Charlie Harper selected guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Nicky Garratt, bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Paul Slack, and various drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
s (eventually Pete Davis became fairly stable) under the initial name "U.K. Subversives". The London based band's early line-up changed frequently.
Their style combined the energy of punk and the rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
edge of the then thriving pub rock
Pub rock (UK)
Pub rock was a rock music genre that developed in the mid 1970s in the United Kingdom. A back-to-basics movement, pub rock was a reaction against progressive and glam rock. Although short-lived, pub rock was notable for rejecting stadium venues and for returning live rock to the small pubs and...
scene. The band had some hit single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
s such as "Stranglehold", "Warhead", "Teenage", and "Tomorrow's Girls", with several of their songs managing to enter the United Kingdom's Top Forty
Top Forty
The Top Forty or Top 40 is a music industry shorthand for the currently most-popular songs in a particular genre. When used without qualification, it typically refers to the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music songs of the previous week...
.
The band played several John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
session
Jam session
Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
s in 1977 and 1978 for BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, and then signed a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
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
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
for The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
, as well as recording a set at The Roxy
The Roxy
The Roxy was a fashionable nightclub on Neal Street in London's Covent Garden, known for hosting the flowering British punk music scene in its infancy.-Brief history:...
(a punk club), which was issued in 1980 as Live Kicks. Their biggest selling album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
came with 1980s Crash Course.
With the arrival of new bassist Alvin Gibbs and drummer Steve Roberts in the early 1980s, the songs took on a more heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
-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
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
, Solidarity. Their concert was held in Gdansk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, and they were supported by Brygada Kryzys. In 1991, the U.K. Subs also had Lars Frederiksen
Lars Frederiksen
Lars Erik Frederiksen is an American guitarist and vocalist, most notably for the punk rock band Rancid, and as the frontman of Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards and The Old Firm Casuals. He was also briefly a member of the UK Subs in 1991...
(now of Rancid
Rancid (band)
Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the...
) on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
for a 30 date UK tour. Decades after the disbanding of other late-1970s punk groups such as the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
and The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
, 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
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
on their 1993 covers album "The Spaghetti Incident?"
"The Spaghetti Incident?"
"The Spaghetti Incident?" is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Guns N' Roses. The album is unique for the band, consisting entirely of cover versions, mostly of punk and glam rock songs of the late 1970s and early 1980s....
. The U.K. Subs joined the bill for the 2006 Fiend Fest. The band have toured with The Misfits, The Adicts
The Adicts
The Adicts are an English punk band from Ipswich, Suffolk, England. One of the more popular punk rock bands in the 1980s, they were often in the indie charts at that time. Their song "Viva La Revolution" was featured in the video game Tony Hawk's Underground. It was also featured in a commercial...
, Osaka Popstar
Osaka Popstar
Osaka Popstar is a pop punk supergroup formed in 2006 by New Yorker John Cafiero. Cafiero wanted an outlet to express his music but also incorporate his love for Japanese anime. In 2006, Cafiero teamed up with several well known punk rock artists to create the anime based punk group, Osaka Popstar....
, Agent Orange
Agent Orange
Agent Orange is the code name for one of the herbicides and defoliants used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. Vietnam estimates 400,000 people were killed or maimed, and 500,000 children born with birth...
, and The Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
. The U.K. Subs song "Warhead" is played in the movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, This Is England
This Is England
-Track listing:#"54-46 Was My Number" - Toots & The Maytals#"Come On Eileen" - Dexys Midnight Runners#"Tainted Love" - Soft Cell#"Underpass/Flares" - Movie Dialogue From This Is England#"Nicole " - Gravenhurst...
.
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.
Lead vocals
- Charlie Harper (1976–present)
- Paul Slack (on She's Not There)
Guitars
- Richard Anderson (1976–77)
- Darrell Barth (1986–87 , 1989–91,1999)
- Greg Brown (Autumn 1977)
- Alan Campbell (1992–2004)
- Lars FrederiksenLars FrederiksenLars Erik Frederiksen is an American guitarist and vocalist, most notably for the punk rock band Rancid, and as the frontman of Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards and The Old Firm Casuals. He was also briefly a member of the UK Subs in 1991...
(1991) - Nicky Garratt (1977–1983, 1988, 1996, 1999–2002, 2004–Present)
- Robbie Harper [1977]
- Jet Storm (2005–Present)
- KnoxKnox (musician)Knox also known as I.M. Carnarchan is a British musician and founding member of the seminal punk band The Vibrators.-Early life:...
(1987) - Alan Lee (1987–89)
- Simon Rankin (2001)
- Andy McCoyAndy McCoyAntti Hulkko , better known as Andy McCoy, is a Finnish musician. He is most famous for his role as the lead guitarist and main songwriter of Hanoi Rocks, but has also played with Iggy Pop....
(1988) - Jim Moncur (1984–1986)
- Karl Morris (1991, 1994)
- Phil Pain (1996)
- Tezz Roberts (1984–85 ,1995, 2002)
- Captain Scarlet (David Lloyd) (1983–1984)
- Scott Snowden (1992)
- Tim Britta (1984)
- Johan (1991)
- Roger Brown (1978–79)
Bass guitar
- Paul Slack (1977–1981, 2008–2010)
- Alvin Gibbs (1980–1983, 1988, 1999–2002, 2003–present)
- Flea (1987–91)
- John ArmitageJohn ArmitageJohn Lindsay Armitage, OAM was an Australian politician. Born in Sydney, he was educated at Sydney Technical High School before undergoing military service from 1942 to 1945...
(1984–1985) - Brian Barnes (1992–1994, 1996–2001, 2002–2004, 2008)
- Mark Barratt (1986–1987)
- Bones (2002)
- Allistair Chesters (2002–2007)
- Andy Frantic (1997–99)
- Ricky McGuire (1985–1986)
- Simon Rankin (2001–2002)
- Tezz Roberts (1984)
- Steve Slack (1976, 1983–1984)
- Chema Zurita (2007–present)
- Carly Guarino (1997)
- Peter Revesz[2008]
- Tony Barber [2008]
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Drums
- Robbie Harper [Rob Milne](1977)
- Dave Ayer (1995–1997)
- Robby Baldock [1978]
- Rab Fae Beith (1984–1986)
- Gary Mitchell (1985)
- Benjie BolloxBenjie BolloxBenjie Bollox is an Anglo-American musician, photographer, and songwriter. He is known for his dry and witty humor, pranks, and love for Wild Irish Rose as well as his classic SEX attire, blonde spiky hair and mischievous smile...
(1996) - Tommy Couch (1999–2000)
- Criss Damage (2002)
- Pete Davies (1978–1980, 1984, 1991–1996, 2007 ,2008)
- Steve J Jones (1977, 1983–1984)
- Belvy K (1988)
- Jared Melville (2008)
- Rory Lyons (1976–1977)
- Matt McCoy (1988–92 ,1993, 1995)
- Jamie Oliver (2005–present)
- Gary Ostell (1997–99)
- Pumpy (1999–2000)
- Geoff Sewell (1986)
- Dave Wilkinson (1987)
- Jason Willer (2001–2006)
- Kim Wylie (1982)
- Tezz Roberts (1988,1999)
- Gary Baldy (1997–1999)
- Matthew " Turkey" Best (1984)
- Duncan Smith (1987–88)
- Leo Mortimer (1989)
- Gizz Lazlo (1999, 2006)
- Darrah (2002)
- Jay (2002)
- Jeff Moe (1991)
- Michael Richter (1997)
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Albums
- Another Kind of Blues (1979) (UK #21)
- Brand New Age (1980) (UK #18)
- Crash Course LIVE ALBUM (1980) (UK #8)
- Diminished Responsibility (1981) (UK #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)
- UniversalUniversal (U.K. Subs album)Universal is a studio album by the U.K. Subs released in 2002 on Captain Oi! Records.-Track listing:#"Last Man Standing" - 3:01#"Soho" - 2:26#"Spoils Of War" - 2:39#"3rd World England" - 2:24#"Universal" - 2:16#"Hollywood" - 1:39...
(2002) - Violent State (2005)
- Work In Progress (10 January 2011)
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
- The British Punk Invasion Vol 2 (1996)
- Angry Songs and Bitter Words (2003)
UK chart singles
- "Stranglehold" - 1979 - No. 26
- "Tomorrow's Girls" - 1979 - No. 28
- "She's Not ThereShe's Not There"She's Not There" is the debut single by the British pop band The Zombies. It reached number twelve in the UK Singles Chart in August 1964, and became a top-ten hit in the United States...
" / "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)
- "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 LooniesBus Station LooniesThe Bus Station Loonies are a 'cabaret punk' band from Plymouth, England. They have been described as a cross between Dead Kennedys, Undertones, Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band....
(1996)
External links
- [ Biography] at Allmusic
- Official website
- UK Subs Online Archive