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In 2004, The Subways were given a leg up the rock ladder by Michael Eavis when he hand-picked them to play Glastonbury. Recently signed to City Pavement/Infectious, The Subways are known in indie circles chiefly for having a lady bassist, and are keen to demonstrate that their rock n’ roll offerings belie their young age. The Hertfordshire trio is barely old enough to be in the Cluny, never mind appear on stage, however this latest headline tour aims to take their optimistic grunge rock to a wider audience than the local youth club.
Having already supported the likes of Graham Coxon, headliners The Subways will be opening for comeback kings Embrace in May. Yet, last night this perky threesome took centre stage to promote their new single, ‘Oh Yeah’.
The cynics amongst us might suggest that having a chick in a rock band is simply a gimmick. Mediocre ska outfit, The Zutons, are testament to this as, without the lovely Abi Harding, they would surely still be languishing in Liverpool rather than supporting REM this summer.
However, the garage rock revivalists in question gave a solid, if somewhat brief, performance. Debut single ‘1am’ rasped like a heavy smoker, with strident drums and dirty vocal banter. New track ‘Oh Yeah’, followed a similar two-way retort between teenage sweethearts Charlotte and Billy, but comparisons with blues duo The White Stripes are very wide of the mark.
As a live act their youthful exuberance is unquestionably infectious, yet their sound is somewhat tepid. Former Lightning Seed Ian Broudie has had a hand in both the aforementioned Zutons’ and The Subways’ fledgling careers, and has evidently imparted his musical blandness on these young upstarts. For all the furore that surrounds the Subways at present, it’s disappointing that they are so uninspiring. Unfortunately, a clear case of “don’t believe the hype”.
Emma Wales |
| Coding: Darren Burrows