Apparently, the band announced that their 2022 studio album ‘Reverse Engineering’ would be their last and the 2023 tour in support of the album would be their final tour. They ended the tour with five consecutive sold out shows at London’s 100 Club, from which this recording is taken, which evokes all the feelings of the Seventies when that was the centre of the punk universe. Looking at their Facebook page I see they have announced their next tour, which is going into 2025, so if they have retired it didn’t last too long. Mind you, that could be something to do with how Charlie Harper is feeling these days, as he was always an older statesman of the punk scene and is still going strong at eighty! Also in the current line-up is bassist Alvin Gibbs, who has been with the band on and off since 1980, with guitarist Steve Straughan and drummer Stefan Häublein completing the band.
Unlike many of their counterparts in the original London scene, UK Subs have stayed true to their genre and have never let the inconvenience of a rather fluid line-up getting in the way of their hard work ethic as they seem to have rarely been off the road and have recorded 23 studio albums and 17 live ones in their 48 year career. They may not have bothered the UK singles chart in more than 40 years, but we get most of their hits including “Stranglehold”, “Tomorrow’s Girls”, “Warhead”, “Teenage”, “Party in Paris”, and “Keep On Runnin’ (Till You Burn)”. I must confess to being somewhat upset that there was no room for “She’s Not There” which I loved from the time I first heard them perform it on TOTP back in 1979. Mind you, it is hard to pick fault with the setlist as we get the first song they ever released, “I Live in a Car” (from the 1978 ‘Farewell to the Roxy’ compilation) and their first single, “CID.”
Harper sounds like he always has, a rough guy who has walked in off the street, grabbed the microphone and epitomises all that was good about the punk scene. He makes it seem as if anyone can stand up and do what he does, giving everyone a good time, but it comes from playing thousands of gigs while Gibbs disproves the notion that one doesn’t have to be a musician to play punk as he provides hugely complex runs throughout, while the drums and guitar are raucous and loud. The crowd had a blast, knowing when to join in the fun, and I am sure the band enjoyed it just as much. They may never be viewed in the same light as Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Stranglers and others, but they are still punk to the core.
Rating: 7/10
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/UKSubs/
https://cleorecs.com/
