UK Subs
Pete Davies – Drums & Nicky Garrett – Guitar
It’s a fact that when the world finally happens to end Charlie Harper (David Charles Perez) and the latest incarnation of the mighty UK Subs will be doing a gig somewhere and may it be so.
Inspired by the Damned and Sex Pistols, they formed late in 1976 as the ‘United Kingdom Subversives’ they soon shortened their name as they played all the London punk holes through 1977 going through multiple lineup changes.
Surely the least likely to succeed, they featured on the Farewell To The Roxy album that captured the band detritus as Punk was splitting into a myriad of variations. Then a debut single CID on City Records in early 1978 then nothing for a year till they signed to Gem Records (normally released disco, reggae, soul artists!) and BAM! They surprised everybody with chart songs (seven consecutive UK Top 30 hits between 1979-81) and massive exposure to become one of the most consistently and visibly successful punk bands.
The UK Subs had a great look, were a dynamic live act and toured the arse off themselves building a grassroots following. In fact, they never stopped and they never stopped carrying the punk flame which is why the band, and their leader the irrepressible (Sir) Charlie Harper, is a national treasure and at some 80 years old (it’s 2023) is still performing (albeit scaled back).
The UK Subs are punk legends and Punk77 salutes you!
The awesome UK Subs Archive site Time & Matter | UK Subs Facebook
The UK Subs had its roots like so many with long hair and facial fuzz and a band called Free Press.
Charlie Harper My first band I joined was The Steelhummers in the 60s where I played harmonica. The first band I formed though, with the guitarist, was one where we had a great singer called Spider. I don’t know what happened to him, he probably went to play in a bigger band. We never played live and
just rehearsed.After that I formed ‘Charlie Harper’s Free Press’ around 1970. We were a bluesy rock band and had a roadie who used to sing old Elvis songs, which a couple of times brought the house down when we played at weddings. Although it was my band, at that stage we had a girl singer and I was playing the bass.
In the mid seventies I had a band called The Marauders that, whilst they only existed for about 18 months, did very well on the pub rock circuit. Spitting & Screaming, Neil Saint
In 1977 The Marauders saw the punk light down the Roxy Club and the band first became the UK Subversives and then when they learnt of the Scottish band The Subs – the UK Subs. Like Menace, they were part of the second wave and played relentlessly around London and surrounding areas building up a strong following but avoiding the skinhead element.
They too played the Roxy, albeit only a couple of times, and appeared on the Farewell to the Roxy album. The UK Subs feature 2 tracks – the insanely speedy and short Telephone Numbers and I Live In A Car and are clearly one of the stand-out bands.
Their tracks would be played on Radio 1 by John Peel and in May and September they recorded sessions for his show which was part of the band’s upwards trajectory.
The group also underwent three personnel changes before arriving at its classic lineup of Charlie Harper (vocals), Nicky Garrett (guitar), Paul Slack (bass) and Pete Davies (drums). Bassist Paul Slack took over from his brother, Steve Slack, in January 1978 and drummer Pete Davies took over from Robbie Bouldock in May 1978. Bouldock had taken over from original drummer Rory Lyons early the same year.
Western Counties Pub – Paddington – London – October-1977
Left to right: Steve Slack, Nicky Garratt, Charlie Harper, Steve J. Jones – Photo Credit Steve Jones UK Subs Time & Matter
Pete Davies had come from punk biker Vermilion’s band Dick Envy.
Pete Davies Dick Envy, UK Subs, Menace, Crass, Raped, The Mekons and others regularly put on gigs and invited each other to support.
We arrived to play at a UK Subs gig one night and their drummer didn’t turn up in time for the soundcheck so they asked me If I’d stand in. We played CID…everyone there knew that it just worked really well with me on drums, although I never actually considered joining them until then.
They asked me to join after I stood in for them again but this time for a complete gig without rehearsal at the Moonlight in West Hampstead a few days later. Punk77, 2020
But they struggled to find a label interested in them and eventually secured a one-off with City Records (also released Girlschool’s debut Take It All Away and The Stoat’s Office Girl) for their CID single in 1978. That single charted at 63 and sold over 30,000 records. However, they made some critical decisions that changed their future.
Classic line up Charlie Harper – Vocals, Paul Slack – Bass, Pete Davies – Drums & Nicky Garrett – Guitar
In April 1979 they took on a manager, Mike Phillips, who was part of a management team and who immediately negotiated a deal with RCA subsidiary Gem later that month. These events happened at exactly the right time, with the band having a stable lineup, tightened-up sound and plenty of gigs as they toured relentlessly from as far north as Aberdeen right down to Plymouth and Exeter. London was their key audience though and they pretty much played every pub and club so much that they could comfortably headline and fill venues like the Lyceum and Music Machine.
Robbi Millar in Sounds wrote of their gig at The Music Machine.
I’m not sure how long the UK Subs are going to be able to carry on with their present formula but I hope they never mellow. Right now they’ve got a certain stranglehold on their rowdy band of merry men and bootgirls, so let’s pray that possible chart success doesn’t change them. Imagine the Subs on Top of the Pops! Sounds 15.6.79
All this meant a growing following and a set of short and sweet punk tunes. Couole that with punk getting a second wind with bands like The Ruts, Memembers and Skids and it’s no surprise that by June 1979, and the release of their second single Stranglehold, they had hit the front page of Sounds weekly music paper, the singles charts and appeared on TV’s Top of the Pops. This was the first in several appearances and their debut album, Another Kind of Blues also duly charted.
The formula never did change and why should it. While punk waxed and waned, the UK Subs through multiple incarnations but always with Charlie at the helm soldiered on as they are still now in 2024. The UK Subs are punk rock legends!
Check them out in Julien Temple’s Punk Can Take It promo film and see why they were so shit hot at this time.
The UK Subs released a stream of catchy pure punk toons with equally good b sides all on lovely coloured vinyl and picture sleeves.
It’s pure chugga chugga punk that great to shout along to and make an arse of yourself. “123, 456 – Gotta do a dance and it goes like this!”
CID / I Live In A Car
(City Records 1978)
Never just 2 songs on a Subs single – you always got 3! CID is a classic piece of mid temp chugga shoutalong Subs with some pretty throwaway lyrics. Live In A Car is a stage fave from the Roxy album along with their ode to the dole queue form B1C.
This set the template for the UK Subs sound and apparently sold in excess of 30,000 singles which you wonder why wasn’t a second single on City.
From “Punk Can Take It” 1979
Stranglehold / World War / Last Rockers
(Gem 1979)
On coloured vinyl of course and again 3 tracks this time with the classic pairing that were segued into each other live World War and Rockers.
First chart hit and their first feature on the popular and influential Top Of The Pops with Charlie singing live over a backing track which was par for the course. He also changed the lyric slightly from the eyebrow-raising “Some little girl got hold on me, She’s only 13 but oh so sweet” to “18.”
Charlie Harper The female figure in the song ‘Stranglehold’ is this 13 year old called Bonita who had a crush on Pete our drummer. Spitting & Screaming, Neil Saint
Right – Smash Hits 1979
Tomorrows Girls / Scum Of The Earth / Telephone Numbers
(Gem September 1979)
With a classic E-A-D chord riff this was the UK Subs second top 30 single out the same time as The Ruts Something That I Said and punk was certainly back. I was in love with the cover punk girl who was Paul Slack’s sister Joanne (Sindy Yob). Perennial live favourite and backed by a studio Telephone Numbers that’s even faster and more ferocious than the live one.
She’s Not There / Kicks / Victim / The Same Thing
(Gem November 1979)
Paul Slack took the lead vocals for this third chartbound hit for the band. It’s the Zombies classic but totally re-invented. While people criticised the band for a lumpen punk sound and image, if you pop those first 3 singles (plus the next ones after this) you have a wide range of styles and unexpected rhythms and riffs.
Left – Lyrics – Smash Hits 1979
John Peel Sessions
Three fantastic sessions all recorded with the classic Harper / Garratt / Slack / Davies lineup. These sessions helped cement the UK Subs growing reputation and underpin their commercial success.
The first John Peel session, featuring the Harper / Garratt / Slack / Davies line-up, was recorded at the BBC Maida Vale studios on 23 May 1978 and first broadcast on the John Peel show 8 days later, comprising five classic Subs tracks: ‘I Couldn’t Be You’, ‘Tomorrow’s Girls’, ‘Disease’, ‘C.I.D.’ and ‘Stranglehold’.
This second John Peel session was recorded at the BBC Maida Vale studios on 6 September 1978 and first broadcast on the John Peel show 9 days later, comprising five classic Subs tracks: ‘World War’, ‘T.V. Blues’, ‘Another Kind Of Blues’, ‘All I Wanna Know’ and ‘Totters’.
Notable for the embryonic versions of two tracks from their debut album, both ‘Another Kind Of Blues’, later re-named ‘Blues’ and ‘Totters’, re-imagined as ‘Rockers.’
Third John Peel session, featuring the Harper / Garratt / Slack / Davies line-up, was recorded at the BBC Maida Vale studios on 19 June 1979 and first broadcast on the John Peel show 9 days later, comprising five classic Subs tracks: ‘Killer’, ‘Crash Course’, ‘Lady Esquire’, ‘I.O.D.’ and ‘Emotional Blackmail’.
Including four blistering versions of tracks from their debut album, it’s interesting to note that the Peel versions and album versions were actually recorded in the same month. With Another Kind Of Blues not being released for another three months, it is perhaps even more notable for the fact that this session also included a first recording of Emotional Blackmail, giving fans a taster of what to expect from the band’s second album, Brand New Age, which was recorded over 6 months from this Peel session.
Farewell To The Roxy
(Lightning April 1978)
All the bands that appeared on this album knew both the Club’s best days had passed and that it was never going to be like the first Live At The Roxy album. But it was an opportuniuty for them to at least get on record and for some of them, this was their only chance.
Charlie Harper (UK Subs). St John loved the Subs from the first audition night. Next time we played he put us on as headliners. He asked us to do the album and we said ‘just give us a case of beer’. All the Punk bands were very interested. All the first lot from the Live at the Roxy album were already rock stars with record companies and managers.
We were on first (the most unknown) and we played to about sixty people. Later it was crowded as more people turned up.
I thought it was crap but that’s what it was about. Fuck art, turn it up and dance! The Roxy WC2, Paul Marko
The UK Subs and Blitz were arguably the cream of the crop and were regular players on the Roxy Stage courtesy of new owner and gay gangster Kevin St John.
The UK Subs feature 2 tracks – the insanely speedy and short Telephone Numbers and I Live In A Car. Their tracks would be played by John Peel and a session offered which was part of the band’s upwards trajectory.
Another Kind Of Blues
For a debut album, this is very assured, but then again the band had been playing relentlessly for nearly 2 years and with a stable lineup. They’d honed their live act, look and a recognisable chugha chuggah sound allied to a strong and catchy songwriting.
Another Kind Of Blues is an apt title as the ‘blues’ referred to here are the little blue amphetamine pills. Like The Ruts album, it’s a joy from start to finish with a combination of fast and mid-paced numbers. Yes there are the singles and b sides on there but they’re different versions. Well produced and the band was caught perfectly by John McCoy best known as the bassist in Gillan (and Neo) for a while.
The cover as well is fantastic and a complete package. It’s a work of art almost with its First World War anti-splinter tank glasses to its blue vinyl and an inside cover packed with p; pictures of the band.
Punk was clearly very much not dead!
John McCoy There was something special about punk. We all felt it at the time. The sheer energy of the original U.K.SUBS was devastating. I was asked by their manager at the time if I was interested in producing them, so I went to see them at “The Music Machine” in Camden. So tight, so fast, so in your face. It made the arrogant, pompous rock fraternity very scared! I loved it.
I did my best on “Another Kind Of Blues”, their first album, to capture that excitement and contribute my own ideas on how they could stand out from the rest, I even wrote a couple of tunes with [their singer) Charlie Harper. That album and their next three singles all charted high, but getting the band on Top Of The Pops required insurances and guarantees because they were punks! And, of course, the BBC were scared too. Punk did give the establishment a real worry for a while. DMME
TalkPunk
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