Subway Sect | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Punk rock,post-punk |
| Years active | 1976–1982, 2002–present |
| Members | Vic Godard Chris Bostock Sean McLusky Johnny Britton |
| Past members | Rob Symmons Paul Packham Mark Laff Bob Ward Rob Marche Dave Collard Paul Myers Kevin Younger Mark Braby Paul Cook |
| Website | www |
Subway Sect were one of the first Britishpunk bands. Although their commercial success was limited by the small amount of recorded material they released, they have been credited as highly influential on thePostcard Records scene and theindie pop genre which followed.[1]
The core of the band was singer-songwriter,Vic Godard, plus assortedsoul fans, who congregated around earlygigs by theSex Pistols untilMalcolm McLaren suggested they form their own band.[2]Subway Sect were among the performers at the100 Club Punk Festival on Monday, 21 September 1976 – sharing the bill withSiouxsie and the Banshees,The Clash and the Sex Pistols. The first line-up of Godard on vocals, Paul Packham on drums, Paul Myers on bass and Rob Symmons on guitar lasted for four gigs beforeMark Laff replaced Packham.[3] Laff himself then left for fellow punk groupGeneration X after the White Riot tour. A third drummer, Bob Ward, was recruited, and it is this line-up that can be heard on the band's firstJohn Peel session and also on the single "Nobody's Scared".[3] This was the first and only release on Braik Records, a label owned byBernie Rhodes, who managed both Subway Sect andThe Clash. Rhodes subsequently supervised therecording of their debut album atGooseberry Studios in London, with Clash sound man and producer Mickey Foote at the production helm. At that time the band toured extensively with The Clash and others.[3]
Number One for me at the moment are the Subway Sect. They've got some good ideas.The Slits are good, too.Palmolive on drums! She's the female Jerry Nolan. But like everyone, they need to do thirty gigs in thirty days and they would be a different group. Then they'd be great. The same with us.
However, just as their first album was ready for release, for reasons that remain obscure, Rhodes sacked all the band (except Godard) and Subway Sect mark 1 ceased to exist.[5] The album was never released, although a single from the sessions "Ambition" was remixed and released onRough Trade Records, with the B-side "Different Story (Rock and Roll Even)" also taken from the same sessions. "Ambition" was ranked at No. 15 among the top "Tracks of the Year" for 1978 byNME.[6] A further track "Parallel Lines" was released as a track on theC81 cassette produced byNME magazine. Since then, some monitor copies of tracks from the lost album have come to light on various Subway Sect compilations, including a Motion Records'20 Odd Yearsdouble album anthology, and a CD and CD/EP setWe Oppose All Rock And Roll on Overground Records. Any copies of the actual album tapes appear to no longer exist.
As a result of 1977 appearances atThe Roxy club in London, live recordings were made of Subway Sect performances byDon Letts, the club's disc jockey. Subway Sect appears in Letts'Punk Rock Movie (1978).
Godard reformed the band and as 'Vic Godard and Subway Sect' finally released their debut albumWhat's the Matter, Boy? in 1980, following a period of shifting group personnel.[3] The album features many songs written during the previous incarnation of the band, but performed with radically altered arrangements.
By this time, Godard had become increasingly influenced by earlyrockabilly, and the "first wave" ofrock and roll (Sun Records session eraElvis Presley,Eddie Cochran etc.). This was just before the rockabilly revival, and the album was ignored as being 'retro'.[citation needed] Ignoring this, Godard then went further back in time, teaming up with guitarist Rob Marche, keyboardist Dave Collard, bassistChris Bostock and drummer Sean McLusky with subsequent releases (inc.Songs for Sale – credited to Vic Godardand The Subway Sect), showing the influence of the "rat pack" (Dean Martin,Frank Sinatra), and 1940sswing, many years before these sounds became fashionable again.[7] Faced by dwindling sales and following a solo album (T.R.O.U.B.L.E.) backed byWorking Week, Godard left themusic business[3] and became apostman.
In 1982, former Subway Sect members – Rob Marche, Dave Collard,Chris Bostock and Sean McLusky – teamed up with American singer Dig Wayne and formed the bandJo Boxers.[3]
In the 1990s a slow Godard revival began. Backed by the re-release of his work on CD and numerous compilation albums, Godard returned to recording, initially under his own name. In 2002, a CD was issued credited purely to Subway Sect, thus reviving the name, if not the original band. NamedSansend, it was asample andbeats heavy collection of new songs, and it was followed three years later by Motion'sSingles Anthology, which collected single A and B sides.
Original Subway Sect guitarist and bass player, Rob Symmons and Paul Myers resurfaced asThe Fallen Leaves in 2004, although Myers has since quit the band. Rob Symmons still performs and records with the band.
In 2007, a new Subway Sect (featuring on some recordings original members Mark Laff and Paul Myers, as well as formerSex Pistols drummerPaul Cook) released1978 Now, a re-make of the original 1978 album as, Godard indicated, it had originally sounded. In 2011, Myers rejoined Vic Godard and Subway Sect permanently; his first official gig back was atNambucca in London on 28 October 2011. Further vintage material was recorded in 2012 – again with Paul Cook on drums – and released in 2014 as1979 Now.[2]
As of 2019, the current Subway Sect line-up of Godard and Johnny Britton with a returned Chris Bostock and Sean McLusky has a new albumMoments Like These due for release in 2020, produced byMick Jones and previewed by single "How High The Walls" out on 25 December that year.[8]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
