UK SUBS Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Having recently been refused entry into the US due to their staunch anti-Trump stance, London's own pub rock turned homegrown punk icons UK Subs shall reissue their criminally underrated Japan Today for Record Store Day 2025. Originally released in 1987 and ranked letter J in the Subs' A-Z album list, this LP has been out of print for the past decade and finally returns home to wax for both longtime fans who've worn their original pressing down to PVC scraps and late to the party newcomers doing their most studious punk homework. Remastered with updated artwork, featuring both Knox and Daryl Barth wielding a double-guitar assault, the record boasts some of the band's most overlooked gems such as 'Another Cuba' and 'Thunderbird Wine'.

Review: Though much of the devout U.K. Subs fanbase will insist that the band's debut full-length Another Kind Of Blues is the begin and end-all of the pub-rockers turned punk icons seminal offerings to the punkosphere, both their legendary frontman Charlie Harper and guitarist Nicky Garratt have previously stated that they believe their fifth LP Endangered Species is their crowning achievement. With lyrical cynicism showcasing Harper's razor sharp wit and riffage that simultaneously reflects the burgeoning hardcore scene forming across the Atlantic in 1982 (an era that saw the first batch of albums from future legends such as Black Flag, Negative Approach and Circle Jerks) whilst furthering their own brand of homegrown rock-centric punk into frenetic new directions, the work was severely ahead of its time with regards to where punk was at and where it was heading, with bangers such as the title-track or sarcastic 'Down On The Farm' still going as hard today as they did over four decades years ago.

Review: While many a devout U.K. Subs fanatic will lay claim that the pub-rockers turned punk legends' seminal debut full-length Another Kind Of Blues is and shall always be the band's most vital contribution to the punk maelstrom, both legendary founding vocalist Charlie Harper and guitarist Nicky Garratt consider their fifth album Endangered Species to be their finest work. Boasting razor sharp lyrical cynicism and riffs simultaneously reflective of the burgeoning hardcore scene taking shape across the pond in 1982 (which saw the first slew of albums from future icons such as Black Flag, Circle Jerks and Descendents) while also pushing their own form of homegrown rock-oriented punk into aggressive new directions, the material was majorly ahead of its time in regards to where the punk scene was and where it was headed, with gems such as the title-track and sardonic 'Down On The Farm' still going as hard as they did 40 years ago. A true testament to the underrated staying power of one of the homegrown greats of first wave punk..

Review: Although the common consensus amongst the fateful UK Subs fanbase regards London's own pub-rockers turned punk heroes' classic debut LP Another Kind Of Blues as the high watermark of their output, many devout listener as well as both founding vocalist Charlie Harper and guitarist Nicky Garratt will counter-argue that the band's explosive fifth album Endangered Species (1982) is their strongest work. Complete with razor sharp cynical, lyrical insights and chunky riffage not dissimilar to the burgeoning hardcore scene formulating in tandem in early 80s USA, the material saw the Subs pushing their own form of classic rock-oriented punk into aggressive, surprising new directions, being both sonically emblematic of where the punk scene was at this time and where the future was beckoning towards, while bangers such as the title-track and the humorously sardonic 'Down On The Farm' still go as hard today as they did over four decades prior.

Review: Often unfairly forgotten in the pantheon of alphabetical A to Z records from homegrown punk legends UK Subs, Flood Of Lies would arrive in 1983 on the heels of Endangered Species and mark both a shift in line up as well as a creative change of course. Enlisting early Subs bassist Steve Slack, drummer Steve Jones and guitarist Captain Scarlet, this new stable would help incomparable punk lifer and legendary frontman Charlie Harper to strike a balance between remaining faithful to their core punk ethos whilst experimenting with more accessible mid-tempo tracks recalling their early pub rock days yet far more refined. Forget what any middling review or closed minded fanboy said four decades ago, corner any tried and tested Subs devotee and they'll sing the praises of Flood Of Lies for days.

Review: A bumper crop of oddities and deep cuts from UK Subs' bountiful back catalogue. From opener- a bizarre cover of Khachaturian's 'Sabre Dance' to 'NRA Jingle' a charmingly cringe jingle for Bay Area's New Red Archives label, the subs show their diversity, with the almost Cramps-esque warble of tracks like 'Motivator' giving way to the borderline emo thrash of 'Postcard from LA' and the outright weirdness of jangly sketches like 'Nico'. Definitely a must for any UK Subs enthusiast looking to triangulate the band's more well-known works!

Review: With a title paying homage to London's cultural epicentre for the hippie and mod movements that would serve as precursors to the punk rock revolution, The Carnaby St. EP offers up a seasoned cross-Atlantic meeting of sonic minds between two seminal punk acts on either side of the sea. With legendary UK Subs frontman Charlie Harper and long-time bassist Alvin Gibbs linking up with Dead Boys guitarist Cheetah Chrome for a balls-to the-wall blowout celebration of some of the most quintessential cuts from the British Invasion that initially put them on their life-long trajectories, here the mutual veterans tear through faithful yet feral renditions of The Rolling Stones' 'Paint It Black', The Yardbirds' 'For Your Love', and our personal favourite; 'Taxman' by The Beatles. 3 covers, 7 inches and decades' worth of punk rock legacy.