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The Subways named themselves after the underground walkway that they used to hang around in, and made a name for themselves in time-honored fashion; by gigging and recording prodigiously during their early years. They recorded everything they came up with, releasing new batches of home recorded songs via their website at the same time that they were playing as many love shows as possible. Their break came in 2004, when they won a competition for unsigned bands to play at Glastonbury.
They followed up that opportunity with appearances at Reading and Leeds, their first tour of the UK, and the release of single ‘1am’, which was played by John Peel on Radio 1. By the time they released their debut album, ‘Young for Eternity’, in 2005, they had secured a sizeable fanbase in their home country, and were playing to much bigger rooms. That secured them a contract with Warner Bros. for second album ‘All or Nothing’, which they recorded with Nirvana producer Butch Vig in Los Angeles. They followed it up with the ironically-titled ‘Money and Celebrity’ in 2011, having secured their position as one of the UK’s best-loved young rock bands. They remain more or less constantly active on the live circuit in the UK and Europe.
The Subways seemed as if they had the world at their feet once; theirs was a sound that was just about heavy enough to appeal to traditional rock fans, but melodic and accessible enough to cross over into indie circles, too. After debut record Young for Eternity earned them a sizeable cult fanbase - they’d already, by this point, carved out a loyal live following - they went all out for album number two, decamping to Los Angeles and bringing in Butch Vig - he of Nevermind and Siamese Dream fame - to sit behind the production desk. Since that album met with mixed reviews, the Hertfordshire trio seem to have been slowly dwindling in popularity; for those still on board, though, they continued to deliver thrillingly energetic live shows when out on the road promoting their Stephen Street-produced third LP, Money and Celebrity. Frontman Billy Lunn continues to do the work of two guitarists on his own, whilst his chemistry with bassist and backing vocalist Charlotte Cooper - also his on-again, off-again girlfriend - brings an edge to The Subways’ performances lacking in many of their contemporaries. With a new single, ‘My Heart Is Pumping to a Brand New Beat’, recently released, and a new record in the works for later this year, the band could be poised for a serious comeback - you can find out for yourself in October, when they embark on a mammoth 22-date tour of the UK.
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