wears the trousers magazine

The Subways
All Or Nothing ••••
Infectious

The Subways’ ascent from playing the back rooms of pubs to firing up stadiums was a swift escalation, boosted by a whirlwind of media buzz and the golden hand of Michael Eavis who raised the band’s profile through the Glastonbury Festival Unsigned Performers competition. Not bad for two teenage brothers and a girlfriend, and all this before an album.

The 2005 Ian Broudie-produced debut Young For Eternity did nothing to slow down or dispel the hype, and it wasn’t long before the band were featured on ‘The OC’ and reaching high in the mainstream charts. The fresh, raw punk-pop of their debut is so catchy, so perfectly formed and energy-filled that expectations for a follow-up must have been a huge pressure. And, indeed, the band had a lot to contend with during the making of All Or Nothing. Billy Lunn suffered nodules on his vocal cords requiring surgery and a four-month rehabilitation period, and he and co-vocalist/bassist Charlotte Cooper broke off their five-year relationship. For the band to even survive at all was a miracle, and so All Or Nothing became an apt title for their make-or-break sophomore effort.

Happily, The Subways seem to have weathered it all magnificently, and the album barely seems to reflect the bad times. In fact, it is as positive, fresh and powerful as its predecessor, while simultaneously displaying a new level of maturity. And proven success means bigger record label financing – this time around the band were dispatched to California to record with producer Butch Vig, whose style perfectly complements the heavy rock guitar sounds and melodic vocals. 

The aggressive first single ‘Girls & Boys’ is an excellent choice to announce without hesitation that the trio have not softened in the three years between albums. Subtlety and posturing isn’t the order of the day, thankfully, and tracks like ‘Shake! Shake!’ honestly embrace a great pop sound, while ‘Obsession’ is a genuinely emotional post-breakup song without pretence.

Whether the sound is rocky (‘I Won’t Let You Down’), upbeat and poppy (‘Kalifornia’) or heartfelt (‘Strawberry Blonde’), the one thing all the tracks have in common is passion. The Subways really mean what they are doing, and that this sense remains despite what they’ve been through is a testament to how important the band and music is to them. Their return is just what the music scene needs: confidence without swagger, maturity with a garage ethos, and a genuine passion for life.

Stephanie Heney
UK release date: 30/06/08

‘Girls & Boys’