Use The Subways

IT was the late and legendary John Peel who first brought The Subways to the nation’s attention after he gave their 1am single a spin on his BBC Radio 1 show back in 2004.

The trio of Billy Lunn, Charlotte Cooper and Josh Morgan went on to become darlings of the indie world, carving out an enviable reputation for their live show and scoring four Top 30 hits over the course of three studio albums.

Their latest, Money & Celebrity, was released at the tail end of last year to rave reviews.

The album was produced by Stephen Street, the man behind Blur’s Parklife, among other classics, and drummer Morgan reckons it encapsulates all that’s good about the band.

“It’s a poppy, rocky album with a lot of grit and emotion involved, a little bit of punk in there,” he explains ahead of The Subways’ visit to Liquid Room on Sunday. “Hard-hitting, grit your teeth, get your head down and rock out.

“It’s quite lyrical as well – Billy wrote the lyrics before he wrote the melodies of the songs, which we’ve never done before, and it’s worked out for the better for us,” he adds.

Blonde, bass-playing bombshell Cooper adds that it’s a great record to play live. “We spent quite a lot of time in the rehearsal room working on songs for this album, and spent the whole time while recording desperate to be back out on tour,” she says. “So I think that’s why the album has such an energetic sound and the songs instantly translate to a live set.”

While their studio output has been impressive during their eight-year career, live, The Subways are an entirely different proposition.

It’s a reputation the band are keen to live up to when they return to the Capital this weekend.

“I think that it’s really important to take the music somewhere else, to not play it the same as on the record so that people will have a different connection when they come and see it live,” says Cooper.

And being on stage every night is still what drives them. “It’s awesome for us,” she says. “Wherever we go, if we’ve got people to play to, that’s just amazing for us.”

The Subways, Liquid Room, Victoria Street, Sunday, 7pm, £12, www.theliquidroom.com

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