UK SUBS & MENACE
SUB 89 READING
Monday nights are the most depressing night of the week, but on this rare occasion in Reading Berkshire, it genuinely felt like the Friday before a bank holiday. UK SUBS are embarking on their final “full” tour of Europe, and tonight is one of the very few that isn’t sold out. First up are 77 originals Menace, who treat their thirty minutes and first ever gig in Reading like a headline slot and with classic cuts such as ‘Screwed Up’ and ‘GLC’, it’s not hard to see why. As entertaining as Menace are, it’s Charlie Harper that everyone is here to witness in the flesh for possibly one last time (unless you go to Rebellion, of course). Not that Charlie is some elusive rock god hiding out in the dressing room; nope, before the Subs set, he’s out front perched on a bar stool nursing a lager, shaking hands and listening to stories. The rest of the band was also readily accessible before the gig holed up in the local Wetherspoons, and it’s these little clicks that help bring a sense of community to the night. The Subs bully off with ‘Scum Of The Earth’, ‘Rockers’ and a very apt ‘Barbie’s Dead’. The band are tight, and Charlie Harper doesn’t seem to have aged a day in the last twenty years. If you think at seventy-nine he’d be slowing down, then think again as the band pile drives through a career-defining set. The biggest reactions are saved for those songs we all know and love, and while this is definitely not a greatest hits walk-through, the GNR covered ‘Down On The Farm’ remains a complete udder fucker of a cut. Alvin Gibbs’s bass intro to ‘Warhead’ is a timeless reminder of the understated power the Subs still possess, while ‘Tomorrow’s Girls’ is street urchin punch ‘n’ roll of the highest order. For those who have followed this iconic band throughout the decades, this tour must be like all their Christmases and nightmares, beautifully entwined into one gloriously reflective evening: but, hey, we all know nothing ever lasts forever as ‘Stranglehold’, ‘C.I.D’ and ‘I Live In A Car’ smash crash and bash us towards the curfew. Five six seven, eight nine ten, you want more, (well sadly) they may not do it again.
The full list of the remaining live dates on this tour is as follows;
14: Milton Keynes – Craufurd Arms – SOLD OUT
15: Leeds – Brudenell Club – SOLD OUT
16: Derby – Hairy Dog
TICKETS: https://www.gigantic.com/uk-subs-the-hairy-dog-derby-tickets
17: Blackpool – Waterloo – SOLD OUT
21: Norwich – Waterfront
TICKETS: https://www.seetickets.com/event/uk-subs-final-tour-/the-waterfront/2575649
22: Birmingham – o2 Academy 2
TICKETS: https://www.academymusicgroup.com/o2academybirmingham/events/1408637/uk-subs-final-tour-tickets
23: Newcastle – Northeast Calling Festival
TICKETS: https://louderthanwar.com/shop/tickets/north-east-calling-festival-2023-copy/
24: Edinburgh – La Belle Angele
TICKETS: https://432presents.seetickets.com/event/uk-subs/la-belle-angele/2571225
28: London – 100 Club – SOLD OUT
28: London – 100 Club – SOLD OUT
29: London – 100 Club – SOLD OUT
30: London – 100 Club – SOLD OUT
For more UK SUBS Information, head to
https://www.uksubstimeandmatter.net/
For more Menace information, head over to
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063512474191