Review by :
XFM Online - Pete Whiley

If one were to look up the word Subways-esque in a thesaurus of the future, it would probably read something like “great songs, great riffs, charismatic, sexy, no nonsense. See also sections of 22-20s-esque and Vines-when-they-are-good-esque. Antonym - Von Bondies-esque.”

The Subways are on stage for just over thirty minutes. They tear through each song at such lightning pace, there’s not even time to announce the song names. Front man Billy only pauses to thank the crowd and, on one occasion, to dedicate a song to “anyone who wants to fucking sign us”, but what he lacks in crowd interaction, he makes up with some impressive guitar work and a voice trapped somewhere between Jack White and Craig Nicholls. It’s also safe to say he won’t be needing a pummelling from the Stripes man to get the public’s attention.

What makes the Subways such a potent force is that they don’t just rely on the brilliance of Billy to carry them through, bass player Mary and drummer Josh have enough classy tricks up their own sleeves. Mary plays like a chick on speed and thanks to some determined head banging, with her hair obscuring her face, she can sometimes resemble a rocking Cousin It. Josh, meanwhile, has the most primitive looking drum kit in the world but thankfully his technique is more Dave Grohl than Meg White.

Their songs rarely break the three minute barrier and each one is a wonderful slice of bluesy, garage rock. “Rock n’roll queen” in particular is just waiting to receive the ‘single of the week’ accolade from NME, though it has to be said the demo recording of that song does not, in any way whatsoever, capture the intensity of the live performance. Their music deserves a lot better treatment.

It’s as if the organisers had mistakenly put the headlining act on first, the thought of any band trying to follow these guys just seemed absurd. If The Subways are left to fade away unnoticed it will be the saddest moment in music since Johnny Borrell learned guitar.

SOMEBODY SIGN THIS BAND.