THE SUBWAYS – MONEY AND CELEBRITY
Released 19th September 2011 (Cooking Vinyl) 

Words: Tom Willmott

Welwyn Garden City’s favourite alt rock trio have returned. The Subways are perhaps one of the more underrated guitar bands the UK has witnessed over the past five years or so but they’ve succeeded in scoring a handful of well known tunes which keep them a favourite on the live circuit. Their debut “Young For Eternity” featured an array of glorious punk pop tunes, whilst their second album “All Or Nothing” featured an expansive sound that built on their previous achievements. It was clear then the latest fan -funded record “Money and Celebrity” had a tough act to follow.

With this latest album the band have returned to a more stripped -back production similar to their debut, but this time using a lot more pop structures. It gets off to a slightly flaky start with “It’s A Party”, a rather half-hearted effort that leaves you wondering why this was chosen as the opener. But thankfully, the record picks up with latest single “We Don’t Need Money To Have A Good Time” and “Celebrity”, which sounds like a sped up version of “Banquet” by Bloc Party. There follows another sour note in the form of the diabolically titled “I Wanna Dance With You”, a flat, plodding track that only breathes into life at the end. Fortunately, the best is kept to last. “Down Our Street”, has a slightly folk punk edge and is reminiscent of Frank Turner. And there is no shortage of guitar-heavy numbers such as “Rumour” and my personal favourite “Friday”, an exquisite guaranteed live winner. (I’m sure you’ll be bitterly disappointed to know that it is not a cover of the Youtube sensation from Rebecca Black). The album draws to a close with “Leave My Side”, a punchy, upbeat tune which is a satisfying note to sign off with.

Despite my initial scepticism as to how commercial they were becoming with their sound, they’ve still managed to pull off another decent offering. Granted, this is not as strong in parts as some previous efforts, but there are still plenty of tunes that will easily go down a treat live, contributing to an impressive setlist. Be sure to check them out on their upcoming tour, if you are up for some anthemic rock and roll.