News

Gig review-The Subways, Keele University

On Saturday the Subways played at Keele University as part of their All or Nothing tour.

When you attend a gig, what is it that you are looking for? If you want dumb fun, a band with the energy of a marathon runner and a lead singer that can orchestrate an audience into a fervent frenzy, then the Subways will give it you and then some.

The band have just released their second album All or Nothing, a collection of emo tinged rock tracks that flicker with excitement, but ultimately sound much of a much ness. The Subways fans would not subscribe to that opinion. As soon as the band took the stage and stroke the opening riff to Kalifornia, the mosh pit is heaving as youngsters go mental believing this band have something to say.

The question is though have The Subways got anything to say? For all their posturing and whipping the crowd into an uncontrolled delirium, the songs lack an emotional punch; their lyrics tend to be vacuous and indistinct.

Charging through the set it was hard to differentiate one song from another unless you were a hardcore Subways fan who certainly made their presence felt. They lapped up lead singer Billy Lunn’s engaging manner. Lunn had until recently dated bassist Charlotte Cooper, there was no noticeable tension on stage as Cooper seemed amused by Lunn’s clichéd crowd patter.

For the shows climax they played signature tune Rock n Roll Queen, it is by far their most complete song, on the whole this gig was too fluffy a case of style over substance. If the band starts writing songs to compare with their showmanship then they would be serious contenders to the title of best live band in Britain. As the album title says it’s all or nothing now for the Subways if they are to become more than just something.