From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Subway Sect
Subway Sect
Subway Sect As a result of 1977 appearances at The Roxy club in
London, live recordings were made of Subway Sect per-
Origin London, England formances by Don Letts, the club’s disc jockey. Subway
Genres Punk rock Sect appears in Letts’ Punk Rock Movie (1978).
Years active 1976–1980
The middle years
Subway Sect were one of the original British punk bands.
Godard put together the pieces, and Subway Sect mark 2
Their influence was limited by the very small amount of
was formed, and the band finally released their first al-
recorded material they released.
bum What’s the Matter, Boy? in 1980. The album features
many songs written during the previous incarnation of
The early days the band, but performed with radically altered arrange-
ments.
The core of the band was singer/songwriter, Vic Godard,
By this time, Godard had become increasingly influ-
plus assorted soul fans, who congregated around early
enced by early rockabilly, and the "first wave" of rock
gigs by the Sex Pistols until Malcolm McLaren suggested
and roll (Sun Records session era Elvis Presley, Eddie
they formed their own band.[citation needed]
Cochran etc.). This was just a few years before the rocka-
Subway Sect were among the performers at the 100
billy revival, and the album was ignored as being ’retro’.
Club Punk Festival on Monday, 21 September 1976 - shar-
Ignoring this, Godard then went even further back in
ing the bill with Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Clash and
time, and later releases showed the influence of the "rat
the Sex Pistols. The first lineup of Godard on vocals, Paul
pack" (Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra), and even swing
Packham on drums, Paul Myers on bass and Rob Sym-
bands of the 1940s, many years before these sounds be-
mons on guitar lasted for 4 gigs before Mark Laff replaced
came fashionable. Facing dwindling sales, Godard left the
Packham. Laff himself would leave for fellow punk group
music business and became a postman.
Generation X after the White Riot tour. A third drummer,
In 1982, former Subway Sect members - guitarist Rob
Bob Ward, was recruited, and it is this lineup that can be
Marche, keyboardist Dave Collard, bassist Chris Bostock
heard on the band’s first John Peel session and also on the
and drummer Sean McLusky - teamed up with American
single "Nobody’s Scared". This was the first and only re-
singer, Dig Wayne and formed the band Jo Boxers which
lease on Braik Records, a label owned by Bernie Rhodes,
had two UK Top 10 hits.
who managed both Subway Sect and The Clash. Rhodes
subsequently supervised the recording of their debut al-
bum at Gooseberry Studios in London, with Clash sound The revival
man and producer Mickey Foote at the production helm.
However, in the 1990s a slow Godard revival began.
At that time the band toured intensively with The Clash
Backed by the re-release of his work on CD and numerous
and others.
compilation albums, (notably Motion Records’ 20 Odd
However, just as their first album was ready for re-
Years...The Story of...., and Singles Anthology) Godard has re-
lease, for reasons that remain obscure, Rhodes sacked all
cently returned to recording. He released a new album
the band (except Godard) and Subway Sect mark 1 ceased
Long Term Side Effect (Motion) in 1998, and a single on
to exist. The album was never released, although a sin-
the Glasgow record label Creeping Bent, with more work
gle from the sessions "Ambition" was released on Rough
promised.
Trade Records, with the B-side "Different Story (Rock and
The 21st century has seen Godard unable to progress
Roll Even)" also taken from the same sessions. A further
from his cult status setting, but in 2002 a CD was issued
track "Parallel Lines" was released as a track on the C81
credited purely to the Subway Sect, thus reviving the
cassette produced by NME magazine. Since then, some
name, if not the original band. Named Sansend, it was a
monitor copies of tracks from the lost album have come
sample and beats heavy collection of new songs, and it
to light on various Subway Sect compilations, including
was followed three years later by Motion’s Singles Anthol-
a Motion Records’ "20 Odd Years" 2CD anthology, and a
ogy, which collected all single A & B sides.
CD & CD/EP set "We Oppose All Rock And Roll" on Over-
Plans were reported that Godard was working on
ground Records. Any copies of the actual album tapes ap-
songs for the musical to be called "Blackpool", but this
pear to no longer exist (rumored to have been flooded).
was abandoned as the series used original 1960s and
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Subway Sect
1970s recordings, which were mimed to by the stage ac- • "Ambition" b/w "A Different Story" (1978 Rough
tors.[citation needed] Trade RT007)
Original Subway Sect guitarist and bass player, Rob • Ambition EP (1996), Overground
Symmons and Paul Myers resurfaced as The Fallen Leaves
in 2004, although Myers has since quit the band.
In 2007 Vic Godard and a different band released
See also
"1978 Now", which rerecorded the original 1978 album • Chris Bostock
as (as Godard indicated) they originally sounded when • JoBoxers
recorded for the lost album. • List of bands from Bristol
• The Stingrays
Discography
External links
Albums • Info, Live dates and ongoing archive on Vic Godard &
• Sansend (2002), Motion the Subway Sect
• 1978 Now (2007), Overground • Motion Records-Vic Godard homepage
Compilations • Subway Sect
• We Oppose All Rock ’n’ Roll (1996), Overground • Discography
• Subway Sect biography at AMG website
Singles
• "Nobody’s Scared" b/w "Don’t Split It" (1978 Braik)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subway_Sect"
Categories: English punk rock groups, Music from Bristol, England
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