This London, England-based band was formed in 1976 by veteran R&B singer Charlie Harper (b. David Charles Perez, 25 April 1944, London, England). The initial line-up included Nicky Garratt (guitar), Steve Slack (bass) and Rory Lyons (drums), although the latter pair were soon replaced by Paul Slack (Steve's older brother) and Pete Davies. The UK Subs specialized in shambolic sub-three-minute bursts of alcohol-driven rock 'n' roll, but lacked the image and songs of peers such as the Damned, Clash and the Sex Pistols. They did, however, attain a string of minor classic singles during the late 70s, including "I Live In A Car", "Stranglehold" and "Tomorrow's Girls". The latter two dented the lower reaches of the UK Top 40 singles chart. Both Another Kind Of Blues and Brand New Age were vintage UK Subs collections, but arguably the definitive statement came with Crash Course, which captured the band in all its chaotic glory in front of a live audience. It became their most successful chart album and biggest seller, but was the last release to feature Slack and Davies. The band's line-up has rarely been stable, with only Harper surviving each new incarnation. The arrival of Alvin Gibbs (bass) and Steve Roberts (drums) marked a change in emphasis, with the band including metal elements in their songs for the first time. Harper also had a sideline project between 1983 and 1985, Urban Dogs, who were a Stooges/MC5-influenced garage outfit. He had earlier released a solo album.
The UK Subs are still active today, but their audience, though loyal, continues to diminish. Meanwhile, Harper continues with the novel idea of releasing each new studio album with a sequential letter of the alphabet (although including 1997's Peel Sessions collection and 1999's Sub Mission compilation was perhaps cheating a little bit). Mad Cow Fever from 1991 was a sad testimony to the band's longevity, featuring an even mixture of rock 'n' roll standards and originals, without the drive and spontaneity of old. Altogether more satisfying were the more recent Quintessentials and The Revolution's Here. Whatever, at least Harper has the compensation of a large royalty cheque on which to retire following Guns N'Roses' cover version of "Down On The Farm' on 1993"s The Spaghetti Incident.
