Subways Preview

The Subways
Empty Bottle, Chicago
Tuesday, March 14, 2006

The garage rock revolution came and went; nice to meet ya. So why are some bands still hanging around? Well, the U.K. press won’t do ya no harm.

The Subways don’t want you to think they swim in the wake of either The Mooney Suzuki or The Hellacopters. Blistering rock ‘n’ roll might adapt to bell-bottoms revivals but will also shed them just as quickly. American, Stooges-flavored rock still goes a mile, so for this English trio the stress is on the ssssssssssuh! in Subways.

Standout single “Rock & Roll Queen” is a tasty slice of the pie, a celebration of the trashy babe that’ll stomp on your heart. On Young For Eternity, The Subways never wanna say die (“I Don’t Wanna Hear What You Have Got To Say,” “Oh Yeah”), but even they seem to tire of the sentiment. “She Sun” arrives just before the end as a drifting, minor-key rumination that’s utterly out of place. But by the time “Somewhere” bolts in to usher the album out with threatening cross of Cocteau Twins and Nirvana, you’ve forgotten it and can go on living.

The Shys open.

— Steve Forstneger

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly