UK SUBS
with Control, Henry And The Bleeders, Rich 'Dilenquent' Taylor, and Verny Lee.

Bedford Esquires Lev 2 Saturday 1st June 2013.

The old skool punk genre is virtually dead in Bedford, but one promoter who tries hard to massage the heart and raise the pulse of this genre of music is Kevin 'Mojo' Moseley. He tries to bring punk back to life and has for the past few years put on countless gigs in Bedford. This week he celebrates his 50th birthday and tonight, with his friends in attendance, he puts on his anniversary gig. The highlight is a show by legendary punks UK SUBS.
It's very unusual at Esquires for a touring musician to be the oldest man in the room. However, the honour tonight belongs to Mr Charlie Harper, who probably remembers a time when spectacles really were rose tinted. When the Subs formed back in that halycon year of 1976, it was the mythical time when punk was all about fun, friends and bands of companionship. Yeah right! In tow with Charlie is long time bassist Alvin Gibbs. Although steeped in the distant past, this year the Subs have released their 24th studio album. In continuation of their career in alphabetical listings, the latest offering covers the letter X and in entitled "XXIV".
As is the norm, Charlie studies and watches all the preceding acts. He wishes Mojo a "Happy birthday" and then indulges in some lively pogoing. It is rather short lived though as he is a pensioner! He even admits "I'm beginning to sweat"! I do get the distinct impression that finally 'Old Father Time' is catching up with our distinguished legend. At the start of the evening he was quite insistent about going on stage at 10 o'clock exactly (he missed it by five minutes). I always feel sorry for these older bands. They have such good material from their new album, but punk people are stuck in a rut and only want to hear the old classics. Tonight is no exception and the crowd only get vehemently animated when stuff such as "Tomorrows girls", Stranglehold" and a turbo-charged, Mojo enhanced "Warhead" are exhumed from the cobwebbed vaults of time. I suppose that I am as bad as anyone else as the only Subs song I really like is "CID" and that is saved for the inevitable encore. Guitarist Jet may give the band youthful vibrancy, but it will be a sad day when Mr Harper no longer walks the stage and in my head I can still hear 1-2-3-4!

Well he did, he turned up, that damned elusive VERNY LEE. He's not without his problems though as a few broken fingers sustained earlier in the week limit his strumming and you can see the pain etched on Verny's face. It is only marginally helped by some medicinal alcohol. The familiar words are soon inevitably spoken; "In Ireland 200 years ago some heinous crimes were committed". Ah, it's "Botany Bay", while "In 1803 we sailed out to sea", "I wish I was back home in Derry". Verny gives his best but finally concedes "my finger is f**ked"! RICH 'Dilenquent' TAYLOR, otherwise known as the bar manager of Esquires, quickly steps in for "a song for Mojo". HENRY AND THE BLEEDERS acknowledge their former "driver and manager". Even though they are only in their twenties, these homegrown stalwarts take the spirit of fifties rock 'n' roll and marry it with the ethics of punk. A cocksure attitude combined with wonderful melodic flourishes and plenty of effervescent energy. Quincy on stand up bass is allied to Miles' primitive drumming, while Julian is the all rounder of the crew. It is all relished with joyous abandon. Frontman Adam knows the band are truly up for it tonight. "It's the whole shabang" he adds. Two songs from their album "Out Of Cash, Out Of Luck, Out On Bail" are the highlights. They are "Volkswagen boogie" and, as Adam says a song about "everyone's favourite drug dealer", "Billy Whizz". "Identity" is a cover to remember.
CONTROL always impress me. Old skool punk, sometimes slightly oi, but in a positive way, never a nasty element to their songs. They are self-proclaimed "Hooligan rock 'n' roll". As usual, their frontman is excellent at 'working' a crowd, but with this party atmosphere there are no hecklers to put down tonight. Control open with everyone's mantra "Punk rock ruined my life", while "Rebellion in my blood" is "all Charlie Harper's fault". "Job to do" is dedicated to guitarist Alan who is soon to be married, but I'm not sure which member of the band is "a crab catcher on Hastings pier"! With Mojo invited on stage it is fitting that Control have a song called "The tattoos are a story of our lives". Well the birthday 'boy' certainly has a few of them!