Tuesday 14^th October 2008 @ Academy, Bristol
With Support From: The Volt, Them Is Me

Tonight the Academy is bracing itself for a rock riot of epic proportions as The Subways bring their latest tour back to our wondrous city. With two support acts, apparently chosen by The Subways themselves, we start off with indie outfit The Volt. These guys didn’t particularly wow me the first time I saw them live last year at the Louisiana, but I figured I would give them another shot. Unfortunately, not much has changed. They are a well practiced and fairly entertaining band in a smaller, more intimate setting, but on a big stage their music just seems a bit lost. With not too many tracks making much of an impact on me, I couldn’t quite see where The Subways were heading by choosing them if indeed they did; however, The Volt seem to have a following in Bristol and I can see why, as they have a nice blend of harmless, soft indie with a bit of a pop edge.

Second up were the mighty Them Is Me. Made up of two former members of Reef and two new guys, Them Is Me are pure rock to the core. Gary Stringer’s voice and posture was instantly distinguishable and it was an instant pleasure to see this man back on stage where he belongs. The other members of his band turned out to be just as entertaining, playing to the crowd and gurning their way through a blinding support set. The only problem was that the crowd did not seem to know what to make of it; they were completely unresponsive and seemed a bit taken aback by the music and performance. I can’t tell if I enjoyed hearing Mr Stringers voice again or the material from this band but I certainly enjoyed their set.

Finally after a wonderfully seductive intro, The Subways literally tore up the Academy from the moment they stepped on stage; they are simply electrifying to see live I can’t describe it any other way. I was so surprised at the amount of energy and enjoyment they put into their set. Charlotte cannot stand still for more than a few seconds before zipping up and down the stage between singing. She and Billy dominate the stage and had the crowd eating out of their hands by the second song. As soon as it came time for the glorious Oh Yeah, the crowd’s singing was almost sounding like a football stadium.

I get the feeling The Subways play every gig as if it were their last and due to this, the amount of enthusiasm and energy they give out is given straight back from the audience. The climax of the gig saw Billy crowd surf from the stage all the way to the side bar to pick up a sneaky beer and then carried back again for the rest of the encore. If anyone wants to see a live band at their best and want to carelessly rock out for a night go and see The Subways. You will not regret it!

New album All Or Nothing is out now.

www.thesubways.net

Stu Freeman