UK Subs @ Citrus Club, Edinburgh 4th November 2011
The UK Subs have just started a nationwide tour supporting rock legends Motorhead, but tonight they had a night off. So what did they do? Kick back and relax, have a pleasant game of scrabble, watch a travel documentary? No, they decided to play a gig in the intimate surroundings of Edinburgh’s Citrus Club. After all, playing live is what the Subs do best!
There was no support band tonight, so Charlie mustered the troops with a quiet “Are we ready?” and off they went, launching first of all into “Endangered Species”. The packed club started jumping immediately even with no initial warm up to get them going, as Charlie & the boys played four songs in quick succession with no breaks for a breather.
A quick adjustment to the sound and then straight into the familiar tribal beat of the anthem “Rockers” and the whole room (including the Anti-Nowhere League who had come along to enjoy the night off too) joined in with the chorus.
Bryan (owner of The Citrus Club) topped up the Red Stripe supplies and the band leapt right into “Keep On Running (Till You Burn)”. “Creation” followed with Alvin jumping about like a mad man and using every inch of available space on the small stage to create some shapes! The set carried on at its fast, furious and relentless pace, there were a couple of feedback issues, but these were soon resolved and the energy continued through “Bitter and Twisted”, “Down on The Farm” and “This Chaos” from the new album, “Work in Progress”. I have to say it was the first time I’ve ever felt hot in the Citrus Club (I’m convinced it’s haunted!), the Subs were really making the walls vibrate and the whole place was buzzing.
“Tomorrow’s Girls” got everyone singing along, and then Charlie started in on “Warhead” – a song as relevant today as when it was first written. From my perch in the corner at the back all I could see was a forest of raised arms and the band disappeared from view entirely – wish I was taller sometimes. Charlie stopped singing and got the audience to take over the vocals behind his sort of rapping bit to the incessant beat of Jamie’s drums, before Alvin & Jet came bursting back in and Charlie jumped about like a teenager. Brilliant! The main set finished off with “Riot” and “Stranglehold” which I am convinced gets faster every time I hear it. Charlie left the stage saluting the crowd with his ever present can of Red Stripe.
After a very short pause the boys came back on the stage, Jet having taken his shirt off as tradition dictates! The encore consisted of “CID”, “I Live In A Car”, “Party in Paris” and the evening closed with “Disease”.
“Thank you, you’re brilliant!” said Charlie, and the Subs left the stage to enjoy the rest of their night off.
Review by Cat
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