Subway Sect were one of the first British

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

bands. Although their commercial success was limited by the small amount of recorded material they released, they have been credited as highly influential on the

Postcard Records Postcard Records is a British, Glasgow-based, independent record label founded by Alan Horne in 1979, as a vehicle for releases by Orange Juice and Josef K. The label's motto was "The Sound of Young Scotland", a parody/tribute to the Motown mot ...

scene and the

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...

genre which followed.

Career

Early days

The core of the band was singer-songwriter,

Vic Godard Vic Godard (born Victor John Napper) is an English singer-songwriter formerly of the punk group Subway Sect. He is now also a solo performer, while continuing to appear with various incarnations of Subway Sect. Biography Born Victor John Napper ...

, plus assorted

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

fans, who congregated around early

gig Gig or GIG may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Gig'' (Circle Jerks album) (1992) * ''Gig'' (Northern Pikes album) (1993) * ''The Gig'', a 1985 film written and directed by Frank D. Gilroy * GIG, a character in ''Hot Wheels AcceleRacers'' ...

s by the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

until Malcolm McLaren suggested they form their own band. Subway Sect were among the performers at the 100 Club Punk Festival on Monday, 21 September 1976 – sharing the bill with

Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. ''Q'' magazine in ...

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

and the Sex Pistols. The first line-up of Godard on vocals, Paul Packham on drums, Paul Myers on bass and Rob Symmons on guitar lasted for four gigs before

Mark Laff Mark Laff (born Mark Red Laffoley; 19 May 1958) is a retired English drummer and former member of several rock bands, including Generation X. Early life and career Mark Red Laffoley was born on 19 May 1958 at Barnet General Hospital, at Chip ...

replaced Packham. Laff himself then left for fellow punk group

Generation X Generation X (or Gen X for short) is the Western world, Western demographic Cohort (statistics), cohort following the baby boomers and preceding the millennials. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1960s as starting birth years a ...

after the White Riot tour. A third drummer, Bob Ward, was recruited, and it is this line-up that can be heard on the band's first

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

session and also on the single "Nobody's Scared". This was the first and only release on Braik Records, a label owned by

Bernie Rhodes Bernard Rhodes is a designer, band manager, studio owner, record producer and songwriter who was integral to the development of the punk rock scene in the United Kingdom from the middle 1970s. He is most associated with two of the UK's best kn ...

, who managed both Subway Sect and

. Rhodes subsequently supervised the

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

of their debut album at Gooseberry Studios in London, with Clash sound man and producer Mickey Foote at the production helm. At that time the band toured extensively with The Clash and others. However, just as their first album was ready for release, for reasons that remain obscure, Rhodes sacked all the band (except Godard) and Subway Sect mark 1 ceased to exist. The album was never released, although a single from the sessions "Ambition" was remixed and released on

Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. Having successfully promoted and sold records by punk rock and early post-pun ...

, with the B-side "Different Story (Rock and Roll Even)" also taken from the same sessions. "Ambition" was ranked at No. 15 among the top "Tracks of the Year" for 1978 by ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

''. A further track "Parallel Lines" was released as a track on the '' C81'' cassette produced by ''

'' magazine. Since then, some monitor copies of tracks from the lost album have come to light on various Subway Sect compilations, including a Motion Records' ''20 Odd Years''

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...

anthology, and a CD and CD/EP set ''We Oppose All Rock And Roll'' on Overground Records. Any copies of the actual album tapes appear to no longer exist. As a result of 1977 appearances at

The Roxy Roxy, Roxey, and Roxie may refer to: People * Roxy (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name Places in the United States * Roxie, Mississippi, a town * Roxie, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Music * Roxy ...

club in London, live recordings were made of Subway Sect performances by Don Letts, the club's disc jockey. Subway Sect appears in Letts' ''

Punk Rock Movie ''The Punk Rock Movie'' (also known as ''The Punk Rock Movie from England'') is a British 1978 film that was assembled from Super 8 camera footage shot by Don Letts, the disc jockey at The Roxy club during the early days of the UK punk rock ...

'' (1978).

Middle years

Godard reformed the band and as 'Vic Godard and Subway Sect' finally released their debut album ''What's the Matter, Boy?'' in 1980, following a period of shifting group personnel. The album features many songs written during the previous incarnation of the band, but performed with radically altered arrangements. By this time, Godard had become increasingly influenced by early

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...

, and the "first wave" of

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

(

Sun Records Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee in February 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny C ...

session era

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

Eddie Cochran Ray Edward Cochran (; October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an American rock and roll musician. Cochran's songs, such as " Twenty Flight Rock", "Summertime Blues", " C'mon Everybody" and " Somethin' Else", captured teenage frustration and desir ...

etc.). This was just before the rockabilly revival, and the album was ignored as being '

retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...

'. Ignoring this, Godard then went further back in time, teaming up with guitarist Rob Marche, keyboardist Dave Collard, bassist

Chris Bostock Chris Bostock is an English musician, songwriter and music producer, known for his work with JoBoxers, Subway Sect, Dave Stewart and the Spiritual Cowboys, The Style Council, Spear of Destiny, The X-Certs and The Stingrays. Bostock has a ...

and drummer Sean McLusky with subsequent releases (inc. ''Songs for Sale'' – credited to Vic Godard ''and The Subway Sect''), showing the influence of the "

rat pack The Rat Pack was an informal group of entertainers, the second iteration of which ultimately made films and appeared together in Las Vegas casino venues. They originated in the late 1940s and early 1950s as a group of A-list show business frie ...

" (

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

), and 1940s swing, many years before these sounds became fashionable again. Faced by dwindling sales and following a solo album (''T.R.O.U.B.L.E.'') backed by Working Week, Godard left the

music business The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

and became a

postman A mail carrier, mailman, mailwoman, postal carrier, postman, postwoman, or letter carrier (in American English), sometimes colloquially known as a postie (in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom), is an employee of a post ...

. In 1982, former Subway Sect members – Rob Marche, Dave Collard,

and Sean McLusky – teamed up with American singer Dig Wayne and formed the band

Jo Boxers JoBoxers are a British new wave group formed in 1982, when former Subway Sect members Rob Marche (guitarist), Dave Collard (keyboardist), Chris Bostock (bassist), and Sean McLusky (drummer), teamed up with England-based American singer Dig Wa ...

Revival

In the 1990s a slow Godard revival began. Backed by the re-release of his work on CD and numerous compilation albums, Godard returned to recording, initially under his own name. In 2002, a CD was issued credited purely to Subway Sect, thus reviving the name, if not the original band. Named ''Sansend'', it was a

sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of s ...

and beats heavy collection of new songs, and it was followed three years later by Motion's ''Singles Anthology'', which collected single A and B sides. Original Subway Sect guitarist and bass player, Rob Symmons and Paul Myers resurfaced as

The Fallen Leaves The Fallen Leaves are a British garage rock group that formed in Richmond, London in 2004. The group was formed by Rob Symmons (dustbin guitar) and Rob Green (vocals) with Paul Myers (bass). The current line-up features drummer Brett Buddy A ...

in 2004, although Myers has since quit the band. Rob Symmons still performs and records with the band. In 2007, a new Subway Sect (featuring on some recordings original members Mark Laff and Paul Myers, as well as former

drummer

Paul Cook Paul Thomas Cook (born 20 July 1956) is an English drummer and member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He was also called "Cookie" by his friends on the punk music scene. Early life and career Cook was raised in Hammersmith and atte ...

) released ''1978 Now'', a re-make of the original 1978 album as, Godard indicated, it had originally sounded. In 2011, Myers rejoined Vic Godard and Subway Sect permanently; his first official gig back was at Nambucca in London on 28 October 2011. Further vintage material was recorded in 2012 – again with Paul Cook on drums – and released in 2014 as ''1979 Now''. As of 2019, the current Subway Sect line-up of Godard and Johnny Britton with a returned Chris Bostock and Sean McLusky has a new album ''Moments Like These'' due for release in 2020, produced by Mick Jones and previewed by single "How High The Walls" out on 25 December that year.

Selected discography

Albums

*''What's the Matter Boy?'' (1980), Oddball/MCA (as ''Vic Godard and Subway Sect'') *''Songs For Sale'' (1982), London *''The End of the Surrey People'' (1993), Postcard *''Sansend'' (2002), Motion *''1978 Now'' (2007), Overground *''Long Term side Effect'' (2009) Rough Trade *''We Come As Aliens'' (2010), Overground *''1979 Now'' (2014), AED *''Moments Like These'' (2020), GNU

Compilations

*''A Retrospective (1977–1981)'' (1984), Rough Trade (as ''Vic Godard and the Subway Sect'') *''We Oppose All Rock 'n' Roll (1976–1980)'' (1996), Overground *''Twenty Odd Years – The Story Of'' (1999), Motion (as ''Vic Godard and the Subway Sect'') *''Singles Anthology'' (2005), Motion (''as Vic Godard and Subway Sect'') *''Live and Rare, Vol 1'' (2011), Gnu Inc *''30 Odd Years'' (2014), Gnu Inc

Singles

* "Nobody's Scared" b/w "Don't Split It" (1978), Braik * "Ambition" b/w "A Different Story" (1978), Rough Trade * "Split Up the Money" b/w "Out of Touch" (1980), Oddball/MCA (as ''Vic Godard and Subway Sect'') * "Stamp of a Vamp" (1981), Club Left (as ''Vic Godard and The Subway Sect'') * "Hey Now (I'm in Love)" b/w "Just in Time", "Mr Bennett" (1981), London (as ''Vic Godard and The Subway Sect'') *''Ambition'' EP (1996), Overground * "Find Out All The Time" b/w "Dead Dreamy" (2016), GNU * "How High The Walls" (2019), GNU

References

Sources

External links

Vic Godard and the Subway Sect official Homepage - Info, Live dates, DiscographyMotion Records site inc. Vic Godard homepageSubway Sect biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sect, The Subway English punk rock groups English post-punk music groups Musical groups from London Musical groups established in 1976 Musical groups disestablished in 1982 Musical groups reestablished in 2002