SOUNDS July 26, 1980

(BARMY) ARMY MANOEUVRES

TELL EM ABOUT THE HONEY MUMMY:
Celebration Day in Clapham last Monday, when the luxurious 101 Club was host to not only the very fast live appeaarance of the new UK subs but also the delightful debut of the Allies featuring Honey Bane (now'Donna' if you please) and ex-Subs bassist Paul Slack.
Natch Sounds was there, sheltering beneath an ocean of gob, to get these hotamundo pix of the two new outfits in action.
First up were Allies (the 'the' is optional presenting a spur-of-the-minute mini-set using the Subs gear and with no sound check (etc etc) which turned out to be immensely enjoyable. 'My Boy fights' and 'Allies Anthem' were amongst the representatives of their self-styled "3-Tone Sound", a bouncy and inteligent mix of reggae, ska and rock.
Allies (Donna - sensual vocals, Paul Slack, bass, Swift, guitar, and Steve Jones, drums) have already been recording demos for Gem so pretty plastic things of the 45rpm kind could be imminent arrivals, and they're planning to do a properly advertised unveiling at a little-known Camden Town venue with the initials MM shortly.
Next up were the nouveau Subs, who were just if not more skull-crunchingly exciting. Most of the old faithfuls have been banished from the set forever to be replaced with even more brain-blistering material like the anvil-hard 'You Don't Belong' dedicated to the thankfully absent music mess reps.
The crowd went completely ape-shit, obviously delighted to have les Subs back at a venue miniscuie enough for countless re-runs of 'The Battle Of The Mike Stands: And new bassist Alvin Gibbs should prove to be another ' energetic foil for Chas to cavort with while drummer Steve Roberts (who was eventually forced to acknowledge the gig was over after Monsiour Garrett kindly trashed his kit) came across like the physical embodiment of perpetual motion.
So what now for the Subs? No radical change in direction for sure but there has been a definite shift in the band's lyrics and arrangement which, as exrperts say, augers well for the future. The month of September sees them cruising in Europe, back for a Brit tour in mid October.
They've got a live album out in two weeks (recorded st the Rainbow recently with the old line-up) and knock off the Music Machine on August 8 with the hard sweaty graft which made their original line so goddam successful. So until then, see ya down the pub ...
DUNCAN DISORDERLY