U.K. Subs
Charlie Harper was roundly lambasted during the punk heyday of
1977 for being too old. Unfortunately, 20 years on, this is an
undisputed fact.
Riot
October 1997
Q Magazine
Maybe Harper and chums could have mellowed,
their bombastic politicising and hell-raising growing old
gracefully as they moved into tight protest songs, but no.
Riot's sprawling chantalong simplicity could have been created
at any time since the Subs' inception. Like their hit singles
of yore, Stranglehold and Tomorrow's Girls, they play three-minute
three chorders which rely heavily on the Harper harangue and some
flat-footed harmonies. Musically The U.K. Subs chug on in first gear,
original line up almost intact, bemoaning the facts that Power Corrupts,
Human Rights are tricky and a Chemical War might be dangerous.
Certainly
laudable in its lamenting but pretty laughable in its delivery.
Reviewed by Dave Henderson