The People!!! The People!!! The Music@The Junction 26/06/08

Term-time may be over in Cambridge, but that doesn’t mean the music scene grinds to a halt, and whilst not playing to a packed-out Junction, there was, as the night progressed, a healthy turn-up for The Music. First up though were support act Exit Calm. Heavy on guitar delay and reverb effects, they proved functional, but ultimately felt detached from the audience, never achieving the big, atmospheric sound they were clearly striving for. Lacking any kind of stage presence, the singer uncomfortably mumbled “this is a brilliant song that nobody knows about”, only for the subsequent song to be largely indistinguishable from those preceding it. Sure enough after three or four songs, I was thinking less Exit Calm, and more Exit Stage Left.

Thankfully, the main act were very soon to follow. Although entering the stage in trousers baggy enough to make Madness look twice, with his now shaven head, Robert Harvey from The Music looked less like the Madchester castaway of old, but in many ways, in spite of their Leeds roots, that’s what The Music's sound still resembles: crunching riffs from Second Coming-era Stone Roses, with the shuffling beats and dance influences of the Happy Mondays. Live, however, there’s no denying that their songs, the singles in particular, pack a real clout. They wasted no time, opening with Take The Long Road And Walk It, much to the delight of an enthusiastic crowd, and whilst Exit Calm were devoid of stage presence, Rob had it in bucketloads, deftly dancing with precision timing to the music.

Showcasing material from their new album Strength In Numbers, it was clear that whilst The Music haven’t digressed very far from their initial trajectory, they’ve added a couple of strings to their bow. The fluid bass work of both Drugs and Idle both hinted at a more new-wave direction, the former reminiscent of Blondie’s Heart Of Glass, the latter, along with Human off their first album, showing a subtler but slinkier side of the band which sorely needs to be fleshed out. Other more muscular songs from Strength In Numbers, such as the title track and The Spike were business as usual.

Still, if The Music become stuck in a rut musically, it will all have been worthwhile to have written a song as good as Getaway, saved as the penultimate song of the set, and sending the crowd into a frenzy (one diminutively-sized guy next to us making a particular idiot of himself). Finishing off the night with a wondrous version of Bleed From Within, complemented with an array of additional percussion, the band left the stage in triumph, whilst we were left to trudge into the night rain, smelling, thanks to an over-zealous crowd of Strongbow cider.

The Subways - Live at The Junction June 8th

“I wanna see you go f***ing crazy, Cambridge!” screams topless frontman and guitarist Billy. He strikes a chord and eyes the audience slightly manically. It’s clear he’s pleased to be back on the road.

And The Subways are back, touring in support of their forthcoming album “All or “Nothing.” With several setbacks, including an operation on Billy’s vocal chords, it really seems an all or nothing effort. The title track itself is full of the energy which is so characteristic of The Subways: upbeat, bold rock – simple, in-your-face and above all, fun. It’s a fantastic formula – it’s reflected in the diversity of the age ranges here tonight. Sure the fourteen-year olds are bopping around but the forty-year old men are also giving it their all.

The accessibility of The Subways’ music means that the atmosphere here tonight never falters, despite many not having heard the new material. Current single “Alright” receives a few nods but by the end of new track “I Won’t Let You Down,” the chorus is on everyone’s lips. “Shake! Shake!” is so catchy that it’s frustratingly familiar from the opening bass line to the chorus during which Charlotte lends her vocals, as she does far more regularly on the new record.

It’s been three years since The Subways’ first effort “Young For Eternity”, a fact of which they’re evidently very conscious. “I don’t know if any of you remember it” says Billy. But there’s no need as the crowd goes wild. “I Want To Hear What You’ve Got To Say” invokes a mass crowd sing-along. The hyper kids at the front even attempt to mosh to “Mary,” which is jaunty enough to dance to, but with a chorus that consists of the lyrics “I’m so lonely,” it doesn’t seem to quite warrant full-scale headbanging.

It seems a short while before it’s encore time. With just a guitar, Billy walks onto stage and strums out the beginning of new track “Strawberry Blonde”, before Charlotte and drummer Josh join him for the chorus. Next up, “Girls and Boys”, a rock track with a riff to demolish buildings to, followed by the immensely popular “Rock and Roll Queen.” The crowd are left euphorically chanting the words.

The Subways gave us all the energy they could give. And Cambridge did indeed go crazy for them.