Billy Lunn (guitars/vocals), Charlotte Cooper (bass/vocals), Josh Morgan (drums)
They released their second album All Or Nothing on 30th June 2008 and this is preceded by the first single Alright on 16th June 2008. The first track from the album Girls & Boys was given away as a free download from the artist's site.
Beginnings
The Subways, formed in 2003, began at an early age, and currently have an average age of 21. The Subways began by playing Nirvana and punk songs in Billy and Josh's lounge, under the name of Mustardseed. They later changed their name to Platypus, and began to tour small, local venues, such as The Square in Harlow, Essex. An early CD of the band playing live was recorded at The Square which they sold at gigs.
As their reputation grew, Billy in particular became annoyed with all the different names the band were coming up with. He came up with The Subways, apparently from his days hanging out. "One of the few places where I felt I could refuge and find peace in my old town of Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England was in a subway under the roads and pavements. I would haunt there in between breaks at work and college." Feeling the most free at that time underneath the rat-race of economic town life, he thought it only appropriate to divulge this "free essence" he felt in that subway to the band, where he felt he could truly escape from the drudgery of everyday life. It was during this time that Billy formed a closer relationship with Charlotte Cooper.
Home recordings
The band released endless demos and EPs in their early days when playing the London circuit in the UK. With every batch of new songs that The Subways would compose, Billy Lunn would insist that the band record them. However, at such a young age the group had no money with which to go into a studio to record consistently with, so they came upon the idea of buying their own cheap recording system at home. Eventually, the band had their own website, http://www.thesubways.net, which Billy Lunn himself constructed and maintained, where they would put all their new songs up on the internet. Also, through the use of their own home recording system they now had roughly 8 demo's worth of songs both on the internet and being sent out to local and London promotors at various venues. The Subways then began touring in the local and London area.
Having the home recording system also proved useful for production. The band felt that it would not only benefit themselves, but other local bands who could not afford the studio prices, even in the Welwyn Garden City area. It was here, that Billy and Charlotte both stumbled upon the opportunity that would eventually prove significant for the band. "I was producing a local Welwyn Garden City band in my front lounge one day and I noticed that it was quite good so I asked if they were going to send it to any London venues, because I knew a few that would like it. They said that they were going to send it off to Michael Eavis who runs Glastonbury, and I asked why..." Michael Eavis that year was running an unsigned bands competition to play on the Other Stage, and The Subways decided that would be a great idea. "It was really just another address to send one of our CD's off to. All we wanted was to play shows and this was another great opportunity. The CD we sent off to Michael Eavis was literally one among a bunch of 30 that were being sent out to London promoters for a load of gigs we wanted to book. "We never expected the phonecall saying that we'd won and were to play Glastonbury," said Cooper on radio.
Progression
After Glastonbury, The Subways went on to play The Carling Weekend 2004 in both Reading and Leeds, and then proceeded to play their very first (self funded) tour of the UK consisting of 35 dates.
The late John Peel was the first DJ to play single "1am" on National Radio.
The band signed to City Pavement & Infectious Records in late 2004. Their first album, Young For Eternity, which was released on the 4 July 2005, was produced by Lightning Seeds frontman Ian Broudie, with their debut single "Oh Yeah" reaching number 25 in the UK Music Chart in its release week 21 March 2005.
They also appeared in the 7th episode of the third season of American drama The OC, performing "Rock & Roll Queen" and "Oh Yeah" at the show's fictional nightclub The Bait Shop. Also featured on this episode was the song "I Want To Hear What You Have Got To Say".
Some of their tracks, such as "She Sun" and "Rock & Roll Queen", are now being used on television adverts for Rimmel cosmetics featuring British supermodel Kate Moss.
The band postponed touring in April 2006 because Billy had nodules on his vocal chords. They played a "secret" gig in The Green Room in their home town of Welwyn Garden City on Friday June 16, under the alias of The Audrey Hepburns and also as support for the Foo Fighters in Manchester at the Lancashire County Cricket Ground on Sunday June 18, and have recently returned to touring, with Billy expected to make a full recovery.
In the summer of 2006 the band were opening for the co-headlining tour across North America for Taking Back Sunday and Angels & Airwaves.
On June 22, the band performed on the late night talk show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
On August 4, they performed at Lollapalooza.
The next day, August 5, they performed at Street Scene in San Diego.
On August 7, they appeared on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
On August 25, they returned to Reading and Leeds Festivals, this time on the main stage.
On the 10th of August 2007, they played at the Ripcurl Boardmasters Unleashed festival in Newquay with bands such as Funeral For A Friend and Ash
Rock & Roll Queen
The Subways Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You are the only one
The heart is blue
My heart is blue for you
Be my, be my, be my little rock and roll queen
Be my, be my, be my little rock and roll queen
You are the sun
You are the only one
You are so cool
You are so rock and roll
Be my, be my, be my little rock and roll queen
Be my, be my, be my little rock and roll queen
Be my, be my, be my little rock and roll queen
Be my, be my, be my little rock and roll queen
You are the sun
You are the only one
You are so cool
It's all so rock and roll
The lyrics to the chorus of "Rock & Roll Queen" by The Subways express a longing for a woman who embodies the spirit of rock and roll. The singer describes this woman as the sun, the only one, and so cool. The repetition of the line "be my, be my, be my little rock and roll queen" emphasizes the singer's desire to be with this woman who embodies the energy and attitude of the genre. The final line, "it's all so rock and roll," suggests that the relationship and the emotions fueling it are as intense and passionate as the music they both love.
The verses continue this theme, using the imagery of hearts, the color blue, and the notion of being "cool" to describe the singer's feelings for this woman who embodies rock and roll. The repetition of the lines "you are the sun, you are the only one" reinforces the importance of this woman to the singer.
One possible interpretation of the lyrics is that the "rock and roll queen" represents an idealized version of femininity that the singer is attracted to. This woman is confident, independent, and rebellious, embodying the freedom and energy that rock and roll music represents. By wanting this woman to be his, the singer desires to be a part of that world, to embody those qualities himself.
Line by Line Meaning
You are the sun
You are the centre of my world, the one thing that brings light and happiness to my life
You are the only one
Out of everyone in the world, you are the only one for me. There is no one else like you
The heart is blue
I am feeling sad and down without you by my side. My heart is heavy and blue with longing for you
My heart is blue for you
My heart only beats for you, and it is filled with sadness and longing without you in my life
Be my, be my, be my little rock and roll queen
Be the one who rules my heart and brings excitement and energy to my life like a rock and roll queen
You are so cool
You are amazing and unique, with a sense of style that sets you apart from everyone else
You are so rock and roll
You have the attitude and spirit that embodies the essence of rock and roll; you are effortlessly cool and confident
It's all so rock and roll
Our relationship is filled with passion and energy, just like the world of rock and roll. Everything about us is exciting and vibrant
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Charlotte Louise Cooper, Joshua Thomas Morgan, William Morgan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind