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
Mary
The Subways Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She makes me my tea
She let's me stay around her place
When there's nowhere else to be
There's nothing in her bedroom
Just a bed and a TV
And it's okay for men aware
Just sit and drink my tea
Im so lonely
I ain't done much lately
When you come looking
You'll find me sleeping soundly
Mary
Mary keeps me smiling
Even when I'm down
She let's me stay around her place
When there's no-one else around
There's nothing in her bedroom
Just a bed and a TV
And it's okay for men aware
Just sit and drink my tea
I'm so lazy
I ain't done much lately
When you come looking
You'll find me sleeping soundly
And when she comes around
She says I always look so down
And yeah, she's always right
She makes me feel alright
Im so lazy,
I ain't done much lately
When you come looking
You'll find me sleeping soundly
Mary
The Subways' song, Mary, is a tribute to a friend who offers the singer, who is feeling lonely and down, comfort and companionship. The singer describes Mary as their best friend and details the simple pleasures they share, such as making tea together and watching TV in Mary's sparsely furnished bedroom. The singer admits to being lazy lately and sleeping more than they should, but Mary's presence makes them feel better.
The song conveys a sense of gratitude and warmth for a friend who provides emotional support without judgment or expectation. Mary's kindness seems to transcend a typical friendship, and the singer relies on her to ward off their feelings of loneliness and lethargy. Through Mary's presence, the singer feels seen and accepted, despite their flaws and lack of productivity.
Overall, Mary is a sweet, straightforward song about the importance of human connection and the power of friendship to ease difficult emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Mary is my best friend
The singer has a close relationship with someone named Mary.
She makes me my tea
Mary performs small acts of kindness for the singer.
She let's me stay around her place
When there's nowhere else to be
The singer feels welcome in Mary's home and turns to her in times of need.
There's nothing in her bedroom
Just a bed and a TV
And it's okay for men aware
Just sit and drink my tea
Mary's lack of possessions highlights her selflessness and the simple pleasures of spending time together.
I'm so lonely
I ain't done much lately
When you come looking
You'll find me sleeping soundly
Mary
The artist is going through a period of isolation and Mary provides a sense of comfort and security.
Mary keeps me smiling
Even when I'm down
Mary's presence brings joy to the singer, even in difficult times.
There's no-one else around
Mary is a consistent source of support for the singer, filling a void in their life.
And when she comes around
She says I always look so down
And yeah, she's always right
She makes me feel alright
Mary is perceptive and knows how to lift the artist's mood.
Im so lazy,
I ain't done much lately
When you come looking
You'll find me sleeping soundly
Mary
The artist has been unproductive and Mary offers a safe haven where they can rest and recharge.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ASTON MERRYGOLD, CARL MORGAN, JONATHAN GILL, MARVIN HUMES, OMAR ADIMORA, ORITSE WILLIAMS, RYAN MUNROE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind