The
U.K. Subs
were always at their best when they were at their most elemental, and the stage was where they were most at home, not the recording studio. Fittingly,
the Subs
had only released two studio efforts when they brought out
Crash Course
, which documents a May 1980 gig the group played at London's Rainbow Theatre, though they might have been prompted by the unexpected appearance of
Live Kicks
, a live EP taken from tapes of a 1977 show that predated their recording contract and released without their authorization. After
fared well on the charts,
the U.K. Subs
easily proved they could do better, and if it's hard to say if this is the definitive
live release (given how many have flooded the market in the band's nearly 40-year career), this captures the sound and fury of this band's no-frills street punk with rough, energetic accuracy, and was recorded in the presence of an audience eager to cheer on the band to deliver the goods.
Charlie Harper
's vocals may lack nuance, but he's as good a ranter as the U.K. street punk scene ever produced, and he sounds suitably revved up on this particular evening, while guitarist
Nicky Garratt
, bassist
Paul Slack
, and drummer
Pete Davies
keep the music fast, furious, and raw from first chord to last. Quite simply, if you want to hear what
were like in concert during the height of their success and the peak of their abilities, this is the album to get. ~ Mark Deming