Twenty Three studio albums plus seventeen live albums (from A-Z and beyond), thousands of live performances, countless band members and one legacy that will undoubtedly outlive us all. When they announced they were calling time on touring I think it’s fair to say many didn’t believe it or took it for granted it would never be an issue. When that day arrived I guess it seemed like a no brainer to document the final fling and capturing the current line up in full flight was a no brainer. I caught them earlier on the tour and they were on fire, in fine fettle firing on all cylinders its fair to say. When this album news dropped I was delighted to hear they had indeed captured the fire, fury and quality of what they’d been delivering night after night on this tour.
UK Subs have seen it all, done it all, and conquered all, becoming one of the most well-respected, most loved bands to come out of the original ’77 punk rock movement. Five consecutive sold out shows at London’s epicenter for the punk rock revolution the 100 Club was chosen and it seemed fitting that this live album was recorded there. Its raw but not bootleg raw but in being left untouched they’ve captured that fire and fury from the band and Charlie is in fine voice throughout.
Thankfully, this superb finale was captured on both video and audio and is set to be released as a multimedia CD/DVD set on May 3 also there is a vinyl record of the night coming as well. Alvin Gibbs and newer members Steve Straughan and Stefan Häublein are on fire from ‘Scum Of The Earth’ they own the songs and give them a twist as well as adding their own take throughout. sometimes when line ups change songs lose a little heart and soul but that can’t be said here as the rhythm section give the songs energy and a beating soul whilst Steve Straughans guitar rips some of these classics a new backside ‘New York State Police’, ‘Warhead’, ‘Tomorrows Girls’ are all owned and sound fresh and exciting and its that energy that shines throughlike a burning sun.
The banter is left in which shows that the band having fun is a vital ingredient and them having fun is infectious. I’ll miss the annual Subs tour but I’ll make the effort to travel if need be to see them play for the umpteenth time.
The Last Will and Testament is a fitting live full stop for one of the finest bands from the genre, make no mistake about that and if you were on the tour or at the 100 club or if you missed out quite simply buy it!
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Author: Dom Daley
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