After rocking the main stage at last year’s Sziget Festival, the UK’s The Subways will be returning to Budapest this month, to play the slightly more intimate A38 Ship. We caught up with singer Billy Lunn and bassist Charlotte Cooper to hear more about their rock ‘n’ roll story, balcony diving and why they can’t wait to get back to Budapest.
You’ve played festivals worldwide, toured with the likes of the Foo Fighters and worked with producing legend Butch Vig. You’re basically living the dream of millions of garage bands around the world. When would you say your real break came?
Billy: Our big break definitely came when we won a competition to play at Glastonbury Festival. Up until that point we’d been selling out small London venues and building up a loyal fan base, but as soon as we hit the stage and played to 10,000 people at Glastonbury everything got very crazy!
Charlotte: I guess when we played Glastonbury for the first time, yes. After that, we started to get some press coverage and were able to plan our first UK headline tour. It seems like we haven’t stopped since then.
Could you speak a little about the band’s humble beginnings. How did it all start?
Billy: We started out playing Nirvana and Green Day covers in our parents’ living room. I taught myself a little bit on the guitar after listening to Oasis albums and encouraged my brother Josh to play the drums. Charlotte and I had been going out for about half a year and we asked her to play bass and that’s how it all began. Then we started writing our own songs, recording our own demos and began sending them out to venues in and around London so we could play shows!
Charlotte: It was just a case of three bored suburban kids with a love of rock music. We started playing covers then doing our first local gigs.
You played the main stage at last year’s Sziget Festival. How did it all come about?
Billy: We were asked to play and we said “HELL, YEAH!” It was one of the best festivals we played in 2009 and we all totally fell in love with it. What an amazing atmosphere!
Charlotte: I’m not sure to be honest! All I know is that when we were offered the chance to play, we jumped at it! I’d heard a lot about the festival, and it was amazing to play there.
What did you think of the festival, and have you got any Sziget stories to tell?
Charlotte: I loved Sziget! It’s such a huge festival with so much going on. After our set, I went for a walk around the site for a few hours, just looking at everything going on. It really is quite amazing. I’d love to come back and stay there for the whole thing next time.
Billy: Walking around after we played, I fell in love with the festival too! It’s so big and there are so many things happening!
What’s been your favorite festival so far?
Billy: Sziget!
Charlotte: It’s so, so hard to choose. We’ve been lucky enough to have had some amazing times at festivals. In fact, I can’t choose a favorite!
And the dream one you’ve yet to play?
Charlotte: I’ve heard about some festivals in Scandinavia that I’d love to play at. We’ve never played there before, so it would be a great opportunity.
Billy: Sziget for a second time!
You’ve become somewhat of a festival staple in the UK. It all began with Glastonbury, right? What’s the story behind how it all happened?
Billy: I used to help out local bands who couldn’t afford to spend £200 on studio fees by recording them in my parents’ house. One day, I asked one of the bands where they were going to send their demo after I’d mixed it and they said Michael Eavis (the festival’s founder, ed.) was holding a competition to play on the Other Stage at Glastonbury. At that point, we had around seven demos of our own, each with three songs on, so we picked the best three from all the demos and sent a CD off and they loved it! Hello, Glastonbury!
Billy, you had serious problems with your vocal chords, leading to surgery and the very real fear that you may never be able to speak again, let alone sing. What did that do to you as an artist, personally, and how did it affect the band?
Billy: It made me so passionate about the ability to speak and sing! I never realized how much I would miss it until I lost the ability. As soon as I could speak and sing again I put all my energy and passion into it.
You recorded your second album in LA with producer Butch Vig (Nirvana, The Foo Fighters, Garbage, Sonic Youth). How did you land that, and how did it change you?
Billy: Butch just really loved the songs we’d sent him. It was a long process because we had lots of demos to play after writing so many songs touring the first album. We had so much fun in the studio making the album with Butch. It felt like all the songs came out of us naturally.
Charlotte: We first met Butch when he came down to a gig we were playing in LA. He’d heard the first album, and I think liked it. We played him some demos of new songs and then kept in contact. We were so lucky to work with someone who’s had so much experience. It was truly fascinating to watch him work.
You supported AC/DC at Wembley Stadium last year as a last minute replacement for Thin Lizzy. That’s got to be up there with your most rock ‘n’ roll moments, right?
Billy: Absolutely! I can still remember the first rock concert my brother and I ever saw when our dad took us to see AC/DC at Wembley Stadium. I was 12 and Josh was 11. And then, years later, we get to share a stage with them! Amazing. Angus Young’s wife even found us after the show to tell us that he loved us.
Charlotte: It was probably one of the scariest gigs we’ve done. AC/DC fans are notorious for being difficult to win over. It was definitely a challenge.
Speaking of which, what’s been your most rock ‘n’ roll moment so far?
Billy: Every day, being able to get onstage and play to thousands of crazy people, is the most rock ‘n’ roll thing. Crazy!
Charlotte: We’re not that rock ‘n’ roll! We’ve had some pretty rock ‘n’ roll audiences though… all going crazy.
Your shows are high-energy, stage diving, physical affairs. Any comedy injury stories?
Billy: Oh yes! I dove off a balcony at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire and one side of my ribs caved into my chest. I could barely breathe. A doctor had to pull the ribs back out and the next day I received a contract from the venue saying that if I did that again they’d sue me!
Charlotte: I’ve had headbanger’s neck a few times, and couldn’t lift my head up for a few days afterwards. Oh and Billy once accidently hit me in the head with his guitar’s headstock. It produced a pretty impressive lump! He felt really bad!
For people not familiar with it, how would you describe your sound?
Billy: I would say that it’s very rock with lots of melody. Though we like playing acoustic, too!
Charlotte: I guess energetic rock. I always find this question hard to answer.
Do you see more intimate gigs like the one on the A38 as a kind of return to your performance roots, and what are you looking forward to about it?Billy: We love our more intimate shows just as much as we love festivals. We love how sweaty everybody gets, seeing the whites of the eyes and seeing everybody sing and scream along with us!
Charlotte: I’m just looking forward to coming back to Budapest! We loved the audience at Sziget, so are hoping for an even crazier crowd in a small venue.
How will the set differ from the kind of thing people may have seen at Sziget?
Charlotte: Well, I guess the main thing is we’ll get to play for longer. We may also include a few new songs that we’re working on for the 3rd album.
Billy: And we’ll also try to make it as exciting as it was for us playing Sziget
The Subways will be performing on the A38 on March 30th, supported by local acts Nemjuci and Nonverse. March 30th at 8 p.m.
A38
Petőfi bridge, Buda side
Advance booking: 3,900 HUF