THE SUBWAYS ARE
Billy Lunn - Vocals & Guitar
Josh Morgan - Drums
Charlotte Cooper - Bass

REVIEWS
Barfly - w/ Ikara Colt

LINKS
Official Site

home about 14 times so we actually have no ‘come from’ as such.
Charlotte: I’m from Essex but my second home is their house really

Joy: How old are you all?
Billy: I’m 19, Josh is 17 and Charlotte’s 18

Joy: How long have you been playing together?
Billy: About 3 years you lose track after a while

Joy: Can you name for us a few of your influences and inspirations?
Charlotte: There are so many, but at the moment we’re listening to The Doors, Blur, Foo Fighters, Muse, Garbage and T-Rex

Joy: Does anything other than music inspire you?
Charotte: Films with interesting philosophy behind them
Billy: If it’s completely uninteresting it inspires me

Joy: What are some of your favourite films?
Charlotte: The Quentin Tarantino…. what’s the word……saga?
Josh: It’s not really a saga more a collection of art
Billy: Dog Day Afternoon, Scarface…I’m a big Al Pacino fan

Joy: Winning the ‘Be a new band and play the Glastonbury Festival’ competition must have been a great feeling, what was it like to play the greatest festival in the country, if not the world?
Charlotte: It was really good, we had such a good weekend and saw load of other great bands

Joy: Did you meet any of your idols?
Billy: Noel Gallagher

Joy: What was Noel like?
Billy: He looked pretty trashed, I was having a discussion with Dougie from Sony and Noel Gallagher just walked by, while everything was in a haze he just walked past, it was great
Josh: We also had a little chat to the Von Bondies

Joy: Did you agree with the press that Oasis’s performance was a bit aloof?
Billy: Who gives a shit, its Oasis, if in 5 years time after 5 albums if someone judges me on a single performance…how fucking dare they.

Joy: Can you see yourselves around in 5 albums time?
Billy: I can see us around in 8 albums time; I’ve got so many ideas. We’re really gearing for this for the long term

Joy: Have you got any more festival dates lined for the summer?
Billy: Reading & Leeds festival on the Carling Stage, a festival in Jersey with Razorlight, The Thrills, The Delays
Josh: Pilkton, that’s more elitist, that hopefully guarantee’s us for next years Glastonbury

Joy: Why are you not playing T in the Park?
Charlotte: You can’t play Reading and T in the Park. We had all these agencies bigging us up to the festival organisers saying “book them up” but they wouldn’t, as they hadn’t heard of us and then a week ago we got a call from Reading, so I guess T in the Park were just too late

Joy: Do you like the Subway Sandwich chain and did if influence you in naming your band?
Billy: No I got it when I was travelling on the underground

Joy: So why not The Tubes?
Billy: If anyone else asks me that I’m going to say of course it was the sandwich chain they’re my biggest inspiration!!

Joy: You’ve played with The Datsuns, International Noise Conspiracy and The Buzzcocks, who’s the best band you’ve played with?
Josh: They’re all brilliant but in my opinion I loved the Stella Star tour
Charlotte: The Datsuns were really nice people, and The Dirty Birds were also playing so we were all hanging out back stage, we had a really good night.

Joy: What’s on your rider?
Billy: I don’t think we’re big enough to have a rider?

Joy: Well if you could have one what would be on it?
Billy: Pizza and Ale, none of this lager shit.
Charlotte: Stella for me
Josh: No lager, you can drink Celtic Ale like us

Joy: Have you got any plans to tour outside the UK anytime soon?
Charlotte: Yes, it’s not confirmed yet
Josh: We have a tour in the UK in October around universities for a few weeks
Billy: Sucking in the university atmosphere without doing any of the work

Joy: Who will have the worst habits on the tour bus?
Charlotte: I think we all have our vices, like my need to go to the toilet to do my makeup every 5 minutes

Joy: Have you had any label interest as yet?
Josh: Yes but nothing we can really talk about

Joy: In an ideal world would you prefer to sign for an Independent label first or head straight for the big boys?
Charlotte: That’s another thing under discussion

Joy: Outside of your own band what’s the best gig you’ve been to?
Charlotte: I had a great time recently at Franz Ferdinand, The Von Bondies and The Rapture at Brixton
Billy: Mine would be AC/DC which was my first ever rock concert at Wembley Stadium

Joy: How old were you?
Billy: 12 years old, that was my first experience of pure adrenalin rock, we were so wasted as well at 12!!

Joy: Was that the kind of thing you listened to growing up?
Josh: I was listening to Smoky Robinson and The Carpenters
Billy: I listened to T-Rex, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, because of my sister and The Prodigy

Joy: I read a review that said you were ‘the band Geffen would’ve loved Sonic Youth to be’ how does that make you feel?
Billy: Sonic Youth are the greatest band ever
Charlotte: It’s quite a lot to live up to
Josh: It’s like being called the next Oasis, we’re not, because we’re nothing like them and we’re nothing like Sonic Youth

Joy: We read in your Forum that Charlotte is described as the new Kim Deal, what’s that like?
Charlotte: Yeah apparently so, I don’t know why
Billy: I’m compared to about 8 different people; I think that they’re trying to give people an idea of what we’re like as we’re up and coming.

Joy: You obviously don’t mind that?
Charlotte: No not at all and we haven’t been compared to anyone we don’t like yet

Joy: What’s you position on downloading and file sharing of music?
Billy: I’m actually debating this with myself at the moment; I personally wouldn’t be into half as much music as I am without downloading. It’s the labels who are having a big problem with this not the artists and it’s purely a monetary factor.
Josh: There’s nothing like buying a new CD and rushing home to listen to it and enjoying the artwork.
Charlotte: I agree, I don’t think downloading will ever completely destroy the record industry

Joy: What song would you most like to cover?
Billy: Big Exit by PJ Harvey or Sing by Blur

Joy: Have you ever played any covers in your set?
Billy: Never
Charlotte: Oh c’mon 3 years ago we used to be a Nirvana Covers band

Joy: What’s next for The Subways?
Billy: We’ve got a 7” single coming out in September which will be Limited to 500 copies and then lots of gigs

Joy: Is there a particular venue that you’d love to play?
Billy: We’ve all had our dreams but I think it has to be The Astoria
Charlotte: I’d love to play at the Shepherds Bush Empire.

Joy: And Finally…the Subway or the Tube?
Billy: A nice walk in the country.

Interview by Robert Bassett & Sonia Pagliari