Twenty years into their career and The Subways are still excelling at the kind of impassioned rock thrills on which they first established their reputation. That’s something they again prove with today’s release of the new single ‘I Need To Feel You Closer’, the first brand new song to preview the October 17th release of their first compilation ‘When I’m With You’. The trio - Billy Lunn, Charlotte Cooper and Camille Phillips - also today announce details of a record store tour to commemorate the album’s release.
Erupting in a volley of vehement punk melody and battering ram rhythms, ‘I Need To Feel You Closer’ pulls no punches without sacrificing the kind of killer hook that The Subways are renowned for. There’s an undercurrent of nostalgia and longing, but the dominant impression from Billy’s full-blooded vocal is one informed by pain and passion. Countered by Charlotte’s effortlessly cool backing harmonies, his raw vulnerability reflects where the song came from.
As Billy explains, “The power of music: whilst away on tour and still grieving the sudden passing of a best friend, my then-love dumped me via text message. ‘Not feeling it anymore. Not what you wanna hear. But yeah. Bye.’ As we continued round Europe on our tour, I picked up my guitar each day as a source of solace, putting all my feelings into the songs. ‘I Need to Feel You Closer’ is one of those songs, and it allowed me to get a sense of the loss and yearning I was experiencing. I hope it offers solace to others who feel similar. And I hope it gets you grooving in the mosh pit, too.”
The accompanying video will launch here at 6:30pm today, with the band online at YouTube to answer questions from fans. It captures the exhilarating Subways live experience, highlighting their raw energy with stark monochrome photography and rapidfire edits. It represents the band in their best environment: Billy’s ragged riffs and hollered vocals leading the charge, accompanied by Charlotte's iconic swagger as Camille is a blur of frenetic energy at the drumkit.
‘I Need To Feel You Closer’ reiterates that ‘I’m With You’ is a compilation with a difference. While it calls at all of the big moments and fan favourites from The Subways’ history - from the debut ‘Oh Yeah’ and the classic ‘Rock & Roll Queen’ to 2023’s ‘You Kill My Cool’ and ‘Black Wax’ - it also provides an anchor for their next era to commence. Structured like a setlist, the album’s songs are the soundtrack to a journey which has seen the band play 1000+ gigs in forty countries, feature in Rimmel’s campaign starring Kate Moss, and perform in Guy Ritchie’s ‘RocknRolla’ and the famous 2000s teen drama ‘The OC’.
OCTOBER
17th - Kingston, Banquet
18th - Brighton, Resident
19th - London, Rough Trade East
20th - Liverpool, Jacaranda
21st - Nottingham, Rough Trade
23rd - Leeds, Crash
24th - Oxford, Truck
25th - Southampton, Vinilo
29th - Germany, Stuttgart, Im Wizemann Studio
30th - Germany, Dortmund, FZW Club
NOVEMBER
5th - Bristol, O2 Academy
6th - Birmingham, O2 Institute
7th - Newcastle, The Grove
8th - Hull, Welly
13th - Manchester, Band On The Wall
14th - Glasgow, King Tuts (LOW TICKETS)
15th - Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
19th - Norwich, Waterfront
20th - Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms (LOW TICKETS)
21st - London, Electric Ballroom
23rd - France, Paris, La Maroquinerie (LOW TICKETS)
24th - Germany, Cologne Bürgerhaus Stollwerck
25th - Netherlands, Amsterdam Melkweg Oz
26th - Belgium, Leuven, Het Depot
28th - Germany, Hamburg, Markthalle (LOW TICKETS)
29th - Germany, Berlin, Hole44 (SOLD OUT)
30th - Germany, Dresden, Beatpol (ADDED DATE)
DECEMBER
2nd - Czech Republic, Prague, Lucerna Music Bar
3rd - Hungary, Budapest, Dürer Kert
5th - Austria, Vienna, Flex
6th - Germany, Munich, Technikum
8th - Italy, Milan, Magnolia
9th - Switzerland, Zurich, Exil
10th - Germany, Karlsruhe, Substage
12th - Germany, Nurnberg, Hirsch
13th - Germany, Osnabruck, Hirsch
14th - Germany, Frankfurt, Batschkapp
