U.K. SUBS ANNOUNCEMENT!! 

  New Guitarist joins the band...  

   Introducing... 

   STEVE STRAUGHAN   

Photo by Fishbones Photography - click to enlargeWith the U.K. Subs today (17 June 2016) announcing their new guitarist STEVE STRAUGHAN as replacement for Jet, who departed last month, the Time & Matter website here presents an introductory article and interview with the man who has the job that many crave...

Steve - 50 years young - is an active member of the punk scene and many Subs fans will already know him as he "writes, plays guitar and sings for Hi Fi Spitfires. We have toured Europe many times. I also play bass for Loaded 44..."

"I have been playing in punk bands since I was 15 years old. The first band that made any kind of impact was Holy Racket and recently I started on a side project of my own called The Last Gang."

Obviously widely experienced, Steve further told T&M that he's also "...played guitar for The Lurkers and most recently The Angelic Upstarts."

It's an impressive Punk Rock CV, and in addition to this, Steve has already appeared as a U.K. Sub, when he stood in for a holidaying Jet at the Brew Dog Beer AGM gig in Aberdeen on 9 April earlier this year.

How was that experience?

"Being asked to stand in for Jet at the Brewdog AGM in April in Aberdeen was really something else and a great challenge. It was the first time I had been on stage with the band as we had no rehearsals together, and we didn't have a soundcheck either! I wanted to do a great job for them and they were really supportive. It was a fantastic experience."

Below: Steve makes his 'onloan debut for the Subs' - another superb pic by Dod Morrison

So how did it actually come about?

" Alvin sent me a facebook message asking for my phone number. I gave him it then he phoned me asking if I could play guitar for that gig as Jet was on holiday then. It was a very important gig for the U.K. Subs to do and I was more than happy to help. I couldn't get over it, one of the best punk bands on the planet asking me to play a gig for them! To tell a little secret, I was given some meal tokens backstage at the  Brewdog AGM gig in Aberdeen. They are just small circular discs about the size of a penny. Well I  didn't spend them, I didn't get a meal that night. Instead, I kept them as a memento of that gig..."

With a history of brilliant and popular guitarists littering the band's long history, from Richard Anderson, through Nicky Garratt to Jet, Steve's new berth appears to be a tough act(s) to follow, but he believes he is the right man for the job.

So how does Steve feel about following some great Subs guitarists in the past?

"It's an absolute honour to be asked to play guitar for the U.K. Subs. Like most punk rockers I have been a fan of the Subs forever. As young punks growing up, a lot of us had our favourite bands but every one of us loved the Subs. As time went on, and many of us became musicians, we have enormous respect for them as they are one of the hardest working bands around. As a young punk, I also thought they were the best dressed band after the Clash."

Tell us some more about your influences and loves:

"My musical influences are a lot of bands from the 1977 period like the Sex Pistols, The Clash, Slaughter & The Dogs. However I love more modern punk bands too like Rancid and The Generators and I'm discovering new  bands to love all the time. Guitar influences are people like Steve Jones, Mick Jones, Mick Ronson, Chris Cheney and early James Dean Bradfield. I don't sound like any of them but they're the ones who make me want to play."

And aside from playing in various bands, are you up to anything else?

"Yes, for the last few years, my day job has been helping my wife run her punk clothing brand Racket Clothing."

Finally, T&M asked Steve if he'd like to send out an introductory message to the Subs faithfully?

Steve: "Being a U.K. Subs fan all my life, this is an opportunity I take very seriously and I will do my very best to do a great job. Absolutely delighted!"

Steve will make his official U.K. Subs debut on 2 July 2016 at The Topfest,
Letisko Piešťany in Slovakia...

  • Cheers Steve! On behalf of U.K. Subs fans worldwide, Time & Matter would like to welcome Steve to the best band in the universe, and wish him every success...

    CHECK OUT STEVE'S OTHER BANDS & ACTIVITIES

 Below are a selection of videos featuring the new U.K. Sub!

    STEVE STRAUGHAN INTERVIEW FIRST PUBLISHED 17 JUNE 2016  

T&M

 

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