Subway Sect
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Subway Sect were one of the original British punk bands, whose posthumous reputation suffered due to their comparatively small output.
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The core of the band was singer/songwriter, Vic Godard, plus assorted soul fans, who congregated around early gigs by the Sex Pistols until Malcolm McLaren suggested they formed their own band.
This first line up: Paul Packham, Paul Millie Myers, Barry "Baker" Auguste, and Godard, cut their first single "Nobody's Scared": a competent piece of punk rock. This became the first and only release on Braik Records, a label owned by Bernie Rhodes, who managed both them and The Clash. Rhodes subsequently supervised the recording of their debut album. At this time the band toured intensively with the Sex Pistols, The Clash and others.
However, just as their first album was ready for release, for reasons that remain obscure, Rhodes sacked all the band (except Godard) and Subway Sect mark 1 ceased to exist. The album was never released, although a single from the sessions "Ambition" was the band's second single release and it still turns up on lists and compilation albums.
Godard put together the pieces, and Subway Sect mark 2 was formed, and the band finally released their first album What's the Matter, Boy? in 1980.
By this time, Godard had become increasingly influenced by early rockabilly, and the "first wave" of rock and roll (Sun Records session era, Elvis Presley, Eddie Cochrane etc.). This was just a few years before the rockabilly revival, and the album was ignored as being 'retro'. Ignoring this, Godard then went even further back in time, and later releases showed the influence of the "rat pack" (Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra), and even swing bands of the 1940s, many years before these sounds became fashionable. Facing dwindling sales, Godard eventually packed in the music business and became a postman.
In 1982, former Subway Sect members - guitarist Rob Marche, keyboardist Dave Collard, bassist Chris Bostock and drummer Sean McLusky - teamed up with American singer, Dig Wayne and formed the band Jo Boxers which had two UK Top 10 hits.
However, in the 1990s a slow Godard revival began. Backed by the re-release of his work on CD and numerous compilation albums (notably 20 Odd Years...The Story of...., and Singles Anthology) Godard has recently returned to recording, releasing a new album Long Term Side Effect in 1998, and a single on the Glasgow record label Creeping Bent, with more work promised.
The 21st century has seen Godard unable to progress from his cult status setting, but in 2002 a CD was issued credited purely to the Subway Sect, thus reviving the name, if not the original band. Named Sansend, it was a sample and beats heavy collection of new songs, and it was followed three years later by the Subway Sect Anthology, more or less material from 20 Odd Years, but with a few missing songs.
Plans were reported that Godard was working on songs for the musical to be called "Blackpool", but this was abandoned as the series used original 1960s and 1970s recordings, which were mimed to by the stage actors.