Biography
During 1977, Vic Godard, frontman of the pioneering British punk outfit Subway Sect, explained the contrast between his band and the Sex Pistols along with other emerging acts of the moment: "They just want to revitalize rock & roll whereas we just wanna get rid of it." Subway Sect stood apart among the earliest U.K. punk arrivals through their spare, elemental approach, which drew heavily from the Velvet Underground and the Modern Lovers, even though live performances began as far back as 1976 and two key punk promoters showed strong interest; the original lineup nevertheless left behind only minimal recorded evidence. Godard (principal vocalist and occasional guitarist) and Rob Symmons (guitar) shared tastes for Northern soul, lesser-known American groups such as the Velvet Underground and Television, and established vocalists like Frank Sinatra in particular, while the raw energy and disorder of punk appealed to them despite reservations about much of the music itself. Godard and Symmons had already discussed starting a band when they joined forces with acquaintances Paul Myers and Paul Packham under the name Subway Sect. Packham began as lead singer, yet after the four pooled resources for a drum kit and learned of his earlier experience playing in the Boy Scouts, he switched to drums and Godard took the microphone.
Malcolm McLaren, seeking more acts for a punk festival at London's 100 Club in autumn 1976, discovered the fledgling Subway Sect and brought them into his circle; he arranged rehearsal space and instructed the group to prepare songs, resulting in a festival appearance that also featured the Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Damned, and additional early punk figures. Their singular sound and austere image, marked by clothing dyed entirely black or gray, drew the notice of Bernard Rhodes, manager of the Clash, who signed them soon after the 100 Club show and guided new songwriting and recording efforts. The first single did not appear until 1978, however, in the form of "Nobody's Scared" b/w "Don't Split It." (Packham had departed in the meantime, replaced by Mark Laff, who then left for Generation X and was succeeded on drums by Robert Ward.) "Nobody's Scared" made little chart impact, but the follow-up "Ambition" b/w "Different Story" reached number one on the indie singles chart later that year. Rhodes nevertheless found the early album sessions unsatisfactory, dismissed the band, set the recordings aside, and instead contracted Godard individually as a songwriter, closing the initial chapter for the group.
As Godard explored songwriting more deeply, he leaned further into earlier pop forms and classic vocal styles; the 1980 album What's the Matter Boy?, issued under the name Vic Godard & Subway Sect, captured this shift, as did the 1982 release Songs for Sale, a tribute to Cole Porter. Godard issued his debut solo album, T.R.O.U.B.L.E., in 1986, yet soon grew disenchanted with the industry and withdrew to work as a letter carrier. During the 1990s he resumed music on a part-time basis, writing and recording with assorted collaborators around his postal schedule. He completed The End of the Surrey People for the revived Postcard label in 1993, contributed backing vocals to Edwyn Collins' "A Girl Like You" in 1995, and issued Long Term Side-Effect on Tugboat Records in 1998.
Following a brief pause, Godard reemerged in 2002 with a reconstituted Subway Sect and delivered Sansend, an album shaped by his growing interest in hip-hop and sampling. A 2007 project titled 1978 Now followed, in which Godard, aided by ex-Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook and others, revived material originally tracked for the band's unreleased 1978 debut album. He next released the solo album We Come as Aliens in 2010, then turned to another archival effort. 1979 Now! revived a set of Northern soul numbers that Godard and Subway Sect had demoed years earlier without issuing them. Once again recorded with Cook's assistance, joined by original bassist Paul Myers and produced by Edwyn Collins, the album appeared on Collins' AED label in October 2014.
Malcolm McLaren, seeking more acts for a punk festival at London's 100 Club in autumn 1976, discovered the fledgling Subway Sect and brought them into his circle; he arranged rehearsal space and instructed the group to prepare songs, resulting in a festival appearance that also featured the Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Damned, and additional early punk figures. Their singular sound and austere image, marked by clothing dyed entirely black or gray, drew the notice of Bernard Rhodes, manager of the Clash, who signed them soon after the 100 Club show and guided new songwriting and recording efforts. The first single did not appear until 1978, however, in the form of "Nobody's Scared" b/w "Don't Split It." (Packham had departed in the meantime, replaced by Mark Laff, who then left for Generation X and was succeeded on drums by Robert Ward.) "Nobody's Scared" made little chart impact, but the follow-up "Ambition" b/w "Different Story" reached number one on the indie singles chart later that year. Rhodes nevertheless found the early album sessions unsatisfactory, dismissed the band, set the recordings aside, and instead contracted Godard individually as a songwriter, closing the initial chapter for the group.
As Godard explored songwriting more deeply, he leaned further into earlier pop forms and classic vocal styles; the 1980 album What's the Matter Boy?, issued under the name Vic Godard & Subway Sect, captured this shift, as did the 1982 release Songs for Sale, a tribute to Cole Porter. Godard issued his debut solo album, T.R.O.U.B.L.E., in 1986, yet soon grew disenchanted with the industry and withdrew to work as a letter carrier. During the 1990s he resumed music on a part-time basis, writing and recording with assorted collaborators around his postal schedule. He completed The End of the Surrey People for the revived Postcard label in 1993, contributed backing vocals to Edwyn Collins' "A Girl Like You" in 1995, and issued Long Term Side-Effect on Tugboat Records in 1998.
Following a brief pause, Godard reemerged in 2002 with a reconstituted Subway Sect and delivered Sansend, an album shaped by his growing interest in hip-hop and sampling. A 2007 project titled 1978 Now followed, in which Godard, aided by ex-Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook and others, revived material originally tracked for the band's unreleased 1978 debut album. He next released the solo album We Come as Aliens in 2010, then turned to another archival effort. 1979 Now! revived a set of Northern soul numbers that Godard and Subway Sect had demoed years earlier without issuing them. Once again recorded with Cook's assistance, joined by original bassist Paul Myers and produced by Edwyn Collins, the album appeared on Collins' AED label in October 2014.
Albums