| COME ON AND GET A CRASHCOURSE!!! CHARLIE HARPER - UK SUBS |
| "Born a rocker die a rocker". Yeah that's Charlie Harper alright. He was born David Perez in Elephant & Castle, London in 1944 and has become synonymous with everything punk rock ever since. A mature misfit with Hispanic looks and Cockney/Mexican roots. Chas was then unknowingly destined to sell his soul to punk rock n roll completely. This (then) 56 year old frizzy mopped, orang-utan lead singer has played more toilets, done more sweaty encores of 'Sranglehold' and clocked up more road mileage in the back of a van than any of his punk contemporaries to date! And is arguably the most gigged punk frontman of the 20th Century! Chas has never shown any signs of letting up either... "I don't wanna die in my bed" sings Charlie, who has been fronting bands since he was 20. It was back then in the sixties where he first got his now well-known 'dog-tag'. His very first band back in '64 was called the immortal Charlie Harper Free Press Band which was nicked from an old Muddy Waters song 'Albert Harpers free Press'. Charlie was coined most probably from his whizz fascination thus sealing his ID in punk legend and folklore. He's certainly a lot more in your face at the moment and has always been accessible by the bar to fans of his lust for life...the UK Subs. Chas was fucking around in bands and buskin' on the streets for over a decade prior to the Subs origin. And being an artful sort sub-sidised his various musical combo's by running a hairdressers shop in Tooting High Street called 'Daisies'. Even today he is still prone to cutting the odd barnet for a few extra bob. |
| However, safe r'n'b ensembles and a pair of scissors wasn't enough for this 30 year old (15 in the brain) Dorian Gray. He wanted something new and exciting. In actual fact he was itchin' for it. And that something came along when he stumbled into a seedy gay haunt in London's Soho one cold winters night at the arse end of '76. On stage was a gang of young nutters blasting out a somewhat loud and uncompromising set full of in your face energetic numbers. The band in question were called The Damned and the club was the Roxy. This was precisely what Charlie had been scratching around for, all through the last decade! He was swept away by the power and energy exudeing off these young disciples who were playing a new musical phenomenon they called the Punk Rock! Here's what exploded in Charlie's subconcious.... "To me Punk was an excuse for fanatics to have their say. People like me who never had a chance before, people who have just been laughed at. Blokes like me who who've just been through life being sneered at, fingers pointing 'That's the local nut-case'. When punk came along it was the best thing that happened to me ....I was accepted. " |
| He went straight back to his South London Marauders and formed the prototype Subs. Chas wanted his new baby to be original in name at least. So after hearing of a Scottish Subs doing the rounds, he simply combined UK to the Subs prefix, thus putting the final touches to his United Kingdom Subversives. The Subs with Chas at the helm has now been around for the last 22 years can you believe? And as Charlie puts it he and the Subs will keep on runnin till he bums! By Autumn '77 they had got a new young guitarist called Nick Garratt, who answered a wrong advert in the music weeklies. Charlie liked his Wilko Johnson look and he was in. Within two weeks standards like 'Telephone Numbers, 'B1C' and 'Tomorrow's Girls' were written. And with the Harper/Garratt songwriting team moulded and in mass production, they had over night created some great, catchy, angry, fast punk tunes. That were rounded off by Charlie's on the street unaffected, realistic lyncs. "we're just simpler and more direct"... added a humble Mr Harper to the growing music press attention. These early pearls of wisdom were/are still belted out in his laid back monotone vocal delivery, with a 'Teenage' zest and Peter Pan stage presence. A presence that a lot of younger bands will never own. The addictive beats of "soft lights and loud guitars" keep Charlie on that quest for the ultimate buzz. He knows nothing else but the rock 'n' roll savage of the UK Subs. The Subs are his life. his blood and probably why they're still pulling in crowds since their hey day in 79/80. |
| This article first appeared in UK fanzine The Suffragette #11 published in the Summer of 1999. |
| They gained a fanatical UK fanbase, who'd hitch to gigs from all over the country. And Uncle Charlie would look out for em! He knew what the kids wanted and was doggedly determined to keep his punk roots intact. I remember supporting 'em around '82 down Chelmsford, we only got a fiver for our set but Chas threw in a lump of draw for our troubles, which he didn't have to! But that's Charlie for ya! Little things like that go a long way. He had his critics as well and was even classed in some snobby punk circles as stuck in a rut, or way past his sell-by date many moons ago! But his detractors arnt really doing much themselves these day. He's had his highs and some tragic lowspots, most notable the wilderness years of the late 80's. But he always bounced back with a new line-up and some refreshing new anthems well into the 90's. Why fix something what ain't broke? He just won't give in. Charlie the eternal teenager don't know the meaning of the word stop! Least of all when he can get his "kicks for depression, cos he needs his kicks for that obsession!" And that obsession is PUNK. |
| His gigging regime is infamous. And he regularly lays waste various band members who dare to join the Charlie Haper music school. Some urchins twice his junior can't take the pace. These are minor setbacks for uncle Chas, coz he soons turns up with a new line-up within a week or so or just on a phonecalls notice. There's one thing you learn about Charlie Harper and that is he ain't no quitter, which deserves your respect. Who else could tour the world in all situations like he has? Coming through very tight spots for example lost visa's, thousand mile joumeys, armed guards, pennyless, heart trouble, tyres slashed, riots, mis-management, blizzards, gunmen and the usual misadventures that befalls band travel. That calls for some very special stamina don'tcha think? |
| Having now spearheaded a gigging campaign by blitzing the London captital big time. The benefits paid off (and not just from the ones from Brixton dole office where Chas scribbled either). The Subs had their first vinyl appearance on the 'Farewell to the Roxy' LP followed by their debut 45 'CID', which a paranoid Charlie describes: "it's about going down Soho where you are always liable to get picked up and frisked by the law!" His paranoia wasn't totally unfounded however, because in actual fact late one night outside Clapham Common tubestation after visiting his favourite haunt the 101 club. Plod decided to search this dodgy looking individual and discovered under his donkey jacket a nasty looking hammer. Chas pleaded it was for self defence purposes (probably an aid to protect his pension book) but was fined £15 for the honour! Little things like this didn't stop him playing everywhere and anywhere just like today. After signing to Gem records they made their first Top of the Pops appearance in May '79 with stage favourite 'Stranglehold'. A record that sold over 75,000 copies. They also got filmed for a short B-movie called 'Punk Can Take it'. This done a nationwide tour of cinema's as a trailer to the highly acclaimed 'Scum' movie. When the five star 'Another Kind Of Blues' hit the fan, life on the road for Charlie and his Subs escalated ten fold. He was now in his beloved touring domain once more. He would sneak fans into the large venues on the headlining UK tours they were now playing, while still giving some kid a floorspace for the night. With regular Top 20 positions in the UK singles charts, Chas's ethic's never faltered he demanded never to pull out of gigs no matter what! A classic example of his 'emotional blackmail' was with the record company. After he threatened "no plane, no appearance on Top Of The Pops"...they faltered and put on a plane to fly the band to a gig in the Devon outpost of Exeter. Gem Records had little choice - and he got his way! However when they took off to do the gig straight after filming Top of the Pops appearance, it was nearly the UK Subs who were left for dead! They endured a 25 minute white knuckle plane ride and nearly crashed! But do ya think a bit turbulence would knock old Charlie's enthusiasm?...no way! Charlie and the Subs now have the dubious honour of being the most played punk band ever to grace the studio of Top Of The Pops. As Charlie fondly remembers "The biggest buzz I got out the Subs career so far was being banned from Top Of The Pops". |
| The Spring of 1980 was the bands most successful period. With two Top 40 singles, a Top 20 album plus a European tour with the Ramones and their first US tour on the horizon, things were looking up. The subsequent 'Endangered Species' sessions recorded in the wilds of Farham, Surrey were to be a fait accompli. Charlie got bored sitting by the in-house pool and wrote down the obscure track 'Down On The Farm'. Unbeknown to him this fit of boredom would some 8 years later be an inspiration to LA Rockers Guns 'N' Roses. Axel Rose and co recorded it on their million seller album 'Spaghetti Incident', bringing Charlie and the Subs renewed and much welcomed royalties and respect, all be it from the early 90's multi-million pound LA rock circles. Charlie got hitched in 1991, only to undertake a 20 date tour of Europe for his honeymoon (some things never change!) His kids are his biggest fans and here's what he says about being the role model parent.... "My Kids are great, they say 'Dad your crazy!'" |
Charlie Harper is a survivor in life. He's made a simple living out of
punk rock and probably ain't no millionaire, although he deserves to
be. He's just happy to record, play and tour the world. We take our
hats off if we had any on. This one's for Chas!
PETER DON'T CARE - (June 1999 - The Suffragette Fanzine).
UPDATE October 2010:
Charlie and the UK Subs are currently touring... Nothing changes!!!
For a great totally indepth and Charlie Harper endorsed microscopic
insight into every thing UK SUBS from their inception to now go visit
the vast and growing daily UK SUBS fan page TIME AND MATTER
punk rock and probably ain't no millionaire, although he deserves to
be. He's just happy to record, play and tour the world. We take our
hats off if we had any on. This one's for Chas!
PETER DON'T CARE - (June 1999 - The Suffragette Fanzine).
UPDATE October 2010:
Charlie and the UK Subs are currently touring... Nothing changes!!!
For a great totally indepth and Charlie Harper endorsed microscopic
insight into every thing UK SUBS from their inception to now go visit
the vast and growing daily UK SUBS fan page TIME AND MATTER