It’s half a century since punk rock first arose from the dark’n’dirty backstreets of London and New York… half a century since the Sex Pistols swore on prime time TV; the Ramones proved that great gigs could be played in 20 minutes; and the so-called giants of metal, prog and virtuoso tomfoolery were swept away on a tsunami of high octane energy and incendiary rage.
The world would never be the same again, and Cleopatra Records will be celebrating that first burst of punkoid energy for the rest of the year. And why not? Over the last 30 years, the label has done as much as anyone to preserve and advance the first wave of punk rock giants.
From The Damned to Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers, and ex-Runaway Cherie Currie to late Sex Pistol Sid Vicious; from Eater and The Vibrators to The Dickies and The Germs, brilliant new releases and precious archive treasures alike have lit up the shelves, and every month through 2026, Cleopatra Records will be spotlighting a fresh classic from the catalog.
Last month it was a pair of raw live albums by New York’s Dead Boys, recorded back when it all began. This month, we leap forward almost half a century for London’s UK Subs, as they waved farewell to the scene they have ruled for so long with an absolutely epic live album – fittingly titled The Last Will and Testament of UK Subs.
Still fronted by ageless frontman Charlie Harper, along with longtime bassist Alvin Gibbs and newer members Steve Straughan and Stefan Häublein, the Subs’ thrilling, energetic performance includes everything you could positively need to hear.
Both sides of their debut single, “CID”/“Live In A Car”; its dramatic follow-up “Tomorrow’s Girls”; early UK hits “Stranglehold,” “Warhead,” “Teenage” and “Party In Paris.”
“Keep On Running (Till You Burn),” “Barbie’s Dead,” “Squat 96,” “Scum of The Earth” – it’s the ultimate Subs show, an unhinged celebration not only of the Subs’ decades-spanning resilience, but also of punk itself. The Subs were there at the beginning… their first ever release was recorded live, ripe and raucous at the legendary Roxy Club on new year’s eve 1977; and they were still shouting those same odds at the end.
In fact, Last Will and Testament was itself recorded at another of London punk’s most sacred sites, the 100 Club on Oxford Street, where the first ever Punk Rock Festival was staged in September 1976.
- CD/VINYL: https://cleorecs. com/search?q=uk+subs+last+will
- DIGITAL: https://orcd.co/ lastwillandtestamentuksubs
There’s lots more Subs action available from Cleopatra Records, too… just head over to Cleorecs.com for more madness.
There’s more punk to come, too. Later this year will see both a major punk rock sale and a very special 50th anniversary edition of the podcast Pirate Radio Cleopatra.
And watch out next month for our next red hot reminder of the Greatest Show on Earth. Because that’s what punk was.
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