Subhumans are one of the most influential bands from the UK Anarcho-Punk scene of the 80’s, filed right alongside Crass and Conflict, and just as relevant today as they were during the darkest days of Thatcher’s Britain. Take your choice in how to label them – Punk, UK82, Crusty, etc, – there lies the attraction and consequent reason for their popularity, the band epitomizes non-conformity and connects with people in many different scenes.
Forming in 1980, recording and releasing a series of live and demo cassette tapes on their own Bluurg label, they continued to release music throughout the 80’s – building a powerhouse of a back catalog that completely stands the test of time. Their debut LP ‘The Day the Country Died’ (1983), with its Orwellian influence, is considered by many to be a classic and has sold in excess of 100,000 copies. The second album, ‘From the Cradle to the Grave’, came swiftly the following year (1984), and although the same frenetic pace is in evidence, this marks a significant musical development for the band. In 1985 Subhumans broke up, citing the usual musical differences, although had managed to release a third, maybe ironically entitled, LP ‘Worlds Apart.’ A final EP was released posthumously in 1986, ‘29:29 Split Vision,’ a further demonstration of how far the band had come musically from their initial leanings.
Dick Lucas subsequently joined Culture Shock and then formed political ska-punk band Citizen Fish in 1990, both bands releasing many albums, and still playing today. Subhumans had a couple of reunion shows in the nineties, before a more permanent return for the 21st century, including 2 major tours of the US, the first resulting in the ‘Live in a Dive’ LP. The Subhumans then released a further studio album in 2007, ‘Internal Riot,’ again on Bluurg Records. The band is still passionate and angry, illustrated by Dick saying “Being in a band is the source of most of my passion and drive! The live experience of sharing it with people keeps it ongoing, the release of anger, frustration and initially negative/destructive states of mind is a release from the downward spiral of keeping it all bottled up and it feels positive/constructive as a result.”
The band have recently written ten new songs, which Pirates Press Records are thrilled to be releasing, and are embarking on a year of touring in both Europe and North America! First a split with The Restarts before a 12” of their own comes out in October of 2019! The social and political commentary of bands like Subhumans forged a path, along with their contemporaries, for punk to change lives and opinions around the world. Sadly the things they sang about forty years ago are largely just as important now, sometimes more so in an age of Trump and Brexit. We can’t wait to hear more of what they have to say about the current political climate, the immense imbalance of wealth and power, and the causes they hold near and dear to their hearts.
La Pobreska was formed in 2004. With a mix of Hardcore/Ska/Reggae and many more influences, La Pobreska from the East Los Angeles Latino ska/punk scene addresses political and everyday life issues. This eight piece powerhouse ska-core/reggae outfit use the heaviest punk mixed with complex horn arrangements inherit in large traditional ska and medium sized jazz ensembles. La Pobreska have share the stage with bands such as Death By Stereo, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Union 13, The Darlings, La Resistencia, Chencha Berrinches, Viernes 13, Upground, Authority Zero, La Banda Skalavera, Matamoska and many more.
Hardcore punk from Philadelphia, The Brood was formed on a sweltering day in the summer of 2011 by four maladjusted humans who love playing loud angry music in dilapidated locales – because that is what punks do. Early releases include the If Tomorrow Comes demo, Defective 7″, and October Dreams tape. In 2018, local ripper Bill Chamberlain (The Pist, Caustic Christ, The Dissidents, Mankind?, etc.) joined their ranks on second guitar, bolstering their sound as a burly five-piece juggernaut. In 2024 they released their first full length, For the Dark, on Armageddon Label. This album reflects their fully honed attack: 12 songs that combine blazing speed with pummeling mid-paced ragers, lyrics that drip with bitter fury, and an atmosphere of creeping dread.
July 2025 saw the sudden passing of Bill, a tragic loss that shook the band to its core. Bill was gem of a human, a riff-master bandmate, a source of constant inspiration, and a kind soul who was always unwavering in his ideals. Rachel (Bill’s partner and bandmate, vocalist of The Dissidents) and Bill released a series of benefit compilations for The Gaza Soup Kitchen and direct mutual aid. The newest recording by The Brood is on the latest one, Poppy Seeds, available on Bandcamp.
This world has become an increasingly dark place, a seemingly endless barrage of horrors fed by the rise of MAGA fascism at home and genocide abroad. DIY Punk, in its best moments can provide catharsis – music that drags us from the edges of nihilism into a space where hope is more than a fever dream. It can provide community to outsiders and a springboard to activism on a local or global scale. It can be a celebration of lifelong friendships and the memories of those no longer with us. This is the version of punk that inspired The Brood, and still does.
Influences include UK82, Poison Idea, Die Kreuzen, The Stalin, and Totalitar. Members of former bands: Lost Cause, Witch Hunt, Endless Nightmare, Mischief Brew, and The Dissidents.