SUBHUMANS
Subhumans playing at Reggie's Rock Club in Chicago. By Areille Cunnea [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
ABOUT
Subhumans first came together in 1980 under the name Superhumans in Warminster Wilstshire, England. After a name change and the release of a few initial demos, the band debuted in 1981 with their first EP Demolition War. Finding their influence from bands like the Sex Pistols and Damned, the band fit into the Anarcho-Punk genre initially before transitioning towards hardcore punk. The Subhumans tended towards darkly themed songs laced with humor and embraced more progressive musical ideas. On their second album release, one side was completely taken up by a 17 minute song. The transition from their initial musical origins led the band to split apart due to musical differences in 1985. Since splitting, the band has reconnected and gone on to release subsequent albums.
ABOUT
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1980s
Discography
ALBUMS
Fistful of Metal (1984)
Spreading the Disease (1985)
Among the Living (1987)
State of Euphoria (1988)
1980s
Discography
ALBUMS
The Day the Country Died - 1983
From the Cradle to the Grave - 1983
Worlds Apart - 1985
29:29 Split Vision - 1985
1980s
Band Members
MEMBERS
Dick Lucas - vocals, piano
Bruce Treasure - guitar
Phil Bryant- bass
Trotsky - drums
Steve Lucas - guitar
Herb - bass
Grant Jackson - bass
Andy Gale - drums
"Subvert City
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The Day the Country Died - 1982
“Subvert City” is a story of an suppressed city full of people who want to overthrow the government. The political leaders are corrupt, people are unhappy, and the police are oppressive. Eventually, the people of Subvert City rise up and change the system, placing themselves in positions of leadership. In the end, a new system of oppression is established, only different people are being oppressed. An argument for anarchism, this song argues that democracy will always be oppressive as long as there remains a position of power.
ABOUT
And it all went quiet in the city
And the wind blew down the road
Someone cried out "Subvert"
And the people all went cold
Subvert, subvert, subvert, SUBVERT
Meanwhile back in Subvert City
Someone's writing on the wall
"Fuck the government" spray-paint hero
Someone wants the state to fall
Religious dogma crucified
Ritual slaughter, no one lied
Living standards were dying morals
A state-controlled mass suicide
And it all went quiet in the city
And the wind blew down the road
Someone cried out "Subvert"
And the people all went cold
Subvert, subvert, subvert, SUBVERT
To subvert means to undermine power or authority, the call of this song.
The dying breed of Subvert City
Crept into the underground
The state police just left them there
Blocked the holes, and gassed them down
Ten years later they emerged
Mutated minds so full of hate
Tried again to change the system
But this time round it was too late
There was no system left to change
The people ran the entire land
The subverts became politicians
And finally got the upper hand
Meanwhile back in Subvert City
Someone's writing on the wall
"Fuck the government" spray-paint hero
But in Subvert City, it's subvert rule
Subvert, subvert, subvert, subvert
The police are more concerned about stopping retaliation than protecting their citizens. In the process, they cover up the cries of the unsatisfied.
The government no longer cares for its citizens enough to concern themselves with basic needs such as living standards, showing a loss of morals.
LYRICS
VIDEO
Live performance of "Subvert City" 2012 during the band's revival
"Mickey Mouse is dead"
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The Day the Country Died - 1982
Filled with dark humor with many references to Mickey Mouse, a child’s cartoon character, being kicked in the head and dead. The song makes a point that people often make agendas and find meaning out of things that were not meant to have a deeper meaning. When people start to give meaning to things out of fear, it can take away from what the thing once was. Mickey Mouse began as an innocent, friendly cartoon to entertain, but now the cartoon character has become symbolic of a larger money-making corporation.
Mickey Mouse is dead
Got kicked in the head
'Cause people got too serious
They planned out what they said
They couldn't take the fantasy
Tried to accept reality
Analyzed the laughs
'Caus pleasure comes in halves
The purity of comedy
They had to take it seriously
Changed the words around
Tried to make it look profound
The comedian is onstage
Pisstaking for a wage
The critics think he's great
But the laughter turns to hate
Mickey Mouse is on T.V.
And the kids stare at the screen
But the pictures are all black and white
And the words don't mean a thing
'Cause mummy's got no money
And daddy is in jail
He couldn't afford the license
She can't afford the bail
The kids out in the road
Their minds have all gone cold
LYRICS
Mickey Mouse was brought into reality when the character was commercialized and was used to make money.
A comedian is trying to do his job, but once people begin to take deeper meaning from the words of the comedian, they begin to dislike him, not accepting his jokes at the surface level they’re intended to be taken at.
'Cause Mickey Mouse is dead
They shot him through the head
With ignorance and scorn
They believed in something new
They read the papers watched the films
And thought they know the truth
Look what you done to Mickey Mouse
But reality deceives
No matter what you believe
There's always another idea
And theirs is based on fear
The fear of being sussed
For what they really are
The fear of being laughed at
When they go too far
They call it paranoia
You can't laugh it away
Until you come to realize
That everyone's the same
People hide their problems
Under faces of contempt
They hide them 'til it kills them
And no one is exempt not even you
You, you!
Look what you done to Mickey Mouse
An idea based on fear has power over other ideas because it causes people to become reactionary.
VIDEO
Live performance of "Mickey Mouse is Dead" in New York City, 2009 from a reunion of the Subhumans..
"NO"
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The Day the Country Died - 1982
A criticism against capitalism, “No” is a song about an anarchist youth who has been told numerous times that his ideas are ridiculous, and eventually, he’ll calm down. But, despite the backlash against him, he continues to stand for his ideals. The “system” is injurious to its citizens as it blinds them, preventing them from seeing the problems the capitalism creates.
ABOUT
You don't really mean what you say
You've had too much to drink
Don't be so full of hatred
It's not as bad as you think
No I don't believe in what you say
You're just part of what I despise
Yes you're part of the fucking system
I ain't blind, I can see your lies
Cos the system thrives on ignorance
What the public don't know, they can't reject
In the face of you all I stand defiant
The rest of the people, they wanna forget
No I don't believe in Jesus Christ
My mother died of cancer when I was 5
No I don't believe in religion
I was forced to go to church, I wasn't told why
No I don't believe in the police force
Police brutality isn't a dream
No I don't believe in the system cos
Nothing it does makes sense to me
Don't worry you'll get over it
You'll grow up, you'll calm down
Another youth, another fashion
You'll get over it, you'll calm down
LYRICS
An attack on organized religion, this lyric also sets the stage for the subject to reject participating in or supporting a system that thrives on ignorance.
A direct reference to the police brutality that occurred in 1980s Britain, the Subhumans weren’t afraid to call out people who chose to ignore politically charged issues at the time.
As long as the government is hiding information from its citizens, they will continue to have power as the citizens don’t know how the government is hurting them.
VIDEO
Live performance of "No".