‘ ‘ ‘ What do you get when you put two guys and a girl in a British rock band? It’s not a… ‘ ‘ ‘ What do you get when you put two guys and a girl in a British rock band? It’s not a wacky sitcom, it’s The Subways! ‘ ‘ ‘ The Subways is a rock band from England with a reputation for crazy live shows and killer riffs. Like its flaming ’70s automobile album art, Billy Lunn, Charlotte Cooper and Josh Morgan are setting the music scene on fire with their Brit rock and latest release, All Or Nothing. ‘ ‘ ‘ You like riffs? Well, the riff is out in force in ‘Girls ‘amp; Boys.’ The Subways is a notoriously insane live band, and ‘Girls ‘amp; Boys’ is its quintessential live song. The video for this tune was filmed at a real concert with real fans, and the band wouldn’t have it any other way. This song gives The Subways a chance to let loose and play ‘mdash; very often shirtless, except for Charlotte. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Shake! Shake!’ begins with another one of The Subways’ characteristic riffs, and it slides into the chorus. The chorus is pretty incredible and has utterly incomprehensible lyrics. The words, ‘I’m calling out to you from the basement / I got a need to feel so I shake! Shake!’ leave listeners struggling to make sense of what they’ve just heard. So far, there isn’t an interpretation that doesn’t seem kind of dirty. There’s always the off chance that the band is referring to Shake ‘n Bake chicken. Either way, this song is fantastic. ‘ ‘ ‘ The Subways might be a live band, but some of its songs would be a little bit ridiculous (and kind of disturbing) if the guys performed them shirtless. ‘Girls ‘amp; Boys’ is one thing, but ‘Move to Newlyn’ or ‘Strawberry Blonde’ aren’t exactly songs that bring to mind hardcore, crowd-surfing, head-banging concert craziness. ‘ ‘ ‘ While crowd-surfing will be off the menu for the love song ‘Strawberry Blonde,’ it has a truly infectious chorus that inspires that undeniable feeling of music bliss. ‘Tell me you sing your song / For my lonely soul’ is hardly a meaty refrain, but when those beats kick in and there’s a harmony of male and female vocals, everything comes together. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Move to Newlyn’ explores The Subways’ acoustic style. The track revisits the young rock band theme of ‘So what will life ever make of me?’ Whether the move to Newlyn will sort out your life, we’ll never know, but we know that ‘Move to Newlyn’ is a great song. With a snappy tambourine and sweet backing vocals on simple ‘ah’ notes, this track is a refreshing change of pace from the riffs and shouting vocals. ‘ ‘ ‘ The female vocals really make The Subways’ sound rich and interesting. There isn’t a song on this album that isn’t set apart from its contemporaries because of those harmonies. Charlotte’s vocals will always liven up the sound, whether it’s a simple backing of ‘ah’ notes or a screamed ‘I won’t let you down!’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Obsession’ is the prime example of how this band is able to meld the super-hype rock tunes with the mellow, harmonized vocals (tambourines) without skipping a beat. This periodic stylistic shift creates a balance throughout the album. ‘ ‘ ‘ The Subways can do it all, from the mellow acoustic to hardcore rock. Any band that can harmonize, play killer riffs and leave listeners scratching their heads is pretty rare. But All Or Nothing is only part of The Subways’ experience. You have to fully appreciate the band’s insanity at a live show, or you’ll never know the real Subways. And you could ‘mdash; if they weren’t touring Europe.