U.K. Subs: Warhead—25th Anniversary Marquee Concert

In describing this U.K. Subs' 25th anniversary 2002 concert at the famed Marquee Club in London, let me paraphrase the comedian Victor Buono: watching punk performed well by paunchy, middle-aged guys is like seeing ballet danced well by the San Diego Chargers. Sure, the lads play well enough on Warhead's 20-plus tracks, which include “Stranglehold,” “Tomorrow's Girls,” and “Limo Life,” but with few exceptions (mostly coming late in the concert), the whole shebang seems tired and redundant. A telling moment finds founding member frontman Charlie Harper joining the audience—not with the signature punk stage-dive, but climbing gingerly to the floor. The roly-poly Harper shouts out the lyrics to a parade of quick, punchy songs that span the U.K. Subs' catalogue from 1979-2000, drops a lot of f-bombs, and drinks a lot of beer—along with drummer Steve Roberts. Better preserved are guitarist Nicky Garratt (whose name is misspelled on the DVD's cover) and bassist Alvin Gibbs, but only Garratt has much to offer musically, outside of the songs' machine-gun riffs and layers of feedback. DVD extras include an interview with the band, who come off as a punk Spinal Tap, teetering right on the edge of self-parody. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, this won't earn the band any new fans, and is unlikely to please old ones. Not a necessary purchase. Aud: P. (M. Moore)