Charlie Harper’s 80th (!) Birthday Party – UK Subs, ANWL & The Ramonas
Charlie Harper’s 80th (!) Birthday Party with UK Subs, ANWL & The Ramonas at the Shepherds Bush Empire, London. 25th May 2024.
Hard to believe, Charlie Harper is 80 years old now. What’s even more amazing is he can still rock a crowd at this age. There was a lot of love for him and the UK Subs in the room tonight, not least from the carefully selected support acts.
The Ramona’s were up first with their mix of Ramones covers and original songs. They play a great deal and it shows. Slick, well rehearsed (all the ‘1,2,3,4’s’ perfectly timed) and a dynamic stage show, seeing this band is always a treat.
The Anti Nowhere League, less so for me. I’d left them behind in the 80’s once I’d got over the novelty of playing ‘So What’ in the music lesson at school. They were decent enough but the outrageous lyrics and singer Animal’s gestures just seem a little creepy to me these days. Their song ‘I wanna be like Charlie Harper’ was, however, perfect and a bit of highlight of the evening too. Funny to see displaced UK Subs Jamie Oliver back under the UK Subs banner too!
The Subs delivered their usual hit laden set that I’ve seen countless variants of over the years. The current line up is strong on all fronts with bassist Alvin Gibbs being the longest serving member after Charlie himself. You could tell this was a special gig, there was an extra attack in the songs and the singalong to ‘Warhead’ just beautiful. Topping it all off, everyone’s favourite octegenarian received a birthday cake, balloons and a rousing rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ led by the Ramona’s Cloey who really has a wonderful voice. An amazing night and a fitting gig for so many years of uninterrupted service by a special man. Wonder what his 90th will be like?
