Subset (band)
History
Subset formed in 2009 and is associated with both the Realist Rock/Do-It-Yourself movement and the new Grunge scene that was emerging in the UK at that time. Some have also described the band as being part of the British Post-punk/Art Rock movement; a genre that also included bands such as The Rakes, Bloc Party and The Arctic Monkeys. The band shared the background of the Holloway Rock scene in London along with bands such as Let’s Wrestle, Screaming Tea Party and The Wet Dogs, and with the post-punk scene in Dunstable that included the likes of Muscle Mobile, Dutch Order and Rotating Leslie.
Band Members
The band is a four-piece and came together after various other individual projects failed to meet expectations. All four members had known each other for a number of years before they had the idea that they should form a group together. They all held a common belief that rock music should be stripped back to the bare minimum and the same goes for their equipment. They are the epitome of the plug-and-play group.
The line up: Rom - Vocals and Guitar, Rob - Guitar and Vocals, Steve - Drummer, Jay - Bass and Vocals
Music
Subset writes songs about parties, extreme experiences with women, abusive [...] excesses, mundane work routines, escapism, and nightmares as well as their own lives as real individuals.
They released their debut 3-track 'EP' in September 2009 which was followed by the double A-side single in January 2010 which consisted of the tracks 'But We Barely Know Each Other' and 'When the Dressing Gown Falls Down' - there was also a video released for the latter track.
Live
The band suffered a number of difficulties such as trials relating to housing issues (both the singer and bassist had to relocate due to problems with landlords), money and logistics, before being able to play live.
In Summer 2009 the band starting playing live extensively in Camden Town, Kentish Town, Holloway Road, Shoreditch, Hackney, Luton, Watford, Dunstable, St Albans, Northampton and Milton Keynes. Their first shows were plagued with terrible attendance due to a total absence of budget to promote and do PR for these shows as they were naively expecting promoters to promote. The “You Will Never Make It Back Home” tour, based across the Three Counties area of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire, was announced in winter 2009 and scheduled for June 2010.
They have developed a reputation for very energetic live shows that generally includes: jumping on amps, throwing microphone stands into the crowd, getting entangled in cables and wires on stage. Their live act has been described by BBC Introducing as “delivering what a band with such a notorious stage attitude should do” and as “tearing the stage apart” by the Majick Music Group.
Discography
Singles
- "But We Barely Know Each Other" (January 2010)
- "When the Dressing Gown Falls Down" (January 2010)
EPs
- "Subset EP" (September 2009)
External links
The 'Other' Subset
Subset was also a short-lived Alternative Rock and Trip-Hop band, Where two Band Members (Dave Dederer & Jason Finn) from The Presidents of the United States of America collaborated with Sir Mix-A-Lot. They had a brief tour and recorded several songs, but never released an album. The band broke up because Sir Mix-A-Lot wanted to take the band in a harder, more electronic direction, but Finn and Dederer were not interested. The Band never completed an album, After they disbanded.
During Sir Mix-a-Lot's three year break, He worked closely with the band, with a combination of rock and rap music, but nothing was ever officially released.
See also
- The Presidents of the United States of America (band)
- Sir Mix-A-Lot