Subhumans + Bad Waitress at Warehouse Concert Hall

Subhumans are one of the most influential bands from the UK Anarcho-Punk scene of the '80s, filed right alongside Crass and Conflict, and just as relevant today as they were during the darkest days of Thatcher’s Britain. Take your choice in how to label them – Punk, UK82, Crusty, etc. – there lies the attraction and consequent reason for their popularity, the band epitomizes non-conformity and connects with people in many different scenes. Forming in 1980, recording and releasing a series of live and demo cassette tapes on their own Bluurg label, they continued to release music throughout the '80s – building a powerhouse of a back catalog that completely stands the test of time. Musical influences were a mix of Sex Pistols, Damned, and similar punk originators, and prepunk bands like King Crimson and Frank Zappa, which led to a style of punk more intricate in its structure than their contemporaries, without losing the base energy and dynamics of punk. Dick's lyrics, at once socially aware and heavily critical of social norms, placed them in the anarcho-punk area of the ever-expanding UK punk scene of the early '80s, alongside Crass, Antisect, Conflict, and Flux of Pink Indians, who released the band's first three EPs [Demolition War, Reason For Existence, and Religious Wars] and their debut LP, 1983's The Day The Country Died, which became an instant classic. With its Orwellian influence, the album is considered by many to be a classic and has sold in excess of 100,000 copies [largely at the cover price of "pay no more than £3.25", which was as cheap as possible in order to make the music more accessible]. The second album, From the Cradle to the Grave, came swiftly the following year (1984), and although the same frenetic pace is in evidence, this marks a significant musical development for the band. In 1985 Subhumans broke up, citing the usual musical differences, although had managed to release a third, maybe ironically entitled, LP Worlds Apart. A final EP was released posthumously in 1986, 29:29 Split Vision, a further demonstration of how far the band had come musically from their initial leanings. Dick Lucas subsequently joined Culture Shock and then formed political ska-punk band Citizen Fish in 1990, both bands releasing many albums, and still playing today. Subhumans had a couple of reunion shows in the nineties, before a more permanent return for the 21st century, including two major tours of the US, the first resulting in the Live in a Dive LP. The Subhumans then released a further studio album in 2007, Internal Riot, again on Bluurg Records. The band is still passionate and angry, illustrated by Dick saying “Being in a band is the source of most of my passion and drive! The live experience of sharing it with people keeps it ongoing, the release of anger, frustration and initially negative/destructive states of mind is a release from the downward spiral of keeping it all bottled up and it feels positive/constructive as a result.” The band have recently written ten new songs, which Pirates Press Records are thrilled to be releasing, and are embarking on a year of touring in both Europe and North America! First a split with The Restarts before a 12” of their own comes out in October of 2019! The social and political commentary of bands like Subhumans forged a path, along with their contemporaries, for punk to change lives and opinions around the world. Sadly the things they sang about 40 years ago are largely just as important now, sometimes more so in an age of Trump and Brexit. We can’t wait to hear more of what they have to say about the current political climate, the immense imbalance of wealth and power, and the causes they hold near and dear to their hearts.
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Bad Waitress is what happens when you spill your drink, flip the table, and still leave a tip. Emerging from Toronto’s vibrant underground, the four-piece punk band — Kali-Ann Butala (her/she) Katelyn Molgard (they/them) , Moon (they/he), and Nicole Cain (her/she) — has redefined modern garage punk with a sound that’s ferocious, clever, and unapologetically alive. Their 2018 debut EP Party Bangers: Volume 1 announced them with snarling riffs, biting satire, and anthemic rawness that refused to be ignored. In 2021, the band sharpened their edge with No Taste, a full-length release that fused the urgency of early punk with jagged post-punk textures and radical honesty. Exclaim! praised the album as “a new type of rage,” calling it a self-defence record built on noise, rebellion, and conviction. Renowned for their explosive live shows, Bad Waitress channels the confrontational spirit of acts like The Stooges, Fugazi, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs while remaining unmistakably their own. Their latest single, “Plan B” (2025), signals a grittier, self-produced next chapter. With a new album slated for release in 2026, Bad Waitress is pushing further into louder, sharper territory — reaffirming their relentless commitment to the stage and to songs that demand participation. Bad Waitress doesn’t play nice — they play loud. No refills. No apologies.
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$20 + FEES in ADVANCE
19+ | LICENSED | DOORS at 7PM
TICKETS: https://www.tixr.com/e/194305