Seit mehr als zwei Jahrzehnten gehören The Subways zu den festen Größen der britischen Indie-Rock-Szene. Mit „Rock & Roll Queen“ und ihrem Debütalbum „Young For Eternity“ begann eine Reise, die die Band bis heute auf die Bühnen Europas führt. Im Oktober 2026 feiern The Subways diese Geschichte mit ihrer großen „When I’m With You, Loud & Proud“-Anniversary-Tour, deren Deutschlandtermine wir vom Frontstage Magazine gemeinsam mit FKP Scorpio präsentieren.
Passend dazu haben wir mit Charlotte Cooper und Billy Lunn über 20 Jahre The Subways, ihre besondere Verbindung zu Deutschland und die Erinnerungen an ihre Anfangszeit gesprochen. Außerdem verraten die beiden, was sie auch nach zwei Jahrzehnten noch antreibt, wie sie Vergangenheit und Zukunft der Band miteinander verbinden und warum dieses Jubiläum für The Subways noch lange keinen Abschied bedeutet.
Frontstage Magazine: We at Frontstage Magazine have had the pleasure of presenting your German tours for several years now, including your last three tours. Over the years, you’ve built a very loyal fanbase here. What does the German audience mean to you by now, and is there something about playing shows in Germany that feels different from other countries?
Charlotte: Germany is incredibly special to us. It feels like we have found our home; where we belong as a band. We love to rock out and our German fans love to rock out with us.
Billy: Yeah, you guys in Germany (and particularly at Frontstage Magazine) have been always so supportive of us, and we’ll never forget it. Germany has given us some of our best moments in this band. We’ll always love playing there.
Frontstage Magazine: With this tour, you’re celebrating 20 years since “Rock & Roll Queen” and the era surrounding your debut album “Young For Eternity”. When you look back at the three people you were when everything suddenly started taking off, what would you tell your younger selves today?
Charlotte: Haha maybe I would say “pace yourself” because you are still here 20 years later and that takes a lot of stamina! Also write things down….maybe write a journal…you are going to forget a lot!
Billy: Those are really good, Charlotte. I’d probably say the same. ‘Chill out, take your time, savour the moments’. And I do wish I’d catalogued everything much better. Michael Palin got it right with his diaries during the Monty Python years!
Frontstage Magazine: You’ve described this anniversary more as a “halfway point” rather than a possible ending. After more than two decades, what still drives you to write new music, go on tour and keep pushing The Subways forward instead of simply resting on what you’ve already achieved?
Charlotte: We genuinely love what we do. To be 20 years in this band and still get the reaction we did at Rock am Ring and Rock Im Park this summer was mind blowing. It is still such a thrill for us to go on stage in front of a full crowd, singing every word and dancing with us for the whole set. It’s certainly harder now – everyone in the band has commitments and lives at home, which means it isn’t as simple to go on tour any more. I think that makes me appreciate it even more when we are on stage – all the hard work and effort was worth it.
Billy: For me, it’s being together with Charlotte and Camille, because I treasure them so much as people. Coming together to make music with them is always such a beautiful process. Also, being onstage always feels like we’re honouring Josh’s valuable contributions to the band as the drummer for the first five albums. Looking forwards with anticipation always involves taking a loving look back, too.
Frontstage Magazine: The “When I’m With You” anniversary tour will undoubtedly bring back a lot of memories for longtime fans, while at the same time you’re already looking towards the future. How do you find the right balance between the songs your fans have loved for 20 years and where you want to take The Subways musically in the future?
Charlotte: We try to balance the set as much as possible with songs from each of our albums. Maybe let us know on instagram if there are any songs in particular you want to hear on this tour?!
Billy: Yeah, I think we try and gauge what we think the audience might want to hear, whilst also factoring in our own special favourites. Maybe we need to get a submission form so fans can make special requests on the evening!
Frontstage Magazine: Your anniversary tour takes you to numerous cities across Europe, with eight shows in Germany alone this October. After countless concerts and festivals throughout your career, what makes the perfect The Subways show for you today – and what needs to happen on stage or in the crowd for you to walk away thinking, “That was one of those truly special nights”?
Charlotte: For me I think it’s about an energy in the room. Something special where it feels like everyone is fully immersed in the show with us. At some shows this might be everyone going crazy right from the start. Or other shows it might be people smiling so much and singing every word. It’s something almost indescribable – we love it!
Billy: The smiles is exactly it for me. If the crowd is smiling, I’m happy. Seeing smiling faces is literally the one for me in this life!
Frontstage Magazine: To finish with something completely different: If you had full control of a time machine for one day, would you rather travel back to a specific moment in The Subways’ history or jump 20 years into the future to see where the band is then – and why?
Charlotte: Haha maybe I am a bit scared to see into the future! I think I’d like to jump back to 20 years ago…..there’s so much I’ve forgotten….I’d like to relive and remember it all!
Billy: I’d like to go back to the day we recorded Rock & Roll Queen in the studio. I’d want to see all our unknowing faces. We had no idea what that song would become for us. I’d like to revisit the pure, feverish excitement those three teenagers were experiencing before embarking on the most wonderful adventure.
Wir vom Frontstage Magazine präsentieren euch die Deutschlandtermine in Zusammenarbeit mit FKP Scorpio.
The Subways
‘When I’m With You’, Loud & Proud – Oct 2026 anniversary tour.
13.10.2026 Ulm – Roxy
14.10.2026 Saabrücken – Garage
15.10.2026 Hannover – Faust
17.10.2026 Potsdam – Waschhaus
18.10.2026 Jena – F-Haus
20.10.2026 Mannheim – Alte Feuerwache
21.10.2026 Bochum – Matrix
22.10.2026 Bremen – Schlachthof
Fotocredit:Callum Crawford
