Ian Glasper's new book about the Subhumans will be with us very soon now. After months of conversations, research, design and print, it's all come together and is on its way to us as we speak.
The books were printed in the US, where many copies were needed for the bands upcoming tours, but they are also being shipped to us here in the UK for UK/ European readers and will be in the post to you all asap. We’ve seen copies and are well chuffed with the result. You will be too.
This book is co-published by Earth Island and PM Press, and will be shipped with posters and bookmarks.
‘SILENCE IS NO REACTION: FORTY YEARS OF SUBHUMANS’ is the definitive history of one of the best punk bands of all time.
It's been a long time in the making but with over 640 packed pages it's well worth the wait and you can still pre-order this book now!
It looks like we will have all the paperbacks here in another couple of weeks, so mid-May, and rather than us tell you how good it is, here's a preview by Tony Whatley of Suspect Device zine:
''I have been looking forward to this book ever since Ian Glasper mentioned he was going to write it; it was always going to be a book I would be buying at the earliest opportunity. The fact that Ian is a fan of the band means that he has put everything into this, spending time with the band, going through diaries, collecting anecdotes and getting first hand stories from those in and around the band through the years to tell the story of the band, including members of Vermin, Stupid Humans and The Mental as well as their friends in bands like A-Heads and Organised Chaos, their roadies and friends in the UK, US, Australia and Europe etc.. All his hard work has really paid off as this is wonderful read, it’s detailed but fast paced, and I found myself really captivated by it all. It’s all here, the genesis of the band, the practising, song writing, the records and the recording, the gigs (there is a full gig list at the back), the tours, the original split and the reformation. Throughout the book are some great photos going right back to the early days of their pre-Subhumans bands, as well as Dick’s original handwritten lyrics, gig posters, flyers, clippings etc. In fact everything you could possibly want to know about this very special band is in here.
There is always a worry that when you read a book about a much loved and admired band that they destroy all your preconceptions and you end up really disappointed and disillusioned. Not so here; the members of the Subhumans, past and present, prove to be really down to earth, principled and funny people, and Ian allows their personalities to shine through. They have their serious, political songs, but they also have a real sense of humour and they also just treat people properly. So, far from being disappointed, I came away loving them even more. I expected this to be good as I like Ian’s writing and I love the band, but I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so thorough... in fact it’s better than I could have ever hoped for.''