It Could Have Been a Spinal Tap

"It could have been a Spinal Tap," says Warner Bros. Records publicist Rick Gershon about the Subways' November 27 show at Soma. The free 3 p.m. show filled Soma's side-stage room on a Sunday.

The first Subways CD, Young for Eternity, won't be released in the U.S. until February 14. The band (whose members are between 19 and 21) had never played a U.S. concert before. One insider suggested that Warner Bros. is "hungry to break a new [modern rock] band. They have Green Day, but after that they don't have much going on. They desperately need to break a new band."

Gershon says Warner Bros agreed to underwrite the show as "a 'thank you' to San Diego for being the first city in the country to play their record." The single "Rock and Roll Queen" was played by 91X before any other U.S. radio station.

After their local show, the Subways played six other showcase appearances before heading back to the U.K. The band will return for a U.S. tour in March.