The Subways Will Make You Jealous

It wasn't until I saw The Subways live that I figured out what I didn't like about them. It's not their music — somewhat derivative, sure, and probably forgettable, but still with some great singles — and it's not the fact that they'll always be associated with The OC. Rather, what bothers me about The Subways is knowing that two of the three members are younger than me and are already extraordinarily successful. And I definitely didn't have that much energy when I was 19.

The English kids didn't let up from the second they took the stage until an hour later when they left it. They sped through most of the songs on Young For Eternity, their recently released debut, adding an extended guitar solo on "City Pavement" and a teaser ending for "Holiday." Singer/guitarist Billy Lunn dedicated "Mary" to his fiancee, bassist (Mary) Charlotte Cooper.

Seemingly adverse to slowing down, Lunn, Cooper and drummer Josh Morgan didn't even take the opportunity for a breather. Instead, they played shortened versions of ballads "Lines Of Light" and "She Sun," then launched right back into their grunge-garage rock. Morgan, with his mop of curly hair and flailing limbs, could have easily doubled for The Muppets' Animal behind the drums. Clearly feeding off energy from the sold-out audience, Lunn leapt from the drums, bounded offstage and stood on bar tables, encouraging people to dance.

But Cooper was undoubtedly the star of the show. A poster girl for encouraging activity in teenagers, she never once stopped moving — hurtling from one end of the stage to the other, folding into her bass, jumping and belting out the words even if she was nowhere near a microphone. During the band's opening riff to "1 A.M.," their best song and Young For Eternity's hidden track, Cooper abandoned her bass entirely. With Lunn smiling at her, she ran amok, clapping, bopping and jerkily dancing as if she were Ian Curtis in the midst of an epileptic seizure.

Later, after one too many calls of "I love you, Charlotte," Lunn took offense. "They love you," he said to her, teasingly adding, "Nobody loves me." Still, Lunn got his share of approving cheers during the encore. Shedding his guitar midway through "Rock And Roll Queen," he flung himself into the throng of people and jumped onto the bar again. But this time, perhaps to settle the score, he clapped, danced and strutted along the bar surface, Coyote Ugly-style. "All right," Lunn yelled when he returned to the stage to finish the song, "Let's fucking party."

The Subways: younger than you, more talented than you and, if they don't over exert themselves every night on stage, one of the most exciting bands you'll ever have the pleasure of seeing live.