THE SUBWAYS

The Subways have gone from a band of unknown, unsigned teen-rockers to fully-fledged, fully signed festival favourites (This will be their second Reading and Leeds Carling festy appearance). Singer guitarist Billy Lunn didn't need to cast the net too wide for his band - Bassist Mary-Charlotte Cooper is his fiancee while his little brother Josh bashes out the skins on the drums. The band found success after winning the Unsigned Bands contest at Glastonbury in 2004 while their highly acclaimed debut album, Young For Eternity, an intoxicating brew of short, sharp garage rock, received plaudits from far and wide. A pesky nodule problem on Billy's throat led to the cancellation of live gigs until May 2006, but he recently received the all clear to continue touring. Hurrah!