Charlie Harper certainly isn’t done making noise just yet. While U.K. Subs are approaching the end of their live career, the 82-year-old punk veteran has teamed up with a fresh crew under the name Derik & The Disasters. Their self-titled debut album is out now on Damaged Goods Records, delivering fourteen tracks of British punk rock that bring together several generations of musicians. This is no exercise in nostalgia – there’s plenty of life left in this new partnership.

Alongside Charlie on vocals, the lineup features Del Greening, guitarist from Peter & The Test Tube Babies, Vicky Smith of The Ramonas on bass and Marley Perez, Charlie’s grandson, behind the drums. The project grew out of mutual respect between Harper and Greening. Charlie had become a regular face at Peter & The Test Tube Babies shows, where he kept praising Del’s guitar playing and eventually suggested they should work together. Both musicians are based in Brighton, and with Del no longer touring with the Test Tubes and Charlie cutting back on his U.K. Subs commitments, the timing was right to start something new.

Recording began in October 2025, with no lengthy rehearsals or elaborate pre-production. The result is fourteen songs drawing on the musical backgrounds of both main songwriters while carving out an identity of their own. This is neither another U.K. Subs album nor a Charlie Harper solo record. Expect straightforward punk rock, strong melodies and lyrics dealing with issues of the present day. Tracks like New Palestine, Divide, Used and Abused and Cyber War are among the highlights. There’s also an unexpected brass arrangement on Lost, while the closing instrumental Strait of Hormuz takes a slight detour into jazz territory.

The new project arrives as a major chapter in British punk history approaches its conclusion. U.K. Subs have announced their final run of live shows, culminating on September 25, 2027, at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire. The band will be celebrating fifty years since their formation, and Charlie Harper has explained the decision as a chance to finish on their own terms and pass the torch to the hundreds of younger punk bands they’ve hopefully inspired along the way. This isn’t the end of Charlie’s musical journey, though – and Derik & The Disasters are proof enough. If you thought we’d heard the last of him, think again.

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