Mohawks, choppy power chords and a brutally intense live show.

There is nothing quite like real punk rock.

And State College will be getting a welcome dose at 8:30 p.m. Monday when old-school British rockers the U. K. Subs perform with Toxic Narcotic at the VFW Hall, 139 N. Barnard St.

'Age isn't anything but a number' is one cliche that U.K. Subs lead singer Charlie Harper definitely proves: Harper refuses to declare his age.

"You need to buy me a beer to ask that," he said.

But Harper did not deny the fact that he is probably the only punk rocker with three grandchildren.

Bill Damon, lead singer of Toxic Narcotic, agreed that Harper and the rest of the U.K. Subs defy the age boundaries of punk rock.

"I mean they could be four old janitors at your school, no one would know," Damon said. "They make us look like children. But they still play with a lot of energy."

The U.K. Subs are best known for their popularity during the second British punk invasion, around 1979. The band formed in 1976 and has survived various trends in punk rock music due to extensive touring and remarkable credentials as one of the originals on the punk rock scene.

Needless to say, its emblem is on a lot of leather jackets.

Punk rock has many different meanings to Harper. So many in fact, that when asked what it meant to him, his reply was the quip, "Have you got two hours?"

Overall though, he said what means most to him is the punk rock attitude.

"It's kind of a do-it-yourself thing," Harper said, while adding how much the band loves getting out and playing shows.

He went on to describe the U.K. Subs music as "just a good rocking punk."

As the veteran band tours the country, the wandering lifestyle continues to take its toll.

Harper described life on the road as "hot and hotter."

"I mean it's interesting going from town to town," he said. "All the parts of the country have little things to them. We wouldn't want to be truck drivers or anything, though."

But Harper is out there for the life-long dedication to one thing: the music. And the U.K. Subs live show promises to deliver.

"It will be something they have never seen before," Harper said. "It's four people on stage losing their minds, and the rest of the audience going with them."

Damon described Toxic Narcotic's live show as almost the same experience.

"Kids go crazy when we play," Damon said. "I don't notice how much goes on during the show until I watch a video of it. Then I am like, 'Holy Shit! These kids are killing each other.'"

Damon said no one gets hurt at a Toxic Narcotic show, though, adding that most people help each other up and try to mosh safely.

"It's like the commercial scene got into the slam-dancing, but forgot not to hurt each other," Damon said.

The band is gung-ho for the do-it-yourself attitude associated with punk rock. Damon and the rest of Toxic Narcotic own a record label, Rodent Popsicle Records. Even though the band is now on the New York based Go-Kart Record label, it still releases small, Boston bands on Rodent Popsicle.

Through all this, Damon remains extremely focused on the artistic side of the industry.

"There is only so far you can go with the entrepreneurial side of this business," Damon said. "We are still all playing the shows, touring and sleeping in the van."

Damon described the band's music as aggressive hardcore punk rock. "I guess there are all those sub-genres out there, but I really don't like using them. We would probably fit somewhere in the grindcore category. We draw fans from all of them, though," Damon said.

Inspiration for Toxic Narcotic's music comes from one emotion: anger.

"A lot of it is people that piss us off," Damon said. "For us it's a vent to play fast, hard-style music. It's like working out for other people. It makes us mellow people everyday."

Damon also said that Toxic Narcotic's live show is the main aspect of the band. "Our record does not capture the essence of the band live," he said. "I mean our drummer, he is off the hook. It looks like he is dying. He calls it a public display of agony. He plays 16th and 32nd notes for 30 to 40 minutes straight. I get thrown in the audience. It gets out of hand, but in a fun way."

Tickets for the all-ages event cost $10. For more information on the show call City Lights Records, 316 E. College Ave., at 237-6623.