Zounds
Zounds were a UK anarchist band formed in 1977 from loose jamming sessions … Read Full Bio ↴Zounds were a UK anarchist band formed in 1977 from loose jamming sessions around the Reading area. Originally they were part of the cassette culture movement, releasing material on the Fuck Off Records tape label, and were also involved in the squatting and free festival scene.
The band met up with fellow anarchists Crass when, legend has it, their van broke down on the road. They made their way to nearby Dial House, where Crass were based, who helped them with repairs. The two bands became friends, and although musically very divergent, they shared many common political views. Zounds shortly afterwards released their first EP, "Can't Cheat Karma", on the Crass Records label.
In November 1980, they were on tour on the European continent. The first concert of that tour was in Rotterdam, with local band Bunker OESO. The other dates of that tour were with Dutch band Cheap'n'Nasty (who had played with Crass and Poison Girls as well), playing in the Netherlands, Belgium and West Berlin.
In 1981, they came again, to play in Leiden and elsewhere in the Netherlands.
The band released their first album The Curse of Zounds on Rough Trade Records in 1981. The cover art, by anarchist artist Clifford Harper, featured a painting of firefighters apparently trying to put out a blaze at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. However, the picture continued onto the back cover, which showed that in fact, they are spraying the fire with petrol, thus feeding it!
The band split up in late 1982. Bass player and vocalist Steve Lake and guitarist Laurence Wood continued to work together for a while as The World Service, whilst drummer Josef Porta (AKA Joseph Porter) went on the join The Mob and later formed Blyth Power. Lake continues to work as a solo artist, and Zounds occasionally reform for benefit gigs with a line-up augmented by Protag (formerly of Instant Automatons, Alternative TV and Blyth Power) and drummer Stick (previously of DIRT, Doom and Extreme Noise Terror). A remixed version of the bands song "This Land" was released in 2001 as a CD single benefit for the McLibel support campaign.
The name of the band is derived from the old English curse-word "zounds", which is a contraction of "Gods wounds", referring to Christ's crucifixion wounds.
The band met up with fellow anarchists Crass when, legend has it, their van broke down on the road. They made their way to nearby Dial House, where Crass were based, who helped them with repairs. The two bands became friends, and although musically very divergent, they shared many common political views. Zounds shortly afterwards released their first EP, "Can't Cheat Karma", on the Crass Records label.
In November 1980, they were on tour on the European continent. The first concert of that tour was in Rotterdam, with local band Bunker OESO. The other dates of that tour were with Dutch band Cheap'n'Nasty (who had played with Crass and Poison Girls as well), playing in the Netherlands, Belgium and West Berlin.
In 1981, they came again, to play in Leiden and elsewhere in the Netherlands.
The band released their first album The Curse of Zounds on Rough Trade Records in 1981. The cover art, by anarchist artist Clifford Harper, featured a painting of firefighters apparently trying to put out a blaze at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. However, the picture continued onto the back cover, which showed that in fact, they are spraying the fire with petrol, thus feeding it!
The band split up in late 1982. Bass player and vocalist Steve Lake and guitarist Laurence Wood continued to work together for a while as The World Service, whilst drummer Josef Porta (AKA Joseph Porter) went on the join The Mob and later formed Blyth Power. Lake continues to work as a solo artist, and Zounds occasionally reform for benefit gigs with a line-up augmented by Protag (formerly of Instant Automatons, Alternative TV and Blyth Power) and drummer Stick (previously of DIRT, Doom and Extreme Noise Terror). A remixed version of the bands song "This Land" was released in 2001 as a CD single benefit for the McLibel support campaign.
The name of the band is derived from the old English curse-word "zounds", which is a contraction of "Gods wounds", referring to Christ's crucifixion wounds.
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Zounds Lyrics
Alone Round every corner a hostile face A house divided is a…
Biafra Black were the people in the country of Biafra On the…
Can One - Two - Three - Go I've got an ego It…
Dancing It's nineteen thirty-three ??? ??? But she just wanna go …
Demystification I look out the window and I wonder at it…
Did He Jump Who was that on the window ledge? Did he jump or…
Dirty Squatters Some dirty squatters moved into my street With their non sex…
Fear Sing a song of violence and listen for the sound All…
Great White Hunter I am the Great White Hunter And you know I've…
Knife I can look in the mirror and not recognize The reflection…
Little Bit More Rain is floading, the pavement cracks Headlines screaming '…
Loads of Noise Well the news is on, I listen all day It's stranger…
Mr Disney I was living rather quietly by my village in the…
New Band There's a new band every week New ways to move your…
Not Me Who is gonna be one of the crowd Who is gonna…
Subvert War - War - War - War There's war in Afghanistan And…
Target I was living rather quietly by my village in the…
This Land This land is your land and this land is my…
True Love I hear the buzzing on the radio I hear yet…
War War, War, War, War There's war in Afghanistan And war in…
War / Subvert War - War - War - War There's war in Afghanistan And…
Wolves Don’t step outside the house tonight We’re safe in here Th…