Two Wounded Birds

Two Wounded Birds came together in 2008 within the remote seaside community of Margate on England’s coast. Johnny Danger handled lead guitar and vocals, Ally Blackgrove played bass, Joe Stevens covered rhythm guitar, and James Shand sat behind the drums; over the next several years the group refined a sound that fused surf textures with punk urgency. Their emerging style eventually caught the ear of fellow indie-surf enthusiasts the Drums, prompting joint tours during which Drums guitarist Jacob Graham issued the band’s 2010 EP Keep Dreaming Baby on his own Holiday Records label. In the wake of that EP the quartet laid down a BBC session, issued two singles via Moshi Moshi Recordings, and logged heavy festival appearances while supporting Black Lips and Grouplove on the road. A loyal following began to coalesce, reportedly prompting even Brian Wilson to telephone Johnny Danger personally and praise his melodic instincts. The band’s first proper studio album, the self-titled Two Wounded Birds, arrived in summer 2012 and merged the Ramones’ raw punk attack with the Zombies’ understated compositional finesse.