Zounds

Originating in 1977, Zounds emerged as an anarchist post-punk group whose darker, more refined aesthetic stood apart from the raw, aggressive approach of their mentors in Crass. The driving force behind the band was bassist and vocalist Steve Lake, a Reading native who had relocated to Oxford and settled into a squatters community. Lake, guitarist Steve Burch, and drummer Jimmy Lacey formed the original roster, whose early direction drew as heavily from psychedelia and Krautrock as from punk itself. Nick Godwin soon added a second guitar, after which Burch departed before any tracks were laid down; Lawrence Wood took his place. The quartet devoted most of its efforts to the free festival circuit until an encounter with Crass exposed Lake to anarchist ideas that would reshape his perspective. A demo was recorded and forwarded to Crass amid further shifts, as Godwin exited and Joseph Porter replaced Lacey on drums. The Crass label signed the band and released its debut three-song single, "Can't Crash Karma"/"War"/"Subvert," in 1980. Penny Rimbaud, who produced the session for Crass, brought in a session drummer because Porter had not yet developed sufficient technical command. Rough Trade, the label formerly tied to Crass, issued the follow-up single "Demystification" in 1981 and the band's only album, The Curse of Zounds, the next year. The record's atmosphere of claustrophobic paranoia earned positive notices but reached few listeners outside anarchist punk circles. Two further non-album singles appeared later in 1982—the Mikey Dread-produced "Dancing" and "More Trouble Coming Every Day"—while personnel continued to evolve: keyboardist Brian Pugsley became an official member, Mob drummer Tim Hutton switched to bass, and Lake moved to guitar alongside Wood. Mounting exhaustion led to one last, largely routine EP, 1983's La Vache Qui Rit, after which Zounds disbanded. Lake and Wood briefly rejoined Godwin in World Service before that project also ended. Broken Rekids reissued The Curse of Zounds on CD in 1997, appending earlier singles as bonus tracks. Lake reconvened Zounds in 1998 with bassist Protag, formerly of Blyth Power, and drummer Stick of Extreme Noise Terror, releasing the benefit single "This Land" to support Dave Morris in his libel case against McDonald's.