ZOUNDS Zounds are an English anarcho-punk bank from Berkshire, originally active from 1977 to 1982 and again since 2001. Steve Lake is the nucleus of Zounds and the band evolved from a number of jamming sessions with other musicians and friends in Reading and Oxford, taking in influences from the Velvet Underground to the Sex Pistols. Zounds slowly became more politicized owing to troubles with police and unfolding events of the cold war, and became more and more involved with free festivals, alongside The Mob, with whom they developed a close association. After meeting up with Crass when their van broke down on tour, Zounds and Crass became friends as they shared many common political views. This resulted in Zounds releasing their first EP, 'Can't Cheat Karma', on the Crass Records label in 1981.
The EP featured possibly their most well-known track "Subvert", a call to arms against the grind of daily life. The release of this EP and association with Crass led to an increase in the band's profile in the embryonic Anarcho-punk scene, touring with both Crass and the Poison Girls. The band released their first album 'The Curse of Zounds' on on Rough Trade Records in 1981, recording and mixing the LP within five days. This record has been recognised as one of the classic punk albums of the early 80s. After 3 more singles on RT, the band split up in late 1982, Steve Lake disaffected with the Anarchist music scene in general and the band worn out from touring.
After a gig in 1998 to support the "McLibel campaign" and a one-off single for the same cause in 2001, Zounds reformed properly in 2007. Steve Lake recruited Paul O'Donnell (bass) and Paul Gilbert (drums) and since then they have toured extensively across the UK and Europe and completed a new album, The Redemption of Zounds in 2011. A great new single, Ancient Briton/Sick of Work was released on Overground Records in June 2013. http://www.zoundsonline.co.uk/
