Original progenitor Steve Lake still sings and basses. Laurence Wood still sometimes sings and always guitars. Of the fateful Zounds dawning Steve recollects they embarked upon: “Various ventures and practical jokes.”

He speaks with an unsettling evil gleam twinkling in his eye. No doubt the victims of these early deeds still suffer grotesque nightmares as a consequence. Psychically maimed for life.

Drum-beater Josef Portar gave up on life and enlisted during March of last year. His presence adding a new edge and commitment which very quickly resulted in the 'Can't Cheat Karma' three song waxing on Crass’s label.

Steve: “We were doing some gigs under the auspices of the Street Level Organisation (a collective geared to the distribution of free music among the masses. The price is right but the sounds sometimes aren't) near where they lived. People at the gigs had told us about them (Crass) so we thought they'd be worth a visit.

“They were quite interested in what we were doing and suggested a record. We hassled them until they did it. It was released in last September. It did well because of Crass's name. They're the most popular band in the country. Crass's name is a sort of guarantee to some people of the product being worth something.”

These debut grooves growl a frenzied, angry warning. Lyrics are frill-less, fierce and nakedly honest. But unlike some street urchins who spout loud though empty protest as a stepping stone on the way to major label fame and fortune, Zounds remained a law unto themselves rather than slaves to fad and fashion. Press interest was a resolute zero. Despite the brisk business of ‘Can’t Cheat Karma’ they continued playing small gigs (many free), quietly toured Europe and remained residents of a Hackney squat.

In March of this year, a burning desire to construct fresh vinyl combined with the habitual lack of readies in the wallet led to the anxious trio knocking on the door of Rough Trade.

Steve: “We went there out of desperation. Crass have a policy of only bringing out one record by a particular band and we had no money to release anything ourselves. We went to Rough Trade for advice. They liked what we were doing and suggested doing some records with them.

“There's the single ('Demystification') and an LP due out in a couple of weeks called 'The Curse of Zounds' which was recorded in March and sounds a bit dated now.”

'Demystification' charts a pleasing progression from the primitiveness of the first single. The newie boasts more of a production though the power and aggression still remains. Steve's voice is less Rotten-esque, almost tuneful, Laurence is given the space to try more guitar ideas and executes a number of flicking finger embellishments.

Thanks to their Bleinham Crescent benefactors, Zounds and I find ourselves uncomfortably cacooned in an apology for a dressing room somewhere in the Lyceum (“Don't go out the door, you’ll never find your way back”). Present company also includes pseudo roadies The Mob and assorted associates. This substantial gathering is coupled with sparse fittings and lack of ventilation.

Tonight, the fab three await the great honour of playing third support (“You're on at six thirty lads") to the Exploited, Anti-Pasti and Vice Squad. A grouping of spikey haired faves and their equally hedgehog headed disciples with whom Zounds feel no affinity whatsoever.

Laurence: "We're lumped into the Hard Core Punk category because of our Crass connections. People are more interested in a gig at the Lyceum, then a gig at their local youth club, that’s what makes me sick.”

Steve. “Hard Core Punk is like another way of identifying yourself with a group to fight the feeling alienation that you might otherwise get because society as it is now can be a very cold, lonely way of life for a lot of people. It’s easier if they form into recognisable groups, put on leather jackets, get pissed, go to see the Exploited.

“But you can't sit as judge and jury and say they're wrong. It's not for me to say. It is bad that people can be manipulated once they start to identify with a group. There's an expectation on the person to look a certain way and do certain things. You get people in the group who set the standards.”

Laurence: “There are loads of fashions around at the moment. It's just like divide and rule by the big businesses.”

Steve: “But big business is just as much a symptom of what's wrong as people going around looking for a fight. The people who work at ICI don't sit around wondering how to keep the plebs under control, they're just playing a part. It's like if you remove Maggie Thatcher there's a hundred more to stand in her place.”

Steeping onto the boards at an unheard-of hour while the of the would be audience are still begging florins from passing tourists in the Strand, and the most disgusting P.A. ever (a vile treble-heavy distorted mess like a cement mixer on overload), contributed to the failure of Zounds to garner even a modest sprinkling of applause.

An adventure playground engagement earlier in the day had elicited a more positive response. But then again it is a well known fact that children have more sense than adults, particularly those 'grown ups' who choose to leave their brains in a glue bag.

Once more back in the dressing cubicle, Zounds are, not surprisingly, still as cynical and generally feeling as out of place as ever in the 'rock show' environment. The arrival of free drinks and fruit cues a host of self-mocking witticisms ("If this is for us the Exploited must be having a turkey dinner in the banqueting suite") but their admirable unwillingness to conform never manifests itself as a Killing Joke type paranoia.

So begs the question: why are they here?

Steve: “We've always fought shy of gigs like this because they are a rip off. We've always had a thing about organising our own gigs. Hiring halls and P.A.'s but because we’re not very good at that sort of thing most of the gigs were very shambolic.

“We still want to have as much control over what we do as possible but it's very difficult to keep it all together, to organise gigs you need money, this gig is paying the telephone bill. “To an extent it is going against what we're trying to do. But try and present music in any kind of alternative way and you come up against a lot of barriers. The people here tonight probably don't think it is a rip off. Probably they're under the illusion that it is good value.”

Zounds won’t prostitute themselves to gain your attention (or for that matter ever slide into elitism) but they are worthy of your time. Their aims are simple and honest.

Steve: “As long as we're able to make records and do gigs anything else is a bonus. Our plans are to play good music that hopefully other people will enjoy but if they don't we’ll still be doing it. It would be nice to work out a way of doing gigs that are enjoyable and not just a ritual.”