Unpopular Advent 2013 Day 16 - The Wolfhounds

Cheer Up - The Wolfhounds (from 'Cheer Up' 7")

You will have heard me say this before but really it bears repeating that The Wolfhounds are one of my very favourite groups from that fertile period in the mid to late 1980s when I was so voraciously consuming music. Indeed, they remain one of my very favourites from any era, period. I have written about them in the past of course. Tangentially as part of this piece about the sleeve art of Andy Royston, and then again as part of an article about the C86 tape for Royston’s own Wolfhounds website (which sadly seems to have evaporated). As such the release of their first vinyl 7" release since a triumphant live return at the 'Still Doing It For Fun' events at the ICA back in 2006 was always going to excite me, and whilst I admit to some nervousness before dropping the needle on the record I needn’t, of course, have worried. For in ‘Cheer Up’ The Wolfhounds not only effortlessly picked up where they had left off with 1990’s criminally under-rated ‘Attitude’ set, they also presented one of the most dynamic, vitriolic blasts of Pop Noise genius of the year. Their second single of the year, the mighty ‘Divide And Fall’ was similarly barbed and brutally beautiful, whilst it's mesmerising flip 'The Ten Commandments of Public Life' showed their hypnotic, rhythmic side and certainly put me in mind of earlier triumphs like 'Restless Spell' or 'Another Hazy Day On The Lazy A'. The New Year promises another new offering on the marvellous Oddbox imprint. Don’t you dare miss out. 

 

Comments

[rob]

Yes, a smashing band and their tracks don't seem to have aged! I still have a flicker of irritation as my encounter with an iTunes malfunction (something I seem to remember you suffered from a while back )resulted in the loss of 'Rent Act' when I finally managed to recall the bulk of my tracks - so it's out there in the i-ether somewhere.Love the clanging guitar lines here as well as the lyrics!

[Paul]

Pretty sure they had an EP I bought a couple of years ago with Skullface on it, so this is probably not their first since regrouping.

[alistair]

Thanks Paul, I stand corrected. Skull Face passed me by completely...