Wounds – Auntie Annie’s, Belfast – Friday February 8th 2013

Wounds - Collider PosterHaving just released their debut album – an opus which nearly didn’t see the life of day following guitarist James Coogan’s near death experience, when he feel from a fourth-floor balcony in an horrific accident which left him in a coma for six weeks – Dublin hardocre quartet Wounds returned north of the border for this, the penultimate in a short series of Irish and UK dates to mark its release.

Opening proceedings, Belfast alt-rockers Bellos play a grinding grunge which is highlighted by the most incredible bass sound – until it disappears into the ether in a unidentified technical hitch, which is dealt with somewhat messily, as the drummer and guitarist attempt, unsuccessfully, to cover over the delay. Having said that, when they return, they do manage to produce at least one huge, grooving riff which piqued your reviewer’s interest enough to keep a wary eye out for them in the near future…

http://www.facebook.com/bellosband

The Alice Kona Band  – who don’t actually have a girl called Alice playing for them (although she might just live next door, for all we know!!) – play feisty, not unpleasant Clash-inspired garage punk fused with rockabilly, especially in their base sound, with heavy overtones of everyone from The Stooges through The Cramps to early Green Day, via The Ramones. Their set is energetic and they certainly know how to work a room – something which has come from their almost constant live work over the past 12 months or so,

http://www.facebook.com/TheAliceKonaBand

It’s said that adversity makes you go stronger, and the travails which Wounds have undergone in recent times certainly seems to work in their favour, as they come across as hungry and determined to live life to the fullest. Their in-your-face punk’n’roll hardcore sound is also honest and refreshing, especially at a time when many bands come across as formulaic and uninspiring, and references everything from the classic garage sound of The Stooges through to the might Cancer Bats. Se highlights include ‘Die Die Fucking Die’, ‘Killing Spree’ and the highly personal ‘No Future’

‘Die Young’ is out now on In At The Deep End.

Wounds play the following European dates later this month:

February 22nd – Sonic Ballroom, Cologne
February 23rd – Piekny Pies, Krakow
February 24th – Klub Saturor, Warsaw
February 25th – White Trash, Berlin
February 26th – Klub 007 Strahov, Prague
February 28th – DNA, Brussels
March 1st – Entrepot, Arion

They also have been confirmed to appear at the inaugural Slam Dunk Ireland festival in Dublin on May 29th.

http://www.woundsband.com/
http://www.iatde.com/

About Mark Ashby

no longer planetmosh staff