Zounds at The Barn, Milton REVIEW: 'They play with a style and passion without compromising the message'

Tonight sees Zounds, who were part of the anarcho/Crass scene in the late ’70s/early ’80s, playing to a sold out house on a cold, wet and windy January night, which is great to see.

After a ferocious opening set by young Pompey punks Riot Club, The Dinz take the to the stage and dish up 12 slices of short sharp observations on life.

Lead singer Mark Ballard, dressed as sharp as ever (it’s not all about leather jackets) spits the lyrics with a degree of clarity and humour rarely seen at these type of gigs.

Guitarist Rob Mathews, sporting the ubiquitous Dinlo baseball cap drives the ship along with playing with zest and alacrity which is a joy to see.

By the end, the crowd and band are in unison shouting: 'We are The Dins'. We are indeed,

By now the venue is rammed, eager to see the reformed legendary band who are playing a handful of show this year.

Of course, with advancing years – along with the rest of us, lead singer and founding member Steve Lake has the look of a retired school teacher rather than the angry young anarchist from the late ’70s and has to rely on earplugs made from tissue paper to get through the show.

Zounds were always more than a shouty-for-the-sake-of-it punk band and they play with a style and passion without compromising on the message.

Steve recalls songs about squatting in the early days and social inequality but also about being on the outside – even in the punk circles, observing that The Sex Pistols were more about art and fashion than anything else.

The crowd lapped up the evening with the dancing becoming quite rowdy for an audience of a certain age, proving there is still life in the old legs yet.