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The old Greeks might have called it hubris, but when Wim Punk took to the stage of Humo's Rock Rally's final round in 1986, armed only with a big guitar and a hairdo that quipped "you talkin' to me?", he certainly did cause something of a stir, Greek or otherwise. "Shit!" he yelped, and that he wouldn't mind meeting Barbara Carrera in private, before storming off with a Ramonesy version of Dusty's 'I Only Wanna Be With You'. All in all, when a bronze crown was fastened to the man’s head a few hours later, it was much to the delight of everyone present. Whether the shockwave that went through the hall of the Ancienne Belgique that night had anything to do with the unfortunate Chernobyl incident a few days later remains a matter of speculation, but one thing's pretty damn certain: The Wolf Banes' rap on the door did not go unnoticed.

About a year later, the band had settled on an iron-cast line-up that left a yeti footprint wherever it played. The punters loved them, they loved them back, and with all that love toing-and-froing, even the most diehard of accountants felt the urge to do something silly when 'As The Bottle Runs Dry', that rowdiest of sea shanties, swept through the hall. It didn't take a S. Hawking brain then to understand that to preserve The Wolf Banes' then-current oeuvre for posterity would be an act of sheer philanthropy. George Kooijmans – he of Golden Earring fame – agreed to helm the desk, and the resulting ‘Where Is The Party’ album turned out to be the proof of the p. For reference, music hacks buzzed big names (Clash, Eddie Cochran), some slightly smaller ones (Replacements, Hoodoo Gurus, Nomads) and a lot of shaking, rattling and rolling throughout the mother country and friendly neighbouring ones followed. Sequel albums 'High Five' and 'Suite 16' garnered similar response, but after five years on the road, high-cycle fatigue set in. All five compadres, although still the bestest of chums, decided to go for a trial separation. Tears were shed and hands wrung, but there it was: The Wolf Banes had gone the way of the Norwegian Blue.

Only not quite: because a real gentleman knows where his duties lie. So it’s with much rejoicing of the heart that we re-welcome the Banes into our lives. Still oozing with boyish charm and with a bunch of songs under their belt só catchy questions have been raised by stern politicians concerned with high-fibre morals. But damn the bally lot of them. If the new single ‘'Things Too Much" is anything to go by – and to go by it is – the upcoming year 2010 will bear witness to a score of summer festivals with happy grins on the faces of both young and grown. And that’s not even counting the accountants!