The Woe Betides’ story began on a dark night in the dimly lit upstairs of a London pub. Grundy le Zimbra and Simon Mastrantone gave an impromptu performance at the infamous Songs in the Dark night. Their debut EP was released in 2009 by Songs in the Dark records to critical acclaim.

Artrocker magazine called the band "skronky" and described them as being "resolutely lo-fi, DIY, rough around the edges and all the better for it"while NME called the band "Enthralling... deft puppet-masters of Indie." The band are currently working on their debut album, due in 2010.