Wire

Bio

Wire is a band formed in 1976 in Watford, England and after splitting in 1980, have reformed three times. They consist of Colin Newman (vocals, guitar), Graham Lewis (vocals, bass) and Robert Gotobed (drums). Founding guitarist Bruce Gilbert left in 2004. In 2008, Margaret Fielder McGinnis of Laika joined the band as their touring guitarist, but as of 2010 has been replaced by Matt Simms. Wire's debut album, Pink Flag (1977), contains songs which are diverse in mood and style, but most use a minimalist punk approach, unorthodox structures, and several songs are under a minute in length; "Field Day For The Sundays" is only 28 seconds long. Chairs Missing followed in 1978, and found Wire stepping back from the stark minimalism of Pink Flag, with longer, more atmospheric songs and synthesizer parts added by producer Mike Thorne. The experimentation was even more prominent on 154 (1979). Many of the songs had bassist Graham Lewis on lead vocals. In 1979, creative differences pulled the band in different directions, leading to the Document and Eyewitness LP (1981), a recording of a performance that featured, almost exclusively, new material. The LP came packaged with an EP of a different performance of more new material. Some of these songs, along with others performed but not included on the album, were included on Colin Newman's post-Wire solo albums ("5/10", "We Meet Under Tables"), while others were released by Gilbert and Lewis' primary post-Wire outlet Dome ("And Then...", "Ritual View"). The band disbanded for the first time in 1980 Between 1981-85 Wire ceased recording and performing in favour of solo and non-Wire collaborative projects such as Dome, Cupol, Duet Emmo, and several Colin Newman solo efforts. In 1985, the group reformed as a "beat combo" (a joking reference to early 1960s beat music or even possibly beatniks), with greater use of electronic musical instruments. It released It's Beginning To And Back Again (IBTABA) in 1989, a "live" album of mostly re-worked versions of songs from The Ideal Copy and A Bell Is a Cup...Until It Is Struck, heavily re-arranged, edited, and remixed. A new song from the album, "Eardrum Buzz", became the band's biggest charting single. Gotobed left the band in 1990, after the release of the album Manscape. After his departure, the band dropped one letter from its name, becoming "Wir" (still pronounced "wire"), and released The First Letter in 1991. Once again, the band disbanded in 1992 There followed a further period of solo recordings, during which Newman founded the Swim ~ label, and later Githead with his wife (ex-Minimal Compact bassist Malka Spigel), while Wire remained an occasional collaboration. It was not until 1999 that Wire again became a full-time entity. With Gotobed back in the line-up (now using his birth name, Robert Grey), the group initially reworked much of their back catalogue for a performance at Royal Festival Hall on 26 February 2000. Wire's reception during a short tour of the US, and a number of UK gigs, convinced the band to continue. Two EPs and an album Send (2003) followed, as well as collaborations with stage designer Es Devlin and artists Jake and Dinos Chapman. In 2004 the band split once more. In 2006, Wire's 1970s albums were re-released with original vinyl tracklistings. Rumours abounded of a renewal of activity to mark the 30th anniversary of the band's debut as a 4 piece and the re-release of Pink Flag in 2007. A third Read & Burn EP was released in November, 2007. A full-length album of new material entitled Object 47 was released in July 2008. Bruce Gilbert was not involved in this recording, although according to Colin Newman, he did feature in a minimal capacity on the third Read and Burn EP. 2011 saw the release of the band's twelfth studio album Red barked trees . User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

Similar artists

Gang of Four, Magazine, Swell Maps, The Fall, Mission of Burma

Genres

post-punk,punk,new wave,alternative,Post punk,rock,alternative rock,industrial rock,punk rock,british,uk,london,indie rock,experimental rock,art punk,english,england,classic pop and rock,alternative rock,art punk,experimental rock,post-punk,punk,uk post-punk,

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On Tour: No

country: GB

city: London

Begin Date: 1976-10

Last Update:

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Videography

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Last FM

10:20

Jun/2020

The Art Of Persistence

The Art Of Persistence

May/2020

Small Black Reptile

Small Black Reptile

Mar/2020

Small Black Reptile (10:20 Version)

Small Black Reptile (10:20 Version)

Mar/2020

Mind Hive

Jan/2020

Primed and Ready - Single

Primed and Ready - Single

Jan/2020

Primed and Ready

Primed and Ready

Jan/2020

Vibes - Single

Oct/2019

Vibes [Explicit]

Vibes [Explicit]

Oct/2019

Cactused - Single

Cactused - Single

Oct/2019

Cactused

Oct/2019

Don't Trust 'em [Explicit]

Don't Trust 'em [Explicit]

Jul/2019

Second Length - Single

Second Length - Single

Oct/2018

Second Length

Oct/2018

Our Swimmer - Single

Our Swimmer - Single

Sep/2018

Map Ref 41 Degrees N 93 Degrees W - Single

Map Ref 41 Degrees N 93 Degrees W - Single

Aug/2018

A Question Of Degree - Single

A Question Of Degree - Single

Jul/2018

Air Max 97

Jun/2018

Dot Dash - Single

Dot Dash - Single

Jun/2018

I Am The Fly - Single

I Am The Fly - Single

May/2018

Safety First - Single

Safety First - Single

Apr/2023

Tir Rapide - Single

Tir Rapide - Single

Mar/2023

La Techno Me Consume - Single

La Techno Me Consume - Single

Feb/2023

E.K.S.

Feb/2023

E.K.S. - Single

E.K.S. - Single

Feb/2023

Contλminλted - Single

Contλminλted - Single

Jan/2023

006 Phone - Single

006 Phone - Single

Jan/2023

006 PHONE

Jan/2023

004 Coin - Single

004 Coin - Single

Jan/2023

005 S64 - Single

005 S64 - Single

Jan/2023

005 S64

Jan/2023

004 COIN

Jan/2023

003 Sum Mo Instrumental - Single

003 Sum Mo Instrumental - Single

Jan/2023

003 SUM MO INSTRUMENTAL

003 SUM MO INSTRUMENTAL

Jan/2023

002 Shop - Single

002 Shop - Single

Jan/2023

002 SHOP

Jan/2023

001 Vaseline - Single

001 Vaseline - Single

Jan/2023

001 VASELINE

Jan/2023

snaka [Explicit]

snaka [Explicit]

Sep/2023

Cosmicall - EP

Mar/2024

Alligator - Single

Alligator - Single

Mar/2024

Alligator [Explicit]

Alligator [Explicit]

Mar/2024

Sza - Single

Dec/2023

sza [Explicit]

Dec/2023

Drum Studies

Nov/2023

having a good heart is the worst thing thats happened to me [Explicit]

having a good heart is the worst thing thats happened to me [Explicit]

Nov/2023

Having a Good Heart Is the Worst Thing Thats Happened To Me - Single

Having a Good Heart Is the Worst Thing Thats Happened To Me - Single

Nov/2023

Protected - Single

Protected - Single

Oct/2023

protected [Explicit]

protected [Explicit]

Oct/2023

Closure - Single

Closure - Single

Sep/2023

closure [Explicit]

closure [Explicit]

Sep/2023

Seconds - Single

Seconds - Single

Sep/2023

seconds [Explicit]

seconds [Explicit]

Sep/2023

Snaka - Single

Sep/2023

Understand - Single

Understand - Single

Jun/2024

Understand [Explicit]

Understand [Explicit]

Jun/2024

Hushh - Single

Jun/2024

hushh [Explicit]

hushh [Explicit]

Jun/2024

Close Friends - Single

Close Friends - Single

Jun/2024

close friends [Explicit]

close friends [Explicit]

Jun/2024

Difference - Single

Difference - Single

May/2024

Difference

May/2024

Metal Space - Single

Metal Space - Single

May/2024

Metal Space [Explicit]

Metal Space [Explicit]

May/2024

Mon Moitié

Nov/2024

Mon Moitié - Single

Mon Moitié - Single

Nov/2024

Allah's Alter [Explicit]

Allah's Alter [Explicit]

Nov/2024

Black Sheep - Single

Black Sheep - Single

Nov/2024

Black Sheep [Explicit]

Black Sheep [Explicit]

Nov/2024

Olowo - Single

Nov/2024

Olowo [Explicit]

Olowo [Explicit]

Nov/2024

Figure 8 - Single

Figure 8 - Single

Oct/2024

Figure 8 [Explicit]

Figure 8 [Explicit]

Oct/2024

Wire 1985-1990: The a List

Wire 1985-1990: The a List

Apr/2025

Jobolete [Explicit]

Jobolete [Explicit]

Apr/2025

Comot - Single

Apr/2025

Do Like Dat - Single

Do Like Dat - Single

Apr/2025

Flip Up - Single

Flip Up - Single

Apr/2025

Do Like Dat [Explicit]

Do Like Dat [Explicit]

Apr/2025

Flip Up

Apr/2025

Comot

Apr/2025

ily - Single

Apr/2025

ily [Explicit]

Apr/2025

My Bae - Single

My Bae - Single

Apr/2025

My Bae [Explicit]

My Bae [Explicit]

Apr/2025

xo - Single

Feb/2025

xo [Explicit]

Feb/2025

Travis Statik x Getty4 Presents: FIEN (feat. Travis Statik) - Single

Travis Statik x Getty4 Presents: FIEN (feat. Travis Statik) - Single

Jan/2025

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