Editing Wire (band) (section)

==History==

===1976 to 1980===

Wire began as a five-piece band in October 1976. Initially, the band's main songwriter was guitarist George Gill but after he broke his leg and was unable to perform, the band moved on without him in February 1977. They dropped most of the songs written by Gill, although many of these early songs have been released as demos or on compilation albums. Wire's debut album, ''[[Pink Flag]]'' (1977) – "perhaps the most original debut album to come out of the first wave of British punk", according to [[AllMusic]]<ref name="Pink Flag Allmusic">{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/pink-flag-r22101/review |title=Pink Flag |author=Steve Huey |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=16 February 2012}}</ref> – contains songs that are diverse in mood and style, but most use a [[minimalism|minimalist]] punk approach combined with unorthodox structures.<ref name="Trouser Press">{{cite web |url=http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=wire |title=Wire |author1=Jim DeRogatis |author2=Wilson Neate |publisher=TrouserPress.com |access-date=16 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204040037/http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=wire |archive-date=4 February 2012}}</ref> "Field Day for the Sundays", for example, is only 28 seconds long.

[[File:Colin Newman b nov 2011.jpg|left|upright=0.7|thumb|Colin Newman, 2011]]
{{Listen
| filename=Wire Outdoor Miner.ogg
| title="Outdoor Miner"| description=Sample of "Outdoor Miner", taken from ''[[Chairs Missing]]'' (1978)
| format=[[Ogg]]}}

Their second album, ''[[Chairs Missing]]'' (1978), marked a retreat from the stark minimalism of ''Pink Flag'', with longer, more atmospheric songs and synthesizer parts added by producer [[Mike Thorne]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/chairs-missing-r22102 |title=Chairs Missing |author=Steve Huey |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=16 February 2012}}</ref> "[[Outdoor Miner]]" was a minor hit, peaking at number 51 in the UK singles chart.<ref name="Wire singles">{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/wire/ |title=WIRE &#124; full Official Chart History &#124; Official Charts Company |website=Officialcharts.com |access-date=3 June 2016}}</ref> The experimentation was even more prominent on ''[[154 (album)|154]]'' (1979).<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/>

Wire's unorthodox ideas to promote ''154'' led to a falling out with their label. According to Newman, "We'd worked out a sales strategy for ''154'' that EMI couldn't see at all...They couldn't understand a rock band that wanted to do a week in a theater as an event, and wanted to promote ''154'' with videos or left-field TV adverts. We wanted to help them sell records; they thought we were simply being intransigent."<ref name="Trouser Press interview">{{cite magazine |url=https://trouserpress.com/magazine-covers-7/ |title=Colin Newman |magazine=[[Trouser Press]] |location=New York |volume=8 |issue=4 |date=June 1981 |access-date=December 24, 2021 |last=Green |first=Jim |page=18}}</ref> According to Jim Green in an interview with Newman, "personnel changes at EMI had left Wire without any support." Colin Newman's solo album, "''[[A–Z (album)|A-Z]]'' was planned as the fourth Wire album, but EMI cancelled studio time in the wake of failed negotiations with the band, and then dropped Wire's option."<ref name="Trouser Press interview"/>

Lacking a recording deal and money,<ref name="Trouser Press interview"/> creative differences split the band in 1979, leading to the ''[[Document and Eyewitness]]'' LP (1981), a recording of a live performance that featured, almost exclusively, new material. The album was described as "disjointed",<ref name="Trouser Press"/> "unrecognizable as rock music" and "almost unlistenable".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/document-and-eyewitness-r22090/review |title=Document and Eyewitness |author=Wilson Neate |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=16 February 2012}}</ref> The LP came packaged with an [[Extended play|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 Newman's post-Wire solo albums (''5/10'', ''We Meet Under Tables''), while others were released by Gilbert's and Lewis' primary post-Wire outlet [[Dome (band)|Dome]] (''And Then...'', ''Ritual View'').

Between 1981 and 1985, Wire ceased recording and performing in favour of solo and collaborative projects such as [[Dome (band)|Dome]], Cupol, [[Daniel Miller (music producer)#Duet Emmo|Duet Emmo]] and several Colin Newman solo efforts.

===1985 to 1992===

In 1985, the group re-formed as a "[[Popular beat combo|beat combo]]" (a joking reference to early 1960s [[beat music]]), with greater use of [[electronic musical instrument]]s. Wire announced that they would perform none of their older material, hiring Ex-Lion Tamers (a Wire [[cover band]] named after a song title from ''Pink Flag'') as their opening act for a 1987 U.S. Tour. Ex-Lion Tamers played Wire's older songs, and Wire played their new material.<ref>Stuart Tomlinson, 'Critic's Choice' ''The Oregonion'' 'A&E' section 26 June 1987 p. F8 </ref>

In June 1988, Wire were part of a lineup that included [[Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark]] and [[Thomas Dolby]] supporting [[Depeche Mode]] at the [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]] [[Rose Bowl (stadium)|Rose Bowl]] where they played to over 60,000 people.<ref>{{Cite web|last=ckuttimecapsule|date=1988-06-29|title=Interview with Colin Newman of WIRE circa 1988|url=https://ckuttimecapsule.wordpress.com/1988/06/29/interview-with-colin-newman-of-wire-circa-1988/|access-date=2020-09-22|website=CKUT TIME CAPSULE|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2013-06-17|title=Video: Depeche Mode, 'A Concert for the Masses' — rare footage from 1988's '101' concert|url=http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2013/06/17/depeche-mode-concert-for-the-masses-25th-anniverary/|access-date=2020-09-22|website=[[Slicing Up Eyeballs]]|language=en-US}}</ref> In 1989, Wire released ''[[It's Beginning to and Back Again|IBTABA]]'', a "live" album of mostly reworked versions of songs from ''[[The Ideal Copy]]'' and ''[[A Bell Is a Cup... Until It Is Struck|A Bell Is a Cup]]'', heavily rearranged, edited, and remixed. A new song from the album, "Eardrum Buzz", was released as a single and peaked at number 68 in the UK singles chart.<ref name="Wire singles" />

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. 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.

===1999 to present===

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]] in 2000. Wire's reception during a short tour in early May of the US, and a number of UK gigs, convinced the band to continue. Two EPs, ''[[Read & Burn 01]]'' and ''[[Read & Burn 02]]'' were released in 2002. Seven of the tracks from the two EPs were collected with four previously unreleased tracks on the 2003 album, ''[[Send (album)|Send]]''. Wire collaborated with stage designer [[Es Devlin]] and artists [[Jake and Dinos Chapman]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.projectdark.demon.co.uk/DJK/wire.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031205113845/http://www.projectdark.demon.co.uk/DJK/wire.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 December 2003 |title=Wire + Jake & Dinos Chapman + ES Devlin with Kirsten Reynolds (Project Dark) |publisher=projectdark.demon.co.uk |access-date=16 February 2012}}</ref> In 2005, ''[[The Scottish Play: 2004]]'', which contained recordings of live performances from this era, was released.

In 2006, Wire's 1970s albums were remastered and re-released with the original vinyl track listings. In 2007, ''[[Read & Burn 03]]'' was released. According to Newman, Gilbert featured in a minimal capacity on this EP; Gilbert would no longer feature in Wire after this release. Later, in 2020, Wire would release ''[[Send (album)#Send Ultimate|Send Ultimate]]'' which added a bonus disc to the ''Send'' album. ''Send Ultimate'' collected all the tracks from the first two Read and Burn EPs along with other unreleased material and both sides of the "Twelve Times You" single. A full-length album of new material entitled ''[[Object 47]]'' was released in July 2008 with Wire now consisting of three members.

[[File:Matt Simms sep 2013.jpg|thumb|Matt Simms, 2013]]In January 2011, Wire released ''[[Red Barked Tree]]'', which according to the band's press release "rekindles a lyricism sometimes absent from Wire's previous work and reconnects with the live energy of performance, harnessed and channelled from extensive touring over the past few years".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pinkflag.com (the official Wire website) - Press - Red Barked Tree|url=http://pinkflag.com/press/red-barked-tree/|access-date=2020-08-28|website=pinkflag.com}}</ref> The album was written and recorded by Newman, Lewis and Grey, but speaking to [[Marc Riley]] on the day of the release, Newman introduced as "a new boy" guitarist [[Matthew Simms|Matt Simms]] (from It Hugs Back), who had been a touring member with the band since April 2010.<ref name="Marc Riley">{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00xbbmz#segments |title=Wire |publisher=bbc.co.uk |access-date=16 February 2012}}</ref>

In March 2013 the band released ''[[Change Becomes Us]]'', their 13th studio album, which was very well received.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.spin.com/reviews/wire-change-becomes-us-pink-flag/ | title=Wire, ''Change Becomes Us'' (Pink Flag) | author=Gubbels, Jason | work=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] | date=28 March 2013 | access-date=30 August 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17720-wire-change-becomes-us/ | title=Wire – ''Change Becomes Us'' | publisher=[[Pitchfork Media]] | date=2 April 2013 | access-date=2 April 2013 | author=Wolk, Douglas}}</ref> Their fourteenth album, eponymously titled ''[[Wire (2015 album)|Wire]]'', was released in April 2015. The following year, in April 2016, the band's 15th studio album, entitled ''[[Nocturnal Koreans]],'' was released on their label Pinkflag. The album consisted of eight songs recorded during the sessions for their previous album which were as of then unreleased. [[Stereogum]] named ''Nocturnal Koreans'' the Album of the Week. Reviews for the album were mostly positive.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stereogum.com/1872193/album-of-the-week-wire-nocturnal-koreans/franchises/album-of-the-week/|title=Album Of The Week: Wire Nocturnal Koreans|date=19 April 2016|access-date=12 August 2016}}</ref> In 2017 Wire celebrated 40 years since their debut gig on 1 April 1977 by releasing their 16th studio album, ''[[Silver/Lead]]'', and headlining the Los Angeles edition of their DRILL : FESTIVAL.

In 2018, Wire released multi-disc special editions of their first three albums. Each album was housed in a book containing lyrics and other information about the album. The three releases collected non-LP singles and the demo sessions from this era along with remastered versions of the original albums. Also in 2018, Wire released a nine-disc vinyl box set, ''Nine Sevens'', which compiled their first eight singles and the free EP given away with ''154''. ''Nine Sevens'' was rereleased in April 2025 as a double vinyl set as part of Record Store Day.

In January 2020, Wire released ''[[Mind Hive]]''<ref>{{cite web|last=Pearis|first=Bill|title=Wire announce new album 'Mind Hive' and 2020 tour (listen to "Cactused")|url=http://www.brooklynvegan.com/wire-announce-new-album-mind-hive-and-2020-tour-listen-to-cactused/|work=[[Brooklyn Vegan]]|date=22 October 2019|access-date=22 October 2019}}</ref> on their own Pinkflag label.<ref name="mhv">{{cite web|last=Gentile|first=John|title=Wire to release new album|url=https://www.punknews.org/article/71095/wire-to-release-new-album|website=Punknews.org|date=22 October 2019|access-date=22 October 2019}}</ref> The band appeared on the front cover of [[The Wire (magazine)|''Wire'']] magazine (issue 432) published in January 2020; it featured an interview with the band about the new album and discussed the enduring nature of the group.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thewire.co.uk/issues/432|title=Issue 432 of The Wire|date=February 2020}}</ref>

On [[Record Store Day]], June 2020, Wire released an eight-song album entitled [[10:20 (Wire album)|''10:20'']].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Schatz|first=Lake|title=Wire Announce New Album 10:20, North American Tour|url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/03/wire-new-album-1020-tour-dates-tickets/|work=[[Consequence of Sound]]|date=11 March 2020|access-date=11 March 2020}}</ref> Side one of the vinyl LP consists of four tracks that were originally released as the limited edition ''Strays'' EP, which was given away with mail ordered copies of ''Red Barked Trees''. Side two contains four tracks that were recorded during the ''Mind Hive'' sessions but not released until their appearance on ''10:20''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pearis|first=Bill|title=Wire share "Small Black Reptile" from RSD20 LP, on tour now (NYC this week)|url=http://www.brooklynvegan.com/wire-share-small-black-reptile-from-rsd20-lp-on-tour-now-nyc-this-week/|work=[[Brooklyn Vegan]]|date=11 March 2020|access-date=11 March 2020}}</ref>

In June 2021, in conjunction with Record Store Day, Wire released ''PF456 Deluxe'' an 18-song vinyl-only compilation of the first two Read and Burn EPs, the "Twelve Times You" single, and the four unreleased tracks from ''Send''. Concurrently, Wire released a CD version of ''PF456 Redux'', a 16-song vinyl-only compilation, originally released in 2003, of edited versions of all the songs from the first two Read and Burn EPs along with the unreleased songs on ''Send''.

In April 2022, in conjunction with Record Store Day, Wire released ''Not About to Die'' which was originally released as a bootleg in the early 1980s. The album consists of recordings made for EMI as demos for the 1978 and 1979 albums, ''Chairs Missing'' and ''154''. The songs on ''Not About to Die'' were also previously released in 2018 by Wire on the special editions of the two EMI albums.