Editing Wire (band)

{{Short description|English rock band}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2019}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Wire
| image             = Wire sept 2013.jpg
| caption           = Wire in 2013; left to right: Matthew Simms, Robert Grey, Colin Newman, Graham Lewis
| alt               = 
| background        = group_or_band
| alias             = Wir
| origin            = London, England
| genre             = {{flatlist|
* [[Post-punk]]
* [[art punk]]
* [[punk rock]]
}}
| discography       = [[Wire discography]]
| years_active      = 1976–1980, 1985–1992, {{nowrap|1999–present}}
| label             = {{flatlist|
* Pinkflag
* [[Mute Records|Mute]]
* [[Harvest Records|Harvest]]
* [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]]
* [[Rough Trade Records|Rough Trade]]
}}
| website           = {{URL|www.pinkflag.com}}
| current_members   = [[Colin Newman]]<br/>[[Graham Lewis]]<br/>[[Robert Grey (musician)|Robert Grey]]<br/>[[Matthew Simms]]
| past_members      = George Gill<br/>[[Bruce Gilbert]]<br/>[[Margaret Fiedler McGinnis]]
}}

'''Wire''' are a British rock band, formed in London in October 1976<ref name="The Great Rock Discography">{{cite book |first=Martin C. |last=Strong |year=2000 |title=The Great Rock Discography |edition=5th |publisher=Mojo Books |location=[[Edinburgh]] |pages=1075–1076 |isbn=1-84195-017-3}}</ref> by [[Colin Newman]] (vocals, guitar), [[Graham Lewis]] (bass, vocals), [[Bruce Gilbert]] (guitar), George Gill (lead guitar) and [[Robert Grey (musician)|Robert Grey]] (aka Robert Gotobed; drums). They were originally associated with the [[punk rock]] scene, appearing on ''[[The Roxy London WC2]]'' album, and were instrumental to the development of [[post-punk]], while their debut album, ''[[Pink Flag]]'', was influential for [[hardcore punk]].<ref name="grow">{{cite magazine|last=Grow|first=Kory|title=Wire Reflect on 40 Years as Punk's Ultimate Cult Band |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/wire-reflect-on-40-years-as-punks-ultimate-cult-band-128633/|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=20 March 2017|access-date=11 November 2019}}</ref>

Wire are considered a definitive and highly influential [[art punk]] and post-punk band, due to their richly detailed and atmospheric sound and obscure lyrical themes.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}} They steadily developed from an early [[noise rock]] style to a more complex, structured sound involving increased use of guitar effects and synthesizers (1978's ''[[Chairs Missing]]'' and 1979's ''[[154 (album)|154]]''). The band gained a reputation for experimenting with song arrangements throughout their career.<ref name="allmusic_bio">{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/wire-p5856/biography |title=Wire |author=Wilson Neate |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=15 February 2012}}</ref>

==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.

== Musical style and influences ==
Despite Wire being considered pioneers of [[post-punk]], Newman has denied any association with [[Punk rock|punk]]. He has stated: "Wire really never were a punk band... we happened to be there at the same time. You could list [[Ramones|the Ramones]] as one of our influences, but we were never interested in just doing that genre. (...) [T]here's basically two views of Wire: you either think we were not a punk band, or that we were the best punk band ever because we broke every single rule of punk."<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 2, 2017 |title=Not A Punk Band: Interview with Wire's Colin Newman |url=https://eastwoodguitars.com/blogs/news/interview-with-wires-colin-newman-we-are-not-punk |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928084558/https://eastwoodguitars.com/blogs/news/interview-with-wires-colin-newman-we-are-not-punk |archive-date=September 28, 2023 |access-date=May 31, 2024 |website=eastwoodguitars.com}}</ref>

In addition to the Ramones, the band have also cited [[Neu!]], [[Can (band)|Can]], early [[Roxy Music]], [[Captain Beefheart]], [[Patti Smith]],  and [[Television (band)|Television]] as influences.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brodsky |first=Rachel |date=April 17, 2015 |title=Q&A: Nobody Puts Wire in a Corner |url=https://www.spin.com/2015/04/wire-interview-graham-lewis-colin-newman/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207140356/https://www.spin.com/2015/04/wire-interview-graham-lewis-colin-newman/ |archive-date=February 7, 2023 |access-date=May 31, 2024 |work=[[Spin (magazine) | SPIN]] |quote=Going back to when we started playing together, I think we had very disparate influences, but one of the common ones was pop music from the ’60s, what we were brought up on. The early music from Germany: [[Neu!]], [[Can (band) | Can]], people like that. We’re big fans of [[Captain Beefheart]], obviously. The very early [[Roxy Music]] stuff was good. At the time, when we actually started working together, we’d been doing things like [[Patti Smith]]’s first album, [[Ramones | the Ramones]], that stuff, [[Television (band) | Television]].}}</ref>

==Legacy==
Wire's influence has outshone their comparatively modest record sales. In the 1980s and 1990s, Big Black, [[Minutemen (band)|Minutemen]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://louderthanwar.com/mike-watt-stoogesminutemen-bass-genius-exclusive-interview/ |title=Mike Watt, Stooges/Minutemen Bass Genius, Exclusive Interview |last1=Adams |first1=Owen |date=26 June 2011 |publisher=Louder Than War|access-date=25 April 2013}}</ref> and [[Sonic Youth]]<ref name="soundci">{{cite web|title='Sound City Liverpool onstage interview|url=https://soundcloud.com/dave-8-2/thurston-moore-2|publisher=Soundcloud.com|access-date=25 August 2018}}</ref> all expressed a fondness for the group. Minutemen bassist [[Mike Watt]] described their influence as key, saying of ''Pink Flag'': "I don't know what we would have sounded like if we didn't hear it."<ref name="grow"/>

{{quote|"And the sound was incredible," he continues. "It was like that NYC band Richard Hell and the Voidoids without the studio gimmickry, but Wire was way more 'econo' with the instrumentation and the radical approach to song structure. And the way Wire wrote words were artistic without being elitist; some of the slang was trippy, too. All the 'old' conventions from all the other 'old' bands went out the window after we heard Wire. They were big-time liberating on us."<ref name="grow"/>}}

Wire were influential on American [[hardcore punk]]. Fans included [[Ian MacKaye]] of [[Minor Threat]] and [[Henry Rollins]],<ref name="grow" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://henryrollins.com/kcrw/detail/kcrw_broadcast_144_121011/|title=KCRW BROADCAST No. 144 12–10–11|author=Henry Rollins|author-link=Henry Rollins|publisher=henryrollins.com|access-date=16 February 2012}}</ref> formerly of [[Black Flag (band)|Black Flag]]. [[Minor Threat]] covered "12XU" for the ''[[Flex Your Head]]'' compilation,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/sashafrerejones/2012/03/loving-a-band-that-doesnt-want-to-be-loved.html |title=Loving a Band That Doesn't Want Your Love |author=Frere-Jones, Sasha |author-link=Sasha Frere-Jones |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |date=2 March 2012 |access-date=3 June 2016}}</ref> as did [[Boss Hog]] on their [[I Dig You (song)|''I Dig You'']] EP. Rollins, as Henrietta Collins & The Wife-Beating Childhaters, covered "Ex Lion Tamer" on the EP ''[[Drive by Shooting]]''. [[Michael Azerrad]] reported, in the book ''[[Our Band Could Be Your Life]]'', that at Minor Threat's second gig, each of the seven bands on the roster performed a version of a Wire song.<ref>{{cite book|title=Our Band Could Be Your Life|title-link=Our Band Could Be Your Life|author=Michael Azerrad|year=2001|publisher=Little, Brown |isbn=0-316-78753-1|oclc=50483014|author-link=Michael Azerrad}}</ref>

[[Robert Pollard]] once declared Wire's ''154'' to be "the greatest album of all time",<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 19, 2014 |title=Robert Pollard: Scalping The Guru |url=https://magnetmagazine.com/2014/09/19/robert-pollard-scalping-the-guru/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910172509/https://magnetmagazine.com/2014/09/19/robert-pollard-scalping-the-guru/ |archive-date=September 10, 2024 |access-date=December 30, 2024 |website=Magnet Magazine}}</ref> and has stated that "[t]here's always some Wire influence in my stuff."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Captain, My Captain - The No Ugly Babies interview with Robert Pollard |url=https://www.angelfire.com/biz/nouglybabies/bob.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030215005750/https://www.angelfire.com/biz/nouglybabies/bob.html |archive-date=February 15, 2003 |access-date=December 30, 2024 |website=No Ugly Babies}}</ref> Numerous other bands and artists have cited Wire as an influence, including [[Soundgarden]],<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Foege |first=Alec |date=December 29, 1994 |title=Chris Cornell: The Rolling Stone Interview |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/chris-cornell-the-rolling-stone-interview-79108/3/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240629042634/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/chris-cornell-the-rolling-stone-interview-79108/3/ |archive-date=June 29, 2024 |access-date=July 31, 2024 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref> [[Manic Street Preachers]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 12, 2018 |title=6 influences that have shaped Manic Street Preachers… in ways you wouldn't expect |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2k0HyJXs3bCX16T7JLGLzbP/6-influences-that-have-shaped-manic-street-preachers-in-ways-you-wouldn-t-expect |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808103601/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2k0HyJXs3bCX16T7JLGLzbP/6-influences-that-have-shaped-manic-street-preachers-in-ways-you-wouldn-t-expect |archive-date=August 8, 2020 |access-date=November 24, 2023 |work=[[BBC Radio 6 Music]]}}</ref> [[Hüsker Dü]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Woods |first=Austin |date=April 2004 |title=GREG NORTON – On Hüsker Dü's Zen Arcade and his new band Ultrabomb |url=https://www.furious.com/perfect/huskerdugregnorton.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528174615/https://www.furious.com/perfect/huskerdugregnorton.html |archive-date=May 28, 2024 |access-date=June 12, 2024 |website=Perfect Sound Forever}}</ref> [[Quicksand (American band)|Quicksand]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hill |first=Stephen |date=November 9, 2017 |title=Quicksand's track by track guide to new album Interiors |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/quicksands-track-by-track-guide-to-new-album-interiors |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425104246/https://www.loudersound.com/features/quicksands-track-by-track-guide-to-new-album-interiors |archive-date=April 25, 2023 |access-date=October 27, 2023 |website=Louder}}</ref> [[Mission of Burma]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Friedman |first=Eric |date=January 26, 2011 |title=INTERVIEW WITH ROGER MILLER FROM MISSION OF BURMA: PSYCHEDELIC SORTIES |url=https://www.theaquarian.com/2011/01/26/interview-with-roger-miller-from-mission-of-burma-psychedelic-sorties/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605124917/https://www.theaquarian.com/2011/01/26/interview-with-roger-miller-from-mission-of-burma-psychedelic-sorties/ |archive-date=June 5, 2023 |access-date=June 12, 2024 |work=[[The Aquarian Weekly]]}}</ref> [[Mary Timony]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Swartz |first=Aimee |date=October 17, 2014 |title=Lion With Wings: Ex Hex's Mary Timony Interviewed |url=https://thequietus.com/articles/16468-ex-hex-interview-mary-timony |access-date=November 23, 2023 |website=The Quietus}}</ref> and [[A Certain Ratio]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 7, 2020 |title=Interview / A Certain Ratio |url=https://banbantonton.com/2020/01/07/interview-a-certain-ratio/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520101028/https://banbantonton.com/2020/01/07/interview-a-certain-ratio/ |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |access-date=March 30, 2025 |website=Ban Ban Ton Ton}}</ref>

[[Big Black]] covered Wire's "Heartbeat" twice, once as a studio version that was released as a single (also included on ''[[The Rich Man's Eight Track Tape]]'' compilation) and also as a live version, featuring Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis, included on the VHS version of the live album ''[[Pigpile]]''. [[R.E.M.]] covered "Strange" on their album ''[[Document (album)|Document]].''<ref name="grow" />  [[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]] covered "Map Ref 41°N 93°W" for the Wire tribute album ''Whore.'' The [[slowcore]] band [[Low (band)|Low]] included an early, previously unreleased cover of "Heartbeat" on their career-spanning box set in 2007. [[Ampere (band)|Ampere]] and [[New Bomb Turks]] have both covered Wire's "Mr. Suit". The British [[electronic music|electronic]] band [[Ladytron]] included Wire's "The 15th" on the mix compilation ''[[Softcore Jukebox]]''. Ladytron member [[Reuben Wu]] claimed Wire as a musical influence.<ref>{{cite web|title=SG Music: Interview With Ladytron {{!}} Soccer Gaming|url=http://www.soccergaming.com/features/1661/sg-music-interview-with-ladytron/|access-date=28 April 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123180959/http://www.soccergaming.com/features/1661/sg-music-interview-with-ladytron/|archive-date=23 January 2013}}</ref>

[[File:Graham Lewis sep 2013.jpg|upright|thumb|left|Graham Lewis, 2013]]A [[plagiarism]] case between Wire's music publisher and [[Elastica]] over the similarity between Wire's 1977 song "Three Girl Rhumba" and Elastica's 1995 hit "[[Connection (Elastica song)|Connection]]" resulted in an out-of-court settlement.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/elastica-s-debut-stole-from-the-best-embodying-britpop-1798237216|title=Elastica's debut stole from the best, embodying Britpop while staying punk|last1=Heller|first1=Jason|date=26 March 2013|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|access-date=25 April 2013}}</ref> It has also been noted that two other songs on Elastica's [[Elastica (album)|debut album]], "[[Line Up (song)|Line Up]]" and "2:1", both borrowed heavily from the Wire song "I Am The Fly".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/elastica-s-debut-stole-from-the-best-embodying-britpop-1798237216 |title=Elastica's debut stole from the best, embodying Britpop while staying punk |last=Heller |first=Jason |date=26 March 2013 |website=[[The A.V. Club]]|access-date=8 February 2024}}</ref>

[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]] included Wire in their 1996 list of 100 underground inspirations of the past 20 years, stating that "as long as there are listeners equally lured by tough, intelligent riffs and fearless experimentalism, Wire will remain a crucial benchmark."<ref name="ap-11-100-1996">{{cite journal |last1=Kappes |first1=John |editor=Michael Shea |title=100 Underground Inspirations of the Past 20 Years |journal=Alternative Press |date=1996 |volume=11 |issue=100 |pages=39–56 |publisher=Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. |location=Cleveland, OH |issn=1065-1667}}</ref>

[[Fischerspooner]] (who covered "[[The 15th]]" on their album ''[[1 (Fischerspooner album)|#1]]''), [[Britpop]] bands like [[Elastica]] and [[Menswear (band)|Menswe@r]] and [[post-punk revival]] bands like [[Bloc Party]], [[Futureheads]], [[Blacklist (band)|Blacklist]] and [[Franz Ferdinand (band)|Franz Ferdinand]] have cited Wire as an influence.{{citation needed|date=February 2012}} [[The Smiths]]' [[Johnny Marr]] has confirmed that he is a fan of the band and has acknowledged that seeing Wire live helped give him the confidence to release [[The Messenger (Johnny Marr album)|his first solo album]] in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|last=Youngs |first=Ian |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21323467 |title=BBC News – Johnny Marr on The Smiths and going solo |publisher=bbc.co.uk |date=17 February 2013 |access-date=26 March 2013}}</ref>

The chorus of Ministry's "Thieves" was influenced by the Wire song "Mr. Suit". [[Helmet (band)|Helmet]] guitarist [[Page Hamilton]] cites Wire as one of his "top five bands"<ref>{{cite web|title=Helmet's Page Hamilton: 'I'm Thinking Of 2 More Albums, As In 2 Years I'll Be Fifty'|url=http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/interviews/interviews/helmets_page_hamilton_im_thinking_of_2_more_albums_as_in_2_years_ill_be_fifty.html|publisher=[[Ultimate Guitar Archive|Ultimate Guitar]]|access-date=25 May 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130906102317/http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/interviews/interviews/helmets_page_hamilton_im_thinking_of_2_more_albums_as_in_2_years_ill_be_fifty.html|archive-date=6 September 2013}}</ref> and as an influence on his music.<ref>{{cite web|title=BowieNet Live Chat Transcription Page Hamilton – 28/9/00|url=http://www.bowiewonderworld.com/chats/dbchatpage0900.htm|publisher=David Bowie Wonderworld|access-date=25 May 2013}}</ref>

{{clear}}

==Band members==

* [[Robert Grey (musician)|Robert Grey]]&nbsp;– drums (1976–1980, 1985–1990, 1999–present)
* [[Graham Lewis]]&nbsp;– bass guitar, vocals (1976–1980, 1985–1992, 1999–present)
* [[Colin Newman]]&nbsp;– vocals, guitar (1976–1980, 1985–1992, 1999–present)
* [[Matthew Simms]]&nbsp;– guitar (2010–present)

'''Former members'''
* George Gill&nbsp;– lead guitar (1976–1977)
* [[Bruce Gilbert]]&nbsp;– guitar (1976–1980, 1985–1992, 1999–2004)
* [[Margaret Fiedler McGinnis]]&nbsp;– guitar (2008–2009 – touring musician)

'''Timeline'''
<timeline>
ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20
PlotArea = left:130 bottom:80 top:0 right:10
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/1976 till:01/01/2023
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3

ScaleMajor = increment:5 start:01/01/1980
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:01/01/1977


Colors =
  id:vocals      value:red          legend:Vocals
  id:guitar      value:green        legend:Guitar
  id:bass        value:blue         legend:Bass
  id:drums       value:orange       legend:Drums
  id:album       value:black        legend:Studio_release
  id:bars        value:gray(0.95)

BackgroundColors = bars:bars

LineData =
 layer:back
 color:album
  at: 10/01/1977
  at: 08/01/1978
  at: 09/01/1979
  at: 04/01/1987
  at: 05/01/1988
  at: 05/01/1989
  at: 05/01/1990
  at: 04/01/1991
  at: 10/01/1991
  at: 05/01/2003
  at: 07/07/2008
  at: 12/20/2010
  at: 03/25/2013
  at: 04/13/2015
  at: 04/22/2016
  at: 03/31/2017
  at: 01/24/2020
  at: 06/19/2020

BarData =
  bar:Colin       text:"Colin Newman"
  bar:George      text:"George Gill"
  bar:Bruce       text:"Bruce Gilbert"
  bar:Margaret    text:"Margaret Fiedler McGinnis"
  bar:Matthew     text:"Matthew Simms"
  bar:Graham      text:"Graham Lewis"
  bar:Robert      text:"Robert Grey"

PlotData=
  width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
  bar:Colin  from:01/01/1976 till:12/31/1980 color:vocals
  bar:Graham  from:01/01/1976 till:12/31/1980 color:bass
  bar:Bruce  from:01/01/1976 till:12/31/1980 color:guitar
  bar:Robert  from:01/01/1976 till:12/31/1980 color:drums

  bar:Colin  from:01/01/1985 till:12/31/1992 color:vocals
  bar:Graham  from:01/01/1985 till:12/31/1992 color:bass
  bar:Bruce  from:01/01/1985 till:12/31/1992 color:guitar
  bar:Robert  from:01/01/1985 till:12/31/1990 color:drums

  bar:Colin  from:01/01/1999 till:end color:vocals
  bar:Graham  from:01/01/1999 till:end color:bass
  bar:Bruce  from:01/01/1999 till:12/31/2006 color:guitar
  bar:Robert  from:01/01/1999 till:end color:drums

  bar:Margaret from:01/01/2008 till:12/31/2009 color:guitar width:3
  bar:Matthew from:04/01/2010 till:end color:guitar
  bar:George from:01/01/1976 till:03/10/1977 color:guitar

  width:3 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)

  bar:Colin  from:01/01/1976 till:12/31/1980 color:guitar
  bar:Graham  from:01/01/1976 till:12/31/1980 color:vocals

  bar:Colin  from:01/01/1985 till:12/31/1992 color:guitar
  bar:Graham  from:01/01/1985 till:12/31/1992 color:vocals

  bar:Colin  from:01/01/1999 till:end color:guitar
  bar:Graham  from:01/01/1999 till:end color:vocals
</timeline>

==Discography==
[[File:Wire june 2008.jpg|thumb|Wire performing in 2008. L to R: Lewis, Newman, Grey.]]
{{main article|Wire discography}}
; Studio albums
* ''[[Pink Flag]]'' (1977)
* ''[[Chairs Missing]]'' (1978)
* ''[[154 (album)|154]]'' (1979)
* ''[[The Ideal Copy]]'' (1987)
* ''[[A Bell Is a Cup]]'' (1988)
* ''[[IBTABA]]'' (1989)
* ''[[Manscape]]'' (1990)
* ''[[The Drill (album)|The Drill]]'' (1991)
* ''[[The First Letter]]'' (1991)
* ''[[Send (album)|Send]]'' (2003)
* ''[[Object 47]]'' (2008)
* ''[[Red Barked Tree]]'' (2010)
* ''[[Change Becomes Us]]'' (2013)
* ''[[Wire (2015 album)|Wire]]'' (2015)
* ''[[Nocturnal Koreans]]'' (2016)
* ''[[Silver/Lead]]'' (2017)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wirehq.bandcamp.com/album/silver-lead|title=Silver / Lead, by Wire|website=Wire|access-date=17 January 2020}}</ref>
* ''[[Mind Hive]]'' (2020)<ref name="mhv" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Wire (band)}}
* {{Official}}
* {{AllMusic |class=artist |id=p5856 |label=Wire}}

{{Wire}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Wire (band)| ]]
[[Category:English art rock groups]]
[[Category:English punk rock groups]]
[[Category:English post-punk music groups]]
[[Category:English alternative rock groups]]
[[Category:Art punk groups]]
[[Category:Harvest Records artists]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1976]]
[[Category:Mute Records artists]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1980]]
[[Category:Musical groups reestablished in 1985]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1992]]
[[Category:Musical groups reestablished in 1999]]
[[Category:Rough Trade Records artists]]
[[Category:Warner Records artists]]
[[Category:1976 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Restless Records artists]]