WIRE

I'm sure that I've talked about Wire on here before but if I haven't got the time or inclination to go looking for Blips passim, I can't expect you to. 

Their heyday was between 1977 and 1979, when they released three highly regarded albums: 'Pink Flag', 'Chairs Missing', and '154'. They are categorised as 'post punk' or 'art punk' but to me they always had a sense of melody and a craft around their songwriting that those labels might not imply. Anyway, at the time, they passed me by. 

However, my friend Bill was a fan of those early albums and when Wire reformed and released 'The Ideal Copy' in 1987 he introduced me to it. Recorded at Hansa Studios in Berlin and with a definite electronic edge, it was right up my Straße, as were the following five albums released over the next four years until the band split again.

When they reformed in the early Noughties, Bill - the same Bill as mentioned above - was working for a distribution company and he knew Wire's Colin Newman. Bill encouraged the direction Newman was toying with and in 2003, the band released 'Send', which has a huge and furious sound and is a big favourite of mine. 

Unfortunately, at this point Bruce Gilbert left the band and they've never been quite the same for me. I still buy and enjoy the albums and see them on most tours but a little something's been lost (for me, at least). That said, the latest album 'Mind Hive' shows a cautious return to electronics and this evening the Minx and I went to see them playing at Band On The Wall, which is a cracking little venue in Manchester. 

On a good night - and tonight was most definitely a good night - I can enjoy Wire even if I don't recognise all of the songs they're playing. Tracks I did recognise and very much enjoyed this evening included: 'The Offer', '1 Fast', 'German Shepherds', 'It's A Boy', and, particularly, 'Hung'. The last of these is taken from the new album and culminated in a wonderful, extended bout of multi-hued guitar noise, which I could have happily listened to for much longer. 

The only downside was that the drummer, Robert Grey, was largely concealed from me by a pillar in the room. I always enjoy watching him drum, which he mostly does with his eyes closed. And even though I peeked around from time to time, that's why he's missing from my photo. 

Here's a playlist of Wire tracks that I made for my friend Jon a few years ago. It could do with updating, tbh, but it's a good enough place to start if you're interested. 

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-10.0 kgs (everything I have put back on since Friday is cheese)
Reading: 'The Sound Of Tomorrow' by Mark Brend