 | In my experience, the ability to personally connect to a particular record relies not only on the music, but on the context in which that music is first listened to. And sometimes a true connection with a record cannot happen until the environment is ideal. The first time I heard WIRE's classic 1977 record Pink Flag was this kind of scenario. I had been aware of the band, as many critics are fond of dropping the bands name when describing punk or post-punk bands that don't quite fit in the pigeon-hole definition of "punk" that they prefer. So on a crispy fall day in the PNW I went for a walk, deciding to try some new tastes on for size. As the opening track "Reuters" began to play, with the headphones tight, I walked downhill. Colin Newman began to holler "Gunfire, looting, burning, rape," with almost tribal chants in the background, the rhythm clicked into perfect walking speed, causing my footsteps to align with the withheld post-punk speed. It was at this moment I became officially connected. |
Pink Flag was released during the UK Punk Explosion of 1977, and sits well next to classic punk originals such as The Jam, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, etc., but there are many elements to this record that demonstrate that this London four piece was a few steps ahead. Songs such as the sludgey damn near walking blues track "The Lowdown," and the perfectly brief "Three Girl Rhumba" slowed down to a point that rarely happened at that time, while maintaining both abrasiveness and energy. Shortly thereafter, many bands would follow suit such as Joy Division and Public Image Ltd., continuing the progression into "post-punk", or art-rock (two dirty genre words that have grown more ambiguous overtime, but will do for now).
In a 1978 post-Rockaplast performance interview bassist Graham Lewis comments on the origins of the band stating,"We didn't even particularly like each other, we didn't know each other, and I don't think we liked what we knew about each other anyway, and when we started I think it was the fact that we found that we weren't embarrassed to make noise in the same room because none of us could play." In a way this explains the simplicity that is often found in WIRE's songs; repetitive noise that is almost meditative, but contains enough playfulness and variation to surprise and keep the listener captivated. And although there is nothing that suggests a set structure or formula for a WIRE song, there does seem to be a common approach. One that involves constant experimentation with noise, repetition that allows for spontaneity, and lyrics that seem just as poetically experimental as the music.
In a 1978 post-Rockaplast performance interview bassist Graham Lewis comments on the origins of the band stating,"We didn't even particularly like each other, we didn't know each other, and I don't think we liked what we knew about each other anyway, and when we started I think it was the fact that we found that we weren't embarrassed to make noise in the same room because none of us could play." In a way this explains the simplicity that is often found in WIRE's songs; repetitive noise that is almost meditative, but contains enough playfulness and variation to surprise and keep the listener captivated. And although there is nothing that suggests a set structure or formula for a WIRE song, there does seem to be a common approach. One that involves constant experimentation with noise, repetition that allows for spontaneity, and lyrics that seem just as poetically experimental as the music.
Because of the great diversity of the bands songs, it might be unfair to make assumptions as to where their influence can be found today, but in places it is undeniable. Modern groups such as Clinic, Deerhunter, and Parquet Courts have definitely extended upon sounds found in the legendary trilogy that is Pink Flag (1977), Chairs Missing (1978), and 154 (1979), while for a long time WIRE seemed to be running away from those early stylings in search of something new. Following an 8 year hiatus after 154, the band released An Ideal Copy (1987), finding the band following a similar trajectory as fellow UK post-punker's New Order, with songs such as "Ahead" and "Ambitious." However a few cuts on the record like "Over Theirs," and "Drill," contain a darkness and industrial-ness not akin to the electro-post-punk popular at the time. More so, these type of songs explain the direction the band would continue to go, as well as the type of bands they have collaborated with more recently. Over the past few years WIRE has hosted an international music festival named after the aforementioned track "Drill," where the band concludes the shows playing on stage with bands showcased in the festival--calling it the "Pinkflag Guitar Orchestra." Collaborative performances have featured members of SWANS, EARTH, and ST. VINCENT, among many others.
This is the point of their career where I was able to witness WIRE, in 2013 at the Drill:Seattle, where they played with Chastity Belt, Helmet, Vestals, and Earth. This performance was a perfect demonstration of what the band has evolved into over the years. Admittedly, I showed up to this show during the height of my obsession with their first three records, having only experienced brief brushes with the recent releases Red Barked Tree (2011) and Change Becomes Us (2013); so it took me a while to accept that I may not be seeing the band that I got to know through those early recordings. The truth of the matter is that WIRE is not the same band as they were over 30 years ago, and for a band that is constantly trying to live in the present, and progress creatively, it is unfair to expect them to be. In addition to changes in sound, the group saw a change in their lineup during this time, replacing guitarist Bruce Gilbert (who left the band in 2004), with the young Matthew Sims (member of It Hugs Back and Slows). While the other three members of WIRE were very rigid, calculated, and minimal in their style of playing, Sims added a sort of spontaneous sonic noise that put a new spin on the band, especially when they dived into old material, which was scarce. When the band did play old material during their first set, it seemed as if it was an almost comedic reference. Playing only "Another the Letter" from Chairs Missing, and "Map Ref 41N 93*W" from 154 at breakneck speeds and volume. It seemed as if they were saying--yea we can do that shit, and really well, but here is where we are now.
So here lies the conundrum. As a band's career progresses, and their sound evolves, the listener begins to create an identity for the band based on what they have connected with. We tend to create a snowball effect, and judge each subsequent release against our preconceived notion of what we think the group "ought" to be doing. Thirty years is a long long time for a group to pay the bills playing music, and a pretty boring job at that if you keep repeating yourself. This is why my upmost respect goes out to a band like WIRE, who definitely have a distinctive sound, but has continued to make original conceptual records that experiment with structure, recording techniques, and noise--and somehow find a way to create strange pop songs underneath it all.
So with fresh eyes, let us turn to the most recent experiments of WIRE on their self-titled record, which was released last April. And as I did the first time I heard Pink Flag, put on those headphones, go for a stroll, and let the sonic noises take you somewhere.
This is the point of their career where I was able to witness WIRE, in 2013 at the Drill:Seattle, where they played with Chastity Belt, Helmet, Vestals, and Earth. This performance was a perfect demonstration of what the band has evolved into over the years. Admittedly, I showed up to this show during the height of my obsession with their first three records, having only experienced brief brushes with the recent releases Red Barked Tree (2011) and Change Becomes Us (2013); so it took me a while to accept that I may not be seeing the band that I got to know through those early recordings. The truth of the matter is that WIRE is not the same band as they were over 30 years ago, and for a band that is constantly trying to live in the present, and progress creatively, it is unfair to expect them to be. In addition to changes in sound, the group saw a change in their lineup during this time, replacing guitarist Bruce Gilbert (who left the band in 2004), with the young Matthew Sims (member of It Hugs Back and Slows). While the other three members of WIRE were very rigid, calculated, and minimal in their style of playing, Sims added a sort of spontaneous sonic noise that put a new spin on the band, especially when they dived into old material, which was scarce. When the band did play old material during their first set, it seemed as if it was an almost comedic reference. Playing only "Another the Letter" from Chairs Missing, and "Map Ref 41N 93*W" from 154 at breakneck speeds and volume. It seemed as if they were saying--yea we can do that shit, and really well, but here is where we are now.
So here lies the conundrum. As a band's career progresses, and their sound evolves, the listener begins to create an identity for the band based on what they have connected with. We tend to create a snowball effect, and judge each subsequent release against our preconceived notion of what we think the group "ought" to be doing. Thirty years is a long long time for a group to pay the bills playing music, and a pretty boring job at that if you keep repeating yourself. This is why my upmost respect goes out to a band like WIRE, who definitely have a distinctive sound, but has continued to make original conceptual records that experiment with structure, recording techniques, and noise--and somehow find a way to create strange pop songs underneath it all.
So with fresh eyes, let us turn to the most recent experiments of WIRE on their self-titled record, which was released last April. And as I did the first time I heard Pink Flag, put on those headphones, go for a stroll, and let the sonic noises take you somewhere.
"One hopes that it is somewhat provoking, or in someway stimulating, even if it stimulates a negative reaction that is better than no reaction at all" -Colin Newman
Words: DW
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