Wire

_Photo credit: Wikipedia Commons._

Wire first rose to prominence in 1977 with their critically acclaimed debut Pink Flag, a whistle stop tour through 21 short (the second track Field Day for the Sundays lasts a mere 28 seconds) driven and energetic songs. This experimental approach to songwriting has followed the band throughout their career, taking them from art-punk, through periods of ambient and electronic rock, to the psychedelic Silver / Lead released in March of this year. The backbone of the gigs on this tour is the latest album and any audience requests will likely be scornfully ignored, their passion for creativity has meant that the band has always drifted away from reforming just to play old material, but eventually they will indulge those wanting to hear material from their back catalogue. Despite having only measured success in the mainstream, Wire have had a wide ranging influence on bands such as Blur and R.E.M citing Wire’s impact on their own music. Head to fleece this October to see, in the words of guitarist and singer Colin Newman “the most famous band you’ve never heard of”.