Without London band Wire, punk rock might never have developed beyond
primitive three-chord thrash and cliched songs about tower blocks and
dole queues. Arguably the first art-punks, the four musicians - Colin
Newman on vocals and guitar, Graham Lewis on bass and vocals, Bruce
Gilbert on guitar and Robert Gotobed (nee Grey) on drums - evolved fast
from their groundbreaking 1977 debut album "Pink Flag," with its 21
short, sharp, minimalist bursts of noise and melody. They were catalysts
in the shift from punk to post-punk, paving the way for the likes of
Magazine, Gang of Four, Public Image Limited and Joy Division. Paul
Lester's book will tell the story of this crucial transitional band,
from their early days dodging hostile crowds at punk venues like the
Roxy, through their attempts to inject some arthouse experimentation and
Situationist subversion into an increasingly conservative punk scene, up
to their split in 1981 and beyond their mid-80s return and their various
solo projects.It will take you behind the scenes and feature interviews
with the original members, following them up to the present, poised as
they are to come back with a brand new album and filled with a renewed
sense of vigour as one of the most important bands in the last thirty
years.
