Any serious top 50 albums of the past 25 years would have to include Wire s first three long players 1977 s Pink Flag, Chairs Missing and 154. Ask REM, Sonic Youth, Blur, Elastica, Henry Rollins, The Virgin Prunes and The Breeders. They re just a handful of the groups who were sent spiralling into outer orbits of aural delight when they first heard the minimalist guitar rush of Wire s art pop.
Wire abruptly came to a halt in 1979. Solo projects followed. They regrouped in 1986 and released the technologically groundbreaking, epoque defining Ideal Copy. Electronics had replaced guitar, bass and drums. However, as Colin Newman explains, Wire never really split up, they simply went off to do other things. And the electronic music was of its time.
Wire was always more of an idea than a band, says Newman. So, it was never a question of reforming or anything like that. We realised very quickly that you can become a part of a network that grows so much that the idea you have of your music is in danger of being lost. We have always believed that pop can be a serious medium and not the rubbish peddled by corporate record companies.
Newman admits that Wire hasn t changed very much really. Himself, Gilbert, Graham Lewis and Robert Gotobed still laugh at the same things and have the same approach to Wire, namely that they create their subject matter obtusely and unexpectedly.
Newman and Lewis have collaborated on various art soundscapes and exhibited their work in The Irish Museum of Modern Art three years ago. Newman also owns an independent record label called Post Everything. In the coming months Newman and various other UK independent labels will construct a website called www.posteverything.com. It will pool together the resources of all the independent labels in Britain and act as a shop window for their artists. It s another means of combating corporate music drivel.
Colin Newman suggests it has ever been an aspect of Wire that the members be multi-faceted. To wit, he s working on more soundscape art and also working with a new Macintosh-based video streaming that will be just below the digital signal in quality and which he will use to create more art objects of an abstract nature. It will bring video to the Internet big time. For the moment, though, he s fully committed to Wire and the reinvention the old songs are undergoing.
What we ll be doing at HQ in the live context certainly won t be a greatest hits package. We wouldn t do it if it were merely a going through the motions type of thing, says Colin Newman, finally. Ironically, thanks to the Internet, there s been a huge resurgence of interest in Wire. People will be surprised at the take we have on the old numbers and the energy and commitment with which they ll be delivered. Ironically, the time feels right again for this music.
Wire play HQ on February 20. New official Wire website is www.pinkflag.com