In a perfect world, Wire should need no introduction. But as punk’s defining cult band, they certainly have never received the widespread notoriety and acclaimed they are due. Perhaps it’s because they’ve essentially become three different bands over the course of 40 years, taking on new musical faces and always pushing forward. In fact, Wire was so staunch on staying in the present at one point in the 80’s, they had a Wire cover band open for them and play songs from their first three albums.
But it’s those first three albums from Wire: Pink Flag (1976), Chairs Missing (1978) and 154 (1979), that have given Wire its signature recipe of thought-provoking punk minus the combat gear and aggressive postures. Yes, punk in the short song compositional sense with minimalist musicianship, but more artistic their esoteric vocals and anything goes melodies.
But here we are 40 years later and Wire is essentially still that same band that began in London 40 years ago. Colin Newman (vocals, guitar), Graham Lewis (bass, vocals), Robert Gotobed (drums) along with Matthew Simms (guitar) still have a lot to say; seven albums since 2003 and three alone in the last three years. With their 16th album Silver/Lead released March 31st, Wire incorporates that same “fuck it” attitude and free wielding post punk spirit that has influenced R.E.M., Black Flag, Guided by Voices and countless others.
With days leading up to their new release the quartet made their way to Phoenix’s Crescent Ballroom on March 28th and judging by the three-quarters filled venue, it was the coolest older crowd one can possibly wish for and the band, despite obvious signs of old age, still looks mighty bad ass to boot. Newman, wearing horn-rimmed glasses and dressed in head to toe black looked the brainy but cryptic elder statesmen, while Lewis, stocky and bold looked his tough guy opposite and ready to snarl ala Paul Simonon. Gotobed who now goes by Robert Grey lays beats with metronome precision that in no way sounds like a 65-year-old keeping time. The new guy Simms, kept a shoegazer approach to his playing, staying out of lights way by laying textures and letting the vets blacken the stage.
Opening with “Boiling Boy” off 1988’s A Boy is A Cup, it was obvious this wouldn’t be a Wire greatest hits show if there ever was such a thing. It wasn’t until the fifth song in, “Three Girl Rhumba” off Pink Flag, that the crowd really got their amp on and let out a hint of familiarity. With Newman cozy with his iPad that made like a small teleprompter of either lyrics or chords, one can tell the setlist would be made of up new ones and obscurities. But at least the new ones were dominant, with Silver/Lead songs making up a majority of the setlist. With those new songs came a difficult to distinguish style of what era these songs came from; perhaps Wire is sounding like themselves more than ever today? But then again what does Wire exactly sound like? This has been the revolving question over the course of their tenure.
Newman sang with his trademark accent and holds one of the most trusted deliveries in rock, as he stoically held center stage trading over leads to Lewis on a number of tracks. Both have always had their own defining characteristic on their songs ala Strummer/Jones but the Silver/Lead material that was handed off between the two of them both had a cohesive punch from “An Alibi” to “This Time” and “Brio.” Even with their recent prolific output, the material quality hasn’t suffered in response to the quantity.
Wire held the audience captive over the course of their 75-minute set, offering a respite for those too young to have missed unadulterated punk while reminding the old folks that their music still matters. While the pogoing was kept to one hopper, the visual and audio appreciation was there, even with the absence of their most well-known material. Wire can take any younger band to school that they want, and at this evening they certainly put on a clinic on how to do it right.
