Often overlooked in the lexicon of revolutionary bands that burst onto the scene in 1977 is UK’s Wire, probably because they evolved so drastically from an excellent punk band to a brooding post-punk band within the first 3 legendary years of their existence. In fact, after the release of their classic debut album Pink Flag (essential listening for any punk-rock fan), you could make the argument they effectively invented post-punk on their subsequent releases Chairs Missing and 154, both of which feature a healthy amount of the type of moody/experimental darkness that became hallmarks of the genre (not to mention subsequent offshoots like goth-rock for example).
Given the fact the band changed so quickly and then abruptly broke up (before reuniting with a very different sound eight years later), it’s perhaps no wonder why Wire doesn’t have the same name recognition as many of their peers from that era. Granted their music was always a little eccentric/challenging from the get-go, but whatever the case, there’s no discounting the sheer brilliance and hugely influential impact of Wire’s late 70s material, which is captured in this remarkable performance from 1979 that finds the band in their prime, shortly before they (temporarily) broke up:
