WIRE - UK Punk's Most Groundbreaking Band

[@ConvincingPeople]

154 is an easy contender for my favourite album of all time, and "Map Ref. 41°N 93°W" has literally brought me to tears at least once. Those harmonies and synths on the second verse and last chorus, my god.

[@theorb21]

love this comment and that's my favourite song off that record. I'm constantly astounded when I come back and listen to this band.

[@Rutlefan]

Definitely my favorite album by anyone, with Wire's Change Becomes Us the closest contender. Map Ref is my favorite too (just edging The 15th).

[@ravingmavis5801]

That’s such a tune gives me goosebumps to this day

[@robeson1231]

"Chorus!"

[@AliceYobby]

Highly recommend My Bloody Valentine’s cover of this song if you haven’t heard it, which is on KZbin but seemingly nowhere else

[@kelechi_77]

Chairs Missing is one of the greatest albums ever

[@RAB6969]

Wire’s first three albums are maybe the best example of a band growing thier sound with each release. still probably my favorite string of releases by any band.

[@mookie2637]

Absolutely right. The only comparison in my lifetime (and it's a much lesser one) was the Human Leagues transformation between Travelogue and Dare.

[@Shikta-poobah67]

Absolutely the best example of rapid evolution with any band. In two years and three albums, Wire covered an unbelievable amount of ground and branched out (successfully I might add) so extensively that I would have to think it still remains unprecedented to this day. The amount of growth and innovation that they showed from 1977 through ‘79 essentially laid the foundations for most of the so-called ‘post punk’ to come. There were other early pioneers to be sure - Siouxsie & The Banshees, Magazine, PiL… but no one band provided such a fertile environment for experimentation than Wire did during that period. Unfortunately it fell on many deaf ears at the time. The 2nd and 3rd albums, though critically well received, weren’t anywhere near as appreciated back then as they are today.

[@Liquid_Alchemy]

Pink Flag is still one of the most criminally underrated albums of our times.

[@au5tinic38]

@shaun c amazing I love cool artists liking cool artists

[@hopebgood]

Totally agree mate. I still love Pink Flag and Chairs Missing.

[@andrewforbes1433]

Everything is “criminally underrated” now. I’ve never seen anything but raves for it, and it’s been cited by countless other artists. Under-performing/not well known enough? Sure.

[@aikighost]

@@andrewforbes1433 yes but what percentage of people who think they are music fans have actually listened to wire?

[@andrewforbes1433]

@@aikighost I agree it may well be underappreciated, but that's not the same thing as underrated.

[@misterbonzoid5623]

I saw them on the Pink Flag tour supporting Elvis Costello and the Attractions in Canterbury. Now that was a gig. Chairs Missing and 154 are masterpieces.

[@ShoppedAndScrewed]

Whaaat, for some reason would have never imagined they toured together. What a amazing show that must have been.

[@DJ-wx2gz]

Every time I get into a conversation with someone about punk, I list off a slew of bands, most of which the person has heard of, but when I mention Wire I always get a blank stare.

[@ravingmavis5801]

Pea brained earwigs ....

[@Mewted]

posers

[@paulgordon6949]

Those who know, know.

[@jelt110]

pearls before swine.

[@Cl0pyss0uche]

It’s the best though ;(

[@Johnny-lr5jt]

I'm proud to say I've been a fan since their first album. The punk/new wave explosion in the late 70's was a tremendously exciting time, and I was buying punk albums left and right. Pink Flag was one of the standouts-groundbreaking.

[@MarieProvost77]

I was around from the beginning. After many years of listening I can say that Wire was one of the best original punk/new wave bands. Their work holds up.

[@karpatx]

"A Bell Is a Cup" is one of my all time favorites and I like their new albums too, I agree, they are one of the most underrated bands of all time

[@jonnyringo3]

Agreed, but I'd go one step further, and state they belong in the "upper echelon" of all time musical artists. Their strength of content spanning nearly 50 years is unprecedented. They also have triplet releases (starting with Pink Flag-Chairs Missing-154) that very few musical artists can match.

[@willieluncheonette5843]

nice you included Minor Threat in your vid. Along with Stiff Little Fingers and Bob Marley, the three most inspirational bands I've ever seen. Seeing them could change your life, and always for the better.

[@rickg8015]

My introduction to them as a kid was “Kidney Bingoes” on the radio in the 80’s.. And went back to the catalog afterwards.

[@growlerthe2nd712]

I’m 53 and about 2 years ago I bought the first 3 albums on vinyl, I remember Chairs missing from when I was a kid because my older brother had a copy, perfection.

[@adylevene4318]

Been a Wire fan since 'live at the roxy',and they do most definetly Kick arse. 'THERE'S SOMETHING STRANGE GOING ON TONIGHT'.

[@LarzGustafsson]

"Pay attention...We're Wire!"

[@Shikta-poobah67]

I absolutely love Wire, and have for 44 years. I can’t even begin to describe how much of an impact this incredible band has made on me through the years. One thing I’ve never understood though is this notion that the first three albums need to be ranked, or ‘rated’ as the kids love to say. For me they’ve always been a package deal. A ‘holy trinity’ as it were. Each album showcasing a quantum leap in evolution, and in such a stunningly short amount of time. No other band (to my knowledge) has ever accomplished what Wire have, creatively speaking, in that amount of time. It still blows me away… and all three of those albums are still equally enjoyable, relevant, and impressive to me. I’m sure they always will be.

[@gmotionedc5412]

Top band 100%. I love all their phases. I thought the read and burn phase was brilliant! I saw them on that tour and was blown away. It was like the noise of a space ship landing. For anyone not into this band I feel deeply truly sorry for them.

[@Shikta-poobah67]

I would say that I agree, but I just never really could get into their end-of-the-80’s dance-beat era. Though admittedly better than most other bands of the era, it still just paled in comparison to both earlier and later releases/phases. Manscape in particular was a real low point. I do love the “Read & Burn” stuff though.

[@davidparsons9362]

saw one of their gigs where they played "Practice Makes Perfect" last and one by one they put their instruments down and walked off stage, leaving nothing but a darkened stage and increasingly hysterical cackling laughter behind saw 'em a quite a few times before and after but that one particularly stuck in the memory fucking great band

[@sergeykoropets1199]

Wire is the most underrated post-punk band

[@guttersnipe77]

They were an underrated punk band

[@Shikta-poobah67]

Everyone and everything is ‘underrated’ in youtubeland.

[@cromptoniser]

1977 they are a punk band, and very influential 12XU among others have been covered to death

[@LarzGustafsson]

But were they really POST-punk? They started during punk.

[@baronoflivonia.3512]

Mid to late 70's I was listening to Iggy Pops 1st 2 solo works, The Heart Breakers, Television, Destroy All Monsters, The Damned, Wire, The Jam, Magazine, Buzzcocks on to Joy Division, The Sillies (local Detroit band). All were bands only a couple friends knew and listened also. And almost all impossible to find in Detroit, lucky me had a cousin living in UK from 73-82. Thank you Ritchie. And Lets not Forget Motorhead on strength of Lemmy from Hawkwind, 1 of my early 70's bands saw and bought. I believe he performed in Detroit right before Windsor arrest then subsequent firing. At old & gone Ford Auditorium, WABX Tickets got us in.

[@peterarcher1865]

They'll always be underrated- no image to sell, no scene they represent, look like a bunch of lab technicians. The music, by the way, is still fantastic as they grow old gracefully. Their feeling for a shard of melody that melts the heart is unsurpassed, as is their appreciation of the beauty of noise. And they're brilliant deconstructors of pop..taking it apart and putting it all together again. Possibly the greatest band of the last 50 years, but they won't be lauded as such!

[@markgullick1725]

Thanks. I love Wire. Saw them once supporting The Stranglers. I look forward to your next video.

[@willieluncheonette5843]

if anyone wants to hear Wire "punk out" a bit, listen to a few songs on their first demos

[@Fatherjohn76]

Way back in 2004 I bought Wire’s first three albums on CD having heard many of my favourite bands cite them as an influence. When I put them on I just didn’t get it. I filed them under “meh” and never played them again. Fast forward 18 years and as a middle age man plundering Spotify for classics I came across them again. I was utterly blown away. Perhaps I was lacking the context before, or maybe I was just dumb, but I finally realised these three albums are absolutely incredible. Listening to them is a constant game of “spot the DNA of something coming a few years later”. The seeds of indie pop, new wave, alt rock, dream pop, shoegaze, no wave, dark wave, goth rock, hardcore, Brit pop and more splinter from their sound. Their reach is insane

[@johndotcue]

I was playing some 70s punk Playlist on Spotify a year ago and that's where I found wire. It had ex lion tamer playing and I was so addicted to it. I can't believe I didn't listen to them earlier. They still sounded so fresh today.

[@NoxiousRob]

I have to agree with the scoring of the albums. Chairs Missing is marginally my favourite, with 154 and Pink Flag following closely in that order.

[@DerekPower]

“The Other Window” was my introduction to Wire and I loved it right away with how unusual and unsettling it was. There’s an initiation if there ever was one. Most recently, I listened to the demo of it and it was actually a very straightforward song. This was one of those cases where going experimental made it way more interesting.

[@robeson1231]

The greatest band of the 70s

[@lovethe70s]

Great video of one of my fave bands of the late 70s. Thanks very much. Loved those 3 albums when they came out. Full of infectious tunes and mesmerising lyrics. Look forward to seeing them again in London on 21st May. Be the second time of seeing after being lucky enough to watch them do the whole of Pink Flag as Set 1 of a performance at Barbican many years ago. I can spread more disease than the fleas that nibble away at your window display................

[@nodiet8660]

154 is a masterful album

[@pangloss9]

I found Wire when 154 was released. It blew my mind. I'm happy to report that I'm still enjoying the after effects of our introduction so many years later.

[@beatingheart100]

Thanks for all the 'obsessive' detail, a lot going on in those 3 albums :)

[@mmfitter6731]

Hi, here from NY, gonna be 63 next month, I've been keeping up with Wire since the beginning. You mentioned The Feelies, nice, another great band. Great documentary, thanks, Marinko

[@mookie2637]

MIke Thorne has an incredible career. As a junior A&R guy he somehow persuaded EMI to sign the Pistols (cough). Then he produced the first three Wire LPs. And then he produced Soft Cell's Non Stop Erotic Cabaret. I'd kill for that palmares.

[@andrewbarron7690]

A pleasure to hear and watch your take on Wire. I enjoyed your post on The Swingers also. It seems you are Perun's identical twin and might be in a position to suggest a soundtrack to fill in the gaps between text and voice on his work. I find myself Counting the Beat after 20 minutes,checking my Map Ref at 1/2 an hour and 1 2 XU shortly later. Whether or not your channels are connected I wonder if you know the Taras Shevchenko video of New Order at the Ukrainian National Home in NYC at the end of 1981. It was the US tour Joy Division could not make. Almost Civil War between the band during the set performed under a portrait of the Poet.

[@playstationskate345]

Brilliant video! i've been waiting for a video essay about this monumental band (:

[@martinquarton184]

Fabulous reviews. Saw Wire on Pink Flag tour at Doncaster Outlook. Had a Pink Flag pin free at the time. October 2nd 1978

[@435American]

Really good stuff here. Nice work!

[@tonyjohn1395]

Bought all 3 on vinyl when they first came out. Still got them. Saw them do the pink flag set at the marquee in London in 77.

[@markkochristiansen9811]

THE most underrated band of the time

[@DJJSerpico]

Top 10 band for me of all time

[@anthonymcglinch7503]

Last concert I saw before the coof shutdown. Great show.

[@revelrem4409]

Based on the thumbnail, I wonder if you'll also mention the massive influence these guys had on hardcore punk, especially the early DC scene. Mr Suit and 12XU practically made the career of bands like Minor Threat a good three or so years befor they formed. Also, they did a demo circa 1976, which featured slightly slower, but equally raw vocally songs, like Prove Myself and Bitch, which rival Morris era Flag in terms of instrumental speed and vocal intensity. Hell, even their live sets from 1977 pin down the HC formula easily: - Loads of songs, a few barely hitting 2 minutes, most barely go over even half, - Quite fast punk rock for the time, with shouted vocals, sometimes even gang vocals.

[@lazygazzzer]

I would not say they were underrated when you look at all the bands who came after them and cite them as an influence. Maybe they don't get played on the radio too much but certainly those that have their records play them a lot. The band themselves are actually pretty down to earth. I have met Bruce Gilbert a few times and also chatted a little while with Colin Newman. They were quite approachable and quite open about their music. They seemed a little surprised that they had got so far with what they had done, but at the same time happy that there were all these people out there who called themselves fans. Like kind of, how did that come about?...

[@Shikta-poobah67]

The word “underrated” is one that must be taken with a huge grain of salt these days. Probably the single most overused and abused term on the internet.

[@daword2500]

There's a lot of interesting contemporaneous footage in there - surely enough to put out some interesting live videos or comprise a full-length documentary. Chairs Missing was their best btw, by a country mile, a masterpiece never bettered and one of the most important post-punk recordings of the time.

[@somefatbugger]

Bought each album as they came out. Rocking Horse import records in Brisbane.

[@frankbrinkmann2510]

Most inspiring band back then. Most of my Friends rejectet '154'. I love...no...I adore it to this day. As all three first Albums

[@Jefferson1969-u4s]

Wire is a fabulous band: what is this feeling called love?

[@jaywalker3087]

Bruce was a Lab. technician at Dacorum College of Further Education. '75-'76 . A fekin cool year. We both dressed differently than the normal. Been a punk since then. My best hour on Earth? Talking to John Lydon alone for an hour, on the tour pantechnican , after PIL gig ,Reading, circa 2012 . Mind altering substance experimentation, on going, has played havoc with my memory, but I knew how to have a good time, so I'm not worried!!!!!!

[@ZOOTSUITBEATNICK1]

imo Good vid. My favorite band of all time. imo

[@Extremegaz25]

For me 50+ years of music and pink flag still is one of the best, definitely in the top 20

[@sydbarrett5]

Going to see them in March. Can't wait!

[@ggera4260]

Where?

[@kirstendieker8757]

I think I'm more envious than I've ever been in my life! 😆 But I hope you have one amazing time! Then how could you NOT?!?

[@DropTehBazz]

Was it cancelled?

[@heliumtrophy]

Document & Eyewitness is a criminally underrated live album. More for the fact that I feel the band are feeding off the hatred and bemusement of the audience. The odd sequitirs thrown in "Don't you remember the rope being thrust up ever so gently" "Now....now that you've prompted me I can." "All I can remember is the cooker and the sheep." But most of all after the end of "Piano Tuner (Keep Strumming Those Guitars) the audible voice in the crowd shouting "What the fuck was that, then?" Which probably isn't a great advertisement for the album really but I feel it truly would've veered Wire off into the abyss where no-one would've known what was to come next. The synth driven 80s albums pretty much given a lot of fans of the first phase the cold shoulder.

[@jessemohring3484]

These guys are one of the most underated undiscovered bands of all time. They are up there in their in tallent right behind the sex pistols, if not infront.

[@gracestreet6057]

Pink flag was always on top of my collection Love wire

[@Insofaras]

The best doc about WIRE because there is not a single punk doc yet that has yet to touch about anti-grage pre-post-punk. Talkin bout ahead of your time...

[@Vingul]

Dude, I waited almost 15 years between hearing (and loving) Pink Flag and checking out Chairs Missing, lol.

[@LarzGustafsson]

Wire - brilliant band! "Outsoor Miner", "I Am The Fly", "1 2 x u", etc.

[@thescarecrowcat]

I found it interesting that Chairs Missing was the working title of the track Used To. Also, Blessed State might be my favorite Wire song. It's a strange selection, I know, but a large part of their recent sound and style reminds me of this song.

[@springfieldleaf8649]

Every Wire album is meant to listen to on a head full of L. They’re definitely the scariest lol Colin Newman did a lot of cool psycheldic solo stuff

[@FortressofSound]

Great video! I'm also interested in doing videos like this for other post punk bands. How do you get around copyright with these sort of videos?

[@shonkymusic5573]

Well I usually use live footage because there are a lot of live clips online that don't get claimed by networks, labels etc. And for background music, it's best to keep the volume down and make sure to keep the talking over it - that way the songs can be audible but also buried enough to not get claimed most of the time.

[@beckoning-chasm]

Very good summation of their original impact. While their second and third acts aren't quite as startling or innovative, they've still managed to create some wonderful and frightening music. And I hope they continue to do so.

[@frankbrinkmann2510]

You can't compare WIRE to other Bands. They are unique. Period!

[@stanlibuda96]

thanks, mate! great video, just what I was looking for

[@mytime991]

Sex Pistols came and stayed in the 70s, Wire are timeless.

[@robertmccauley754]

If you want other landmark albums from 1978, the No New York comp and the Nina Hagen Band debut.

[@gwugluud]

Pink Flag is one my favorite albums

[@ntainton28836]

The first album they released after they reunited is also just as good as the original three, also it's often overlooked but Graham Lewis was actually the principal lyricist of the band, he's an underrated bassist too

[@LarzGustafsson]

Art punk is a good description.

[@kristiankjenslie9679]

I don't actually get what the title 'Pink Flag' is supposed to mean, can someone explain?

[@jameswarhol442]

I wouldn't say WIRE kicks ass. That's really not what they do. They definitely rock but not like the Clash or Stranglers or Ramones. In fact they pretty much took out R n R in the classic sense. There's a complete absence of early Rock and/or R and B. I would call Pink Flag cubist punk then the next 2 albums might be something like experimental art prog. After that you're off to the races in trying to describe what they do. But all their stuff, and they're still cranking out great music, is worth checking out. Must see live band if you get the chance.

[@willieluncheonette5843]

of course they have been referred to as "art punk"

[@kirstendieker8757]

I guess it all depends on what a person thinks it means to KICK ASS. If you're interpreting this as a descriptor of their sound and/or its characteristics, well then I suppose one could make a case for Wire NOT kicking ass, should their sound not match your definition. But if kicking ass simply means to generate incredible excitement and to produce an ecstatic sensory experience for listeners, then I can't imagine a band that kicks much more ass than Wire does.

[@iloveNathalie1]

@@kirstendieker8757 You are spot on, Kirsten - Wire have produced incredibly intense and exciting music in many forms, from all-out punk assault (12XU) to experimental dance (Drill). In fact, they prove that genres in music are limiting, predictable and ultimately pointless.

[@chaunceyloveshack9530]

pink flag is experimental in song structure but still pretty rooted in classic punk sound wise, chairs missing moves away from that but it still has classic punk moments like from the nursery and used to

[@JokersNtheOddball]

system plays you, life is a lottery. you play the system, you're altering the nature of fate. the perils of the war to bring punk to the masses.

[@wavelandmusic8476]

What's the song played at the end of the video?

[@marchadier1]

Love this band, and have since their first album, but as per a previous comment, why is 1st lp titled 'Pink flag'? Never seen an explanation.

[@jonathanmitchell9886]

Where in the world did that early footage (beginning at 1:26) come from? I've never seen it.

[@hellowhirled]

Jonathan Mitchell kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYbImZxqgM2Gjrs

[@Krung0401]

15:14 what is that outro music? I know it and it's driving me crazy. Please, relieve me.

[@sc0pe103]

I need to know too.

[@Krung0401]

It's fucking NEMO! From Winnipeg. I knew those guys...how did you ever find this song? I knew it sounded familiar, just took me a few days to figure it out.

[@Krung0401]

@@sc0pe103 Search KZbin for "Nemo - In Stereo - 07 - Hyperdrive".

[@shonkymusic5573]

@@Krung0401 Eyy you got it bro I found out about Nemo in a discussion about music that sounds like the band HUM lol

[@Krung0401]

@@shonkymusic5573 So random. Played shows with them way back in the day.

[@thekeywitness]

I like early Wire albums but I didn’t hear them when they came out, so I feel a bit disconnected from them. On the other hand, I love their later albums, perhaps because I heard them close to their release and connect with them more intensely. Also, I think the production is more muscular.

[@DimIsHigh]

PLEASE I NEED SOMEONE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE 1996 JAPANESE RELASE OF PINK FLAG IS THE SUPERIOR RELASE OF THAT ALBUM AND ALL THESE YEARS I HAD NO ONE THAT COULD UNDERSTAND THIS

[@chocolateflavoredclorox7029]

I would love you to do a video on wipers there legacy is just alike of wire there overshadowed and underrated can you pls do a video on them

[@gazman422]

Decent video apart from the comparison with the awful U2

[@gmotionedc5412]

U2 is not awful. That’s just something the cool kids say. Come on now let’s get real.

[@cityslacker6221]

U2’s first three post punk albums are perfect and you are missing out if you are only thinking about their pop music.

[@outsidethebox4949]

@@cityslacker6221 One of my favorite albums.

[@anfrankogezamartincic1161]

They were mysterious, u nknown, not image at all. But their music is still fresh

[@MsAlien911]

I have all 3. 154 is amazing. Amazing.

[@michaelplatter3281]

@ vali Umpill I have all 3 too. Pink Flag - Chairs Missing - 154 An awesome Trilogy, every Album is well done.

[@johnmchugh8049]

Ex lion tamer is one of the most brilliant songs recorded

[@donnyrover1]

Never thought of wire as a punk band

[@BIGxBOSSxx1]

phil osophical must be pretty unfamiliar with punk then

[@donnyrover1]

@@BIGxBOSSxx1 saw slaughter and the dogs , uk subs buzzcocks etc in 1977 /78 (I was 17) ..punk bands , but wire , nah far too arty, nowt wrong with that, still remain my fav band

[@BIGxBOSSxx1]

@@donnyrover1 just because it's artsy doesn't make them any less punk

[@hellowhirled]

you’re both right/wrong. they definitely started as punk but they also hated punk and don’t love being called punk.

[@synthmalicious7541]

What does the title pink flag mean…?

[@deadx579]

what’s the wire song playing in the background during the eardrum buzz video

[@shonkymusic5573]

Without rewatching the video, I'm pretty sure it was 'A Question of Degree' (non-album single from Chairs Missing era)

[@deadx579]

@@shonkymusic5573 thanks for the reply i know this is a older video! great vid by the way wires music is so enthralling to me i love them

[@petemoss8625]

didnt even mention dot dash ?

[@jimhinkley8983]

I think the latest album (Mind Hive, 2020) reminds me most of Chairs Missing. Check it out. It's fantastic - also, one of the Cactused videos has a charming portrayal of the band showing what an unassuming bunch of gents they are. Genius in tracksuits...

[@roadrunner71runner48]

Great job !

[@arturhours]

Can you please talk about The Clash’s Cut The Crap

[@riniones]

cut the crap

[@damianbylightning6823]

Why?

[@timcarr6381]

It's awful.

[@malcolmlewis5860]

Brian Eno's Third UNCLE prefigure Wire.

[@coenvanhall6598]

Best band.

[@futurescalling]

I'd recommend a track called Hard Currency ... and play it loud

[@salsabil44]

My best friend in my youth was the biggest Wire fan, while I always preferred Joy Division and found Wire´s music hard to get into. I just found their music too arty or experimental, and it didn´t speak to me like JD. After I borrowed IBTABA I eventually enjoyed (most of) it, after several plays . But my feelings about the band were not helped when I went to see them in Edinburgh back in the 80s and they played their whole set with their backs to the audience.

[@jelt110]

perhaps one of the best early reviews of wire. but. wire have always been decades ahead: laurate poets all around. no quarter

[@doctorfeelfunny584]

Weirdly, Gotobed was a real family name.

[@daevidharvey7113]

Mid Late 70’s proved to be the greatest era of Rock Music’s History The Stranglers Hawkwind Ruts Magazine Van Der Graaf Ramones The Damned Alex Harvey Motörhead Vibrators Ian Dury Chris Spedding Devo Kraftwerk Iggy Pop David Bowie Daevid Allen Steve Hillage Battered Wives Teenage Head Dr. Feelgood The Pirates B-52’s Talking Heads on and on and on ... incredible

[@karimiranda9647]

Totalmente de acuerdo !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@rogerioreal]

Very nice!!!

[@earth_w0rm325]

8:21 pink flag is not self explanatory !? 😂 or maybe I'm clueless ?

[@jjisdead]

Nice video

[@edensgate9024]

so ahead ot their time - it's almost scary

[@danielg.w5733]

what song is playing at the end?

[@shonkymusic5573]

Outro song = Hyperdrive by Nemo

[@danielg.w5733]

@@shonkymusic5573 awesome. What about when guy has the "ear" suit? I can't find it anywhere

[@shonkymusic5573]

@@danielg.w5733 I think it's the music video for Wire's 'Eardrum Buzz'