Monday, January 27, 2025, 12:30PM |  23°
MENU
Advertisement
Graham Lewis, Colin Newman and Matt Simms of Wire
2
MORE

Wire flexes musical muscle in long-awaited Pittsburgh debut

by Scott Mervis

Wire flexes musical muscle in long-awaited Pittsburgh debut

It was one off the bucket list Sunday night for longtime members of the local punk/post-punk scene.

Thirty-eight years after releasing its seminal debut album, "Pink Flag," in 1977, Wire made its first-ever Pittsburgh appearance in the sanctuary of Mr. Smalls.

In an interview last week, frontman Colin Newman prepped us for the show, saying it would focus on new material and it would be LOUD. And it did and it WAS.

Advertisement

He also said, interestingly enough, there would not be a lot of musical virtuosity on stage. And there wasn't.

While early Wire was big on short spastic bursts and slashing guitars, this incarnation is all about chugging straight ahead with tense, muscular, workmanlike songs that stay firmly in a sonic mid-range.

The focus was new self-titled album, "Wire," and Newman, looking more college lit professor than the guy who birthed hardcore, was unshamed to have an iPad taped to a stand to feed him the lyrics. That makes a little more sense in that bassist Graham Lewis writes the "text," as Newman calls it, and they're far from moon-spoon-June.

In fact, sometimes they're tongue-twisters. "The narrowest vision," he sings in "Sleepwalking," "often has the widest appeal/A lack of decision/leaves us open for a steal/Left out, abandoned/we're less than ideal."

Advertisement

"Sing" isn't the operative word, as it's really more of a talk-sing now, and he's unconcerned with wobbling out of key. Young guitarist Matt Simms stuck to the minimalist program, aiming for noisy texture rather than riffs and solos. The synths we hear on the record putting a smooth sheen over new songs like "Blogging" and "Shifting" were left back in England. There were moments of shimmering pop, though, particularly "In Manchester," reminiscent of New Order.

They broke from the new "Wire" a few times to remind us of early Wire on the speedy "Stealth of a Stork" (a song from 2013's "Change Becomes Us," based on an musical fragment) and the Lewis-sung dirge "Blessed State" from "154." The encore was vintage '77-'78 with the frantic "Brazil" and "Chairs Missing" fave "Used To."

It came as no surprise that the highlight was the "Wire" album closer and set closer, "Harpooned," hitting the crowd with a long wave of ominous sound and guitar squalls.

At one point, Lewis said, "They told us in Washington, D.C., we shouldn't know what to expect here. They were right."

We can only guess he was pleased, given the solid turnout and enthusiasm on a Sunday night. Like with the Velvet Underground, a couple thousand people bought the record and they all formed bands. Looking around the room, there were lots of faces we've seen for years on local stages, including members of the Cynics and the S/CKS and Eli Kasan, whose band, The Gotobeds, was named after Wire's rock solid drummer Robert Gotobed.

First Published: June 8, 2015, 8:58 p.m.

RELATED
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, center, calls timeout during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Cincinnati, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023. The Steelers won 16-10.
1
sports
Jason Mackey: Steelers' offseason has been tough to predict and understand
President Donald Trump holds up an executive order after signing it at an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025.
2
news
Trump's executive order on gender draws criticism from Pittsburgh advocates
Pedestrians walk past the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg, where the governor's office is located. Republicans are planning their 2026 bid to unseat incumbent Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro..
3
news
Pa. Republicans planning 'unified and strategic' approach to unseating Josh Shapiro in 2026
Firefighters responded to a house fire in Upper St. Clair on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. One person was killed, and four were injured, including two police officers.
4
local
A wave of deadly Pittsburgh-area house fires puts a spotlight on safety
The entrance into a waste coal pile, owned by Champion Processing, in Washington County on Jan. 22, 2025. A massive solar and battery project that would have covered up the pile and resulted in renewable energy has been abandoned.
5
business
Solar Eclipsed: The sun has set on Beech Hollow solar, a project planned for the largest coal refuse pile in Washington County
Graham Lewis, Colin Newman and Matt Simms of Wire  (by Scott Mervis)
Wire at Mr. Smalls  (photo by Scott Mervis)
by Scott Mervis
Advertisement
LATEST ae
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story