Wed 7/17 @ 8:30PM
Like many bands who later became influential for their distinctive sounds, Wire stumbled out of the late ’70s punk movement to be leaders of the less simplistic more experimental and diverse post-punk wave of the ’80s.
Formed in London in late 1976, the group took the basic punk idea that rock music should be driven by passion and something to say rather than the rarified chops of groups like Genesis and Yes.
Wire’s 1977 debut album Pink Flag is considered a milestone to this day. It defines them so much it’s the name of their website. It had a cool, detached veneer that felt different from most of the era’s heedless kick-over-the-traces punk, and it veered into unexpected alleys.
Along with 1978’s Chairs Missing and 1979’s 154, it influenced the angular, off-balance feel of a multitude of subsequent bands.
Wire has gone through a periods of dormancy, followed by becoming active again. Currently it’s active, and it released a new album, Change Becomes Us, in March on which it fleshed out song ideas from its first incarnation in the ’70s..
The current band includes three of the four founding members — vocalist/guitarist Colin Newman, drummer Robert Gotobed (Grey), and bassist Graham Lewis, along with touring member, guitarist Matt Simms.
The group will be at the Beachland Ballroom. Brooklyn’s Bear in Heaven, who headlined one of the Rock Hall’s Summer in the City concerts last August, opens.
Tickets are $17 in advance, $20 day of show.