Wire

Wire is an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman (vocals, guitar), Graham Lewis (bass, vocals), Bruce Gilbert (guitar), and Robert Gotobed (drums). They were originally inspired by and associated with the burgeoning UK punk rock scene, appearing on "The Roxy London WC2 (Jan - Apr 77)" (a key document of the groups of the early scene), and were later central to the development of post-punk, influencing endless bands over the subsequent decades. Hence, the group is often cited as one of the more important rock groups of the 1970's and 1980's. Critic Stewart Mason wrote, "Over their brilliant first three albums, Wire expanded the sonic boundaries of not just punk, but rock music in general."

Wire are arguably a definitive art punk or post-punk ensemble, mostly due to their richly detailed and atmospheric sound, often obscure lyrical themes, and, to a lesser extent, their Situationist political stance. The group exhibited a steady development from an early raucous punk style with 1977's "Pink Flag" to a more complex, structured sound involving increased use of guitar effects and synthesizers on both 1978's "Chairs Missing" and 1979's "154". The band gained a reputation for experimenting with song arrangements throughout its career.

In 2004 founding member Gilbert left the band. In 2010 Matthew Simms joined.