Click here for accessibility information.

 

News

News

2003 archive

This page contains edited versions of all the news pages from 2003 that appeared on this site. Please note that links to external sites may not work, but were active at the time of writing. Internal links should all still be active, but if you find a dead link please inform us by using the contact form.

November 05: Klonhertz, Minimal box-set, and the end is nigh

Back in August we mentioned an Italian house record called 3 Girl Rhumba, by Klonhertz that samples the Wire track of the same name; the flip-side is The Impossible, which samples Colin's words from the Wire track. Apparently, this is getting a proper release this month on Fatboy Slim's Southern Fried record label. A pity then that most reviewers currently mention that how it "covers a well-known Elastica riff"...

And now, time for Minimal Compact fans to jump for joy for a bit. To celebrate the band's upcoming live gigs and (sort of) reunion, their ex-record label, Crammed, is releasing a box-set. The set comprises: Returning Wheel, the band's first and only compilation; There's always now, a remixes/remakes collection by the likes of Optimo, Fauna Flash, and Volga Select; and Music from upstairs, a CD of unreleased and experimental tracks. The box will also include a booklet containing photos, texts and the complete lyrics to all of Minimal Compact's songs.

Finally, the end is nigh for WMO. The organisation will cease trading as soon as 2004 arrives, so if you want to complete your collection, do it right now. All titles are now £5, regardless of what's said on this site elsewhere.

October 19: Minimal Compact reunion

According to their former label, Crammed, Minimal Compact are to reform for two gigs in December this year, with the possibility of more to follow. THis follows the reissue of Deadly Weapons.

The confirmed dates are:

October 05: We're back, plus Commercial Suicide, Wire on tour, and more

Apologies for the lack of updates. The editor decided to move overseas again, and it's taken longer than initially thought to get up to speed. Anyway, on with the show.

First, tidbits of posteverything.com news. Colin's first Crammed release, Commercial Suicide is now available for the bargain price of nine pounds. Including the entire original album, along with the curiosity interview 12", the reissue of this long-out-of-print Newman CD should make long-time fans happy, and stop the CD going for stupidly high prices on eBay. There's no news yet regarding whether the follow-up, It Seems, will get a reissue, but we hear posteverything.com now intends to stock all in-print Newman releases. Stay tuned for more information.

In addition to this, a batch of Wire US/Euro 2002 tour shirts has been unearthed. If you want one, get over to here now.

As some of you already know, Wire's on tour again, this time in Spain and Italy. A few dates have already happened (send reviews if you were there), but here's the full list nonetheless:

Finally, Wire's latest, Send, was nominated for the US-based Shortlist of Music, although, unfortunately, didn't make the cut for the finalists. The shortlist, now in its third year, is somewhat akin to the Mercury prize, although the nominations are made by a panel of musicians, record producers, and music journalists. Apparently, this was to Wire's knowledge the first time they'd been nominated for any kind of prize.

August 02: Revamp, releases, and new reviews

As you've probably noticed, Wireviews has had a slight revamp. If you notice any major problems, do let us know.

Two nuggets of release news: Read and Burn 02 is once again available from posteverything.com, so get your copy before they run out again; and Three Girl Rhumba by Klonhertz is available at www.puregroove.co.uk for the princely sum of £7.50. Described as a "slamming Italian 12", with punk vocals on an electro beat (with guitars and everything!)", we weren't really tempted by the online sound file, but there you go.

On a slightly different audio theme, an audio Wire interview conducted by Jim DeRogatis conducted is now online at www.soundopinions.net/realaudio.html.

Finally, two more live Wire reviews, with images: Club Spaceland, Los Angeles (Sharon Lai), and Barbican, London (Fergus Kelly). Sharon also provided some additional images of Wire's September 2002 San Diego gig.

July 14: Trace Elements

Read our review of the most recent Swim release, Akatombo's Trace Elements.

July 4: Radio killed the video star?

On July 7, BBC 6 Radio's Dream Ticket will broadcast a Wire gig, which will be archived for one week online. Details can be found at www.bbc.co.uk/6music/music/dream_ticket.shtml.

Following up the radio theme, BBC London has a one-hour special about Mute Records on July 5. Daniel Miller will be on Gary Crowley's show, which airs between 6pm and 8pm UK time. You can access BBC London at 94.9 FM in the Greater London area or online at www.bbc.co.uk/london.

Two more nuggets of information today: the Wire Sound Archive (www.brainwashed.com/wire) is now the Wire Sound and Video Archive. Videos are slowly but surely being added to the site in .mov (QuickTime) format.

Finally, we've been made aware of an Italian house record called 3 Girl Rhumba, by Klonhertz. It samples the original Wire track, speeding it up somewhat. The flip-side is The Impossible, sampling Colin's words from the song. This can apparently be tracked down via Pure Groove Records in London (www.puregroove.co.uk).

More updates next week, including some new live reviews.

June 18: Wire USA tour and Crammed reissues

Due to the unfortunate cancellation of All Tomorrow's Parties (LA), Wire has issued the following update to its USA tour schedule:

June 21: Spaceland, LA; replacement gig for ATP—the bill also includes Melt Banana, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, and Mink Lungs
June 23: Great American Music Hall, San Francisco; with Caesura
June 25: Double Door, Chicago; with The Standard
June 26: Abbey Pub, Chicago; (18+ show) with The Standard
June 27: Bowery Ballroom, New York; with The Harlem Shakers

Our second item this month concerns Crammed Discs, which seems to have finally woken up regarding the value of its back catalogue. The Crammed Global Soundclash 1980-89 series will reintroduce some twelve albums, many of which have never seen release on CD, or have long been deleted.

At least three CDs should be of interest to Wireviews readers. The first is Colin Newman's Commercial Suicide, a sedate and orchestral-tinged release that's nigh-on impossible to get hold of these days, and is often seen going for a massive sum on eBay. Next up is Minimal Compact's breakthrough 1984 album, Deadly Weapons, containing the underground club hit Next One Is Real. To follow this, the first Minimal Compact compilation will be released in September 2003, along with a collection of brand-new remixes. Right now, you can grab a 12" that contains a remix of Deadly Weapons by Optimo, backed with Autumn Leaves, courtesy of International Observer.

Finally, the Newman-produced La Débutante by Sonoko is also due for a reissue.

w: www.crammed.be

May 26: Wire, Akatombo and... Desmond Simmons returns

Not content with unceremoniously dumping White Stripes from the top spot a week ago, Wire has fended off competition form the likes of Blur, Lucinda Williams and Kaizers Orchertra, to retain top spot in the Dutch Moordlijst (Murder list) which is compiled by radio presenters, journalists and other critics.

If you're still waiting on Send vinyl, this release has been dogged by more bad luck. Stocks arrived, but in the wrong sleeves. Posteverything reports that the final articles should have already been dispatched (around May 22) and sends sincere apologies to all those who have had to wait.

For those of you who missed it during Send's release, Swim quietly unleashed Akatombo's Trace Elements on the world a couple of weeks ago. This lush, layered, eclectic CD should be of interest to fans of other Swim releases, and a review will be online soon.

Finally, blast-from-the-past Desmond Simmons resurfaces in June as a guitarist in Barry Melton's latest band. Here are the tour details for those interested:

Barry Melton UK tour, with Des Simmons (guitar), Alan Burgess (drums) and Mike Evans (bass).

June 23: Monday Blues Bar, Cowley, Oxford
June 24: The Verge, 147 Kentish Town Road, London, NW1. Tel. 020 7267 9452; tube: Kentish Town/Camden Town)
June 28: Pigs Nose Inn, East Prawle, South Devon. Tel. 020 7267 9452

May 12: Sending vinyl and Wire vs Britney

A quick update on the Send vinyl situation. Posteverything.com is still waiting for stock, despite promises made by its production agency, and these should arrive this week at some point. Mail order will be the first serviced, even before shops and other distributors. However, if you really can't wait, let posteverything.com know and your Send CD will be dispatched. If you wait until both are sent at once, posteverything.com will bundle a free enamel pinkflag badge (which will soon be on sale separately for £4).

The other item today is one that has, erm, surprised us somewhat. The Dinbot Web site currently has an MP3 track for download called I'm Watching 4 U that welds Britney Spears's I'm a Slave 4 U to Wire's recent Being Watched from Send. Seriously.

In the interests of, uh, research we downloaded it and gave it a listen. We're not really sure what to think of this. It's confused us. We're off for an Aspirin and a lie down.

May 04: On the rocks and No fat on fast streets

A double-barrelled Graeme Rowland update today: a review of Wire's Hoxton warm-up gig, and an interview with Colin and Graham, originally published on Cracked Machine.

April 30: Send, flag:burning and live news

The Wireviews take on Send and the recent Barbican gig are both now online, the latter including photos by Mark McQuitty.

Any posteverything.com customers still waiting for Send should be advised that the sheer number of pre-orders has taken the band, label and posteverything by surprise. As a consequence orders are taking a little longer than usual, although posteverything assures us that its staff are dedicated to getting all orders out as soon as possible. Note that the vinyl release has yet to arrive, so please be patient there.

Finally, some updates regarding live dates. Apparently, Wire's Paris gig on May 7 is now slated for Le Trabendo, while the Chicago gigs on the 25th and 26th of June are at the Double Door and Abbey Pub respectively.

Symptoms also has some live dates coming up, supporting Mew. On May 7 and 8, he'll be at The Voxhall, Aarhus, and the following two nights at the Store Vega, Copenhagen (both in Denmark).

April 14: Read and Burn (and)

More details about the Send posteverything.com free gift have emerged. This limited edition CD will contain mixes from live mutitrack recordings made during Wire's incendiary performance at the Metro Club in Chicago (September 2002). The full tracklising is 99.9, Germ Ship, Mr. Marx's Table, 1st Fast, Read and Burn, The Agfers of Kodack, Comet, In The Art of Stopping, Spent, I Don't Understand.

April 14: To Swim and to Swim

Swim's output last year was limited to say the least—just one single by Rhodes—but 2003 is set to bring a flurry of activity from the label. The first new release, due in May, is Trace Elements by Akatombo (wm24). This is described as a fusion of darkly urban hybrid rhythm, noise and soundtrack texture.

Next up is another debut, this one by Aurelie. Desde Que Naci is Swim's "balm for the soul". In the band's own words: "June 2003 sees Aurelie emerge from their native Central England, and enrich the contemporary sonic landscape with sweeping sound and melodic minimalism that echo a time when there was everything to be experienced."

We're glad to hear that the long-awaited debut album from Toucaen is also nearing completion, as is a follow-up 7" by Rhodes, along with new albums by Symptoms, Silo and Lobe.

A European tour is being considered for late autumn, but in the meantime you can content yourself with the Rhodes gig at On The Rocks in Hoxton on the 24th of April.

March 26: Live Wire news

Wire has confirmed the following live dates during May and June:

May
7: Le Trabendo, Paris, France
24: Primavera Festival, Barcelona, Spain
29: De Konkurrend Festival, Paradiso, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

June
21: All Tomorrow's Parties, Los Angeles, USA
23: Great American Hall, San Francisco, USA
25: Double Door, Chicago, USA
26: Abbey Pub, Chicago, USA
27: Bowery Ballroom, New York, USA

March 13: Better later than never

This Wireviews update is pretty much playing catch-up with a few things that were slated to go on the site some time ago. First up is Graeme Rowland's account of Wire's Hamburg gig in November 2002, a sequel of sorts to his coverage of the Berlin gig. Keeping with the German flavour, anyone wanting more live Wire photos might want to check out the gallery at the IBD Web site. All images were taken from Wire's Munich gig in November 2002.

Finally, the incomplete lyrics to Read & Burn 02 are now online. Hopefully at some point, Wire will supply us with the actual words, but until then, we'll have to make do.

February 24: Wire 2003 live dates

According to posteverything.com, Wire already has a number of major live gigs slated for 2003. First up is the I.D.E.A.L. festival in Nantes, where Wire will play alongside the likes of Glenn Branca, Gold Chains, Tipsy, Thomas Brinkmann and Alec Empire. It takes place on March 22, and Wire will play at 1am in the Grand Atelier. Tel: +33 2 40 12 14 34

Wire's also down for the Matt Groening curated All Tomorrow's Parties, on June 21 in LA. Other confirmed artists include Blonde Redhead, The Breeders, The Fall, Melt Banana and Yo La Tengo. A small number of supporting dates are also likely in New York, San Francisco and Chicago.

Finally, also slated but not confirmed is an appearance at Denmark's mighty Roskilde where Wire may play amongst a selection curated to celebrate The Wire magazine's 20th Anniversary.

February 10: Another the album

Posteverything has revealed that Wire's forthcoming album, Send, will come with an exclusive mail order when ordered from posteverything. This will be a live album, with mixes from the Metro gig (Chicago, 2002). This item will not be sold separately and will not be made available with the album from any other retail source than posteverything.

This offer is partly to make up for the fact that the bulk of Send is actually from Read and Burn 01 and Read and Burn 02. The full track-listing is: In the Art of Stopping, Mr Marx's Table, Being Watched, Comet, The Agfers of Kodack, Nice Streets Above (full version), Spent, Read & Burn, You Can't Leave Now, Half Eaten, and 99.9.

For those of you paying attention, that makes three tracks each from the first two EPs, one track remixed from the second, and four entirely new ones. The CD is now available for pre-order and will be released on Saturday, April 26 (also to general retail).

A limited edition vinyl version is also due, which will compile all the material from the CD release, along with the other tracks from Read and Burn 01 and Read and Burn 02. The vinyl version will be available as a separate item; if ordered on its own, it won't be presented with the live CD.

Finally, Read and Burn 03 has also been announced, and will most likely mark a new direction for Wire. Again. ;)

February 08: MZUI

The release date for the Lewis/Gilbert/Mills MZUI CD has been confirmed as March 24 on the Boutique label. Sleeve notes are by Kevin Eden, and some extra photos of the event are included.

January 20: The Brain Poll

The annual readers poll of the Brainwashed Brain at www.brainwashed.com/brain/2002winners.html saw Wire gain the top two positions for 'best single or EP', with Read & Burn 01 and Read & Burn 02 taking first and second place respectively.

The classic 99.9 made tenth best song, and Wire was also ranked tenth in the 'band of the year' list, and came in 11th for 'best live show'.

Good to see Sigur Rós do pretty well, too, what with Wireviews being based in Iceland these days!

January 15: Send release date

PinkFlag has confirmed the official release date of Send as being April 28, 2003—the Monday after the Barbican event.

January 03: Latest news

Hello, and a Happy New Year from Wireviews. The Wire-related news on everyone's lips as we enter 2003 is the forthcoming album and live performance at the Barbican. But before we get to that, here's what's new on this site:

We've also tweaked a few on-site pages, updated the A List, and archived 2002's news.

Wire

Flag:Burning will be Wire's second art-house event, and this Barbican-based collaboration with the Chapman Brothers and Es Devlin looks set to eclipse 2000's Royal Festival Hall performance.

The first half of the event will find Wire performing its debut—the seminal Pink Flag—in its entirety, with contemporary visuals by Jake and Dinos Chapman, who are making their theatrical design debut.

Following this will be 'send', embodying Wire's latest, self-titled 'Third Millennium Punk' work. This will be staged and directed by theatre designer, Es Devlin—known for working with such diverse subjects at the Pet Shop Boys and Eddie Izzard.

Tickets for this not-to-be-missed Wire night are available from The Barbican Web site and cost between £12.50 and £25. The event will take place at the Barbican Hall on April 26, 2003, at 8pm sharp.

'Send' is also the title of the first full album of new 'mk III' Wire material. Rumours suggest that it will contain a combination of brand-new tracks and reworked Read and Burn material, and will be released at the end of April; more information as we receive it.

Swim

While we wait for the long-anticipated third Lobe CD, Swim is flexing its muscles on vinyl circuit once again. This time Rhodes is the subject, and the band's 7" single, War Day/The New, is described as sounding like a 'punk band trapped inside a computer'. More information and mail order can be found at www.posteverything.com.

MZUI

Those of you who were disappointed by WMO's cancellation of MZUI will be glad to hear that LTM Publishing has taken it on board. This long-lost Gilbert and Lewis collaboration will be released on sister label, Boutique, perhaps as early as March, and will be a direct reproduction of the LP (hopefully including many photos from the vinyl original). WMO will stock the item, and you can keep up with latest developments via www.ltmpub.freeserve.co.uk.

Artwork