WIRE Silver/Lead + DRILL LA

Wire Silver/Lead pinkflag 31 March 2017

Musical pioneers WIRE will release their 15th studio album Silver/Lead on March 31, the eve of their 40th anniversary.  However this is an album with its sights firmly set on the future. On April 1, 2017, the anniversary of the band’s first gig as the “classic 4 piece” at the Roxy Club. London, WIRE will be giving a headline performance at the Los Angeles edition of the band’s boutique city festival DRILL : LA, a unique festival to mark “40 years of not looking back.”    DRILL : LA    March 30 - April 2 at the Echo & Echoplex, Los Angeles, CA   WIRE Bob Mould * Julia Holter * Mild High Club, * Laetitia Sadier   FITTED (Bob Lee, Graham Lewis, Matthew Simms, Mike Watt) Part Time Punks * HowardAmb, * Once and Future Band  * Chasms * Noveller * Immersion * SLOWS + the pinkflag guitar orchestra   More Special Guests To Be Announced Soon   Since 2013, WIRE  have been curating a series of international city festivals with the name DRILL.  The idea being to bring together the best overview of both classic left field artists and new and emerging cutting edge talent.   There will be several more DRILL : FESTIVALS taking place this spring, each featuring unique line ups.     Updated info can be found at www.drillfestival.com   On Silver/Lead, Colin Newman and Matt Simms’ guitar work is alternately jagged and luminous, while bassist Graham Lewis’s ear-catching lyrics are vivid yet oblique. Meanwhile, drummer Robert Grey provides a virtual masterclass in percussive minimalism. But it’s how the various instruments mesh together that really counts. And Newman’s production creates a sonic space in which even the smallest gesture is accorded some recognition.   Highlights include the optimistic dazzle of “Diamonds In Cups,” with its almost T. Rex-style buzz and chug, and the moody swing of “This Time.” Elsewhere on the musical spectrum, there’s the menacing widescreen grandeur of "Playing Harp For The Fishes" and breakneck-paced guitar pop of "Short Elevated Period."   Wire are one of the world’s most ground-breaking bands, their influence acknowledged by bands as diverse as Blur, Sonic Youth, R.E.M. and Savages. But they have never been interested in exploiting past glories. For Wire, there is only ever one possible direction: forwards. So it’s perhaps not surprising that over recent years, they’ve played strings of sold-out shows, achieved career-best record sales, and been cited as a strong influence by yet another generation of bands.   Wire’s last three albums garnered nothing but rave reviews. From 2013’s strangely beautiful Change Becomes Us (“It’s fantastic.” – Pitchfork) to the crackling motorik of 2015’s Wire (“It’s all really well turned, potent and crisp.” – The Guardian), and last year’s punchy mini-album Nocturnal Koreans(“It's a cracker and sounds defiantly modern.” – The Quietus). Consequently, although it may be being released on the band’s 40th anniversary, Silver/Lead is an album which has nothing to do with the past and everything to do with the future. Wire Tour Dates 03.28 - Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom 03.29 - San Diego, CA @ Casbah 03.30 - Los Angeles, CA - DRILL : LA @ Echo 03.31 - Los Angeles, CA - DRILL : LA @ Echo/Echoplex 04.01 - Los Angeles, CA - DRILL : LA @ Echo/Echoplex 04.03 - San Francisco, CA @ Slims 04.05 - Portland, OR @ Dantes 04.07 - Vancouver, BC @ Imperial 04.08 - Seattle, WA @ Crocodile