Wire are an influential, early punk rock group that was formed in London in 1976. They started out as a punk band but branched out as their career moved on. Coming up around the same time as the Sex Pistols and the Clash, Wire released their first LP, the aggressive, critically-acclaimed 21-track Pink Flag, in 1977. Though they were in the same scene as the aforementioned artists, their sound was quite different, as the group crafted surprisingly diverse songs and carved out their own niche. In many ways, they helped create the post-punk genre, which allowed groups to experiment emotionally and sonically without losing their punk roots.
From there, Wire—made up of Colin Newman (vocals, guitar), Graham Lewis (bass, vocals), Bruce Gilbert (guitar), and Robert Gotobed (drums)—pushed on, releasing their highly-influential sophomore disc in the summer of 1978. Chairs Missing saw the group's songwriting mature even further, integrating progressive and psychedelic rock into their sound. The group's final album before the group's hiatus in 1980 was 1979's 154.
Wire reformed in 1985 and released six studio albums from 1987 to 1991. The group continued to experiment, this time with electronics. Wire's interest in electronics forced Gotobed, somewhat humorously, to fire himself from the group, deciding his skills were superfluous. They called it quits in 1992, but reformed only four years later. Wire released two more albums, 2003's Send and 2008's Object 47, both on their own Pink Flag label. Though the never reached the same level of commercial success as some of their contemporaries, Wire will always be remembered as one of the great UK groups of the era.