Anyone who's seen the Rockpalast DVD knows how Wire feels about requests, but I think it would interesting to hear what everyone is hoping to hear this upcoming tour. Pick 5 songs that are typically present in Wire's set and pick 5 songs that Wire mk III doesn't typically play and maybe Colin or Graham might get a few ideas for choosing their sets this tour. :)
Here are mine:
Set standards: Perspex Icon Being Sucked In Again Advantage In Height The 15th Mr. Marx's Table
New set additions: Follow The Locust Brazil Kidney Bingos 40 Versions No Warning Given
One I'd like to hear—which I know for a fact won't happen—is a modern update of So and Slow it Grows. It's a great track, but I'd love to hear it live and with Rob's drumming. Ahead 2008 would also rawk.
My current wish list for the tour is simply that the Leeds gig goes ahead. I was thinking of starting a 'Tell Wire' thread to run along side Ask Wire - I'm sure they're aware but the venue for the Leeds gig has now changed from Leeds Met Uni (which seemed odd outside of termtime) to The Cockpit. I understand this can happen if ticket sales are not staggering. I can part verify this as I went to buy a ticket for a mate today and got ticket number 24 after having acquired ticket 11 two or three weeks ago. It's not the only outlet, but as I think I mentioned before I'd seen no promo (though there's now a couple of posters in the main central independant record shop). Maybe things will pick up though. In any event the pinkflag website is still displaying the gig as Leeds Met Uni, so it could do with an update.
Just looking forward to the gig in Glasgow. Let Wire decide what they want to play as usual. Thats maybe part of the reason I still admire them? A live gig only cd,poster,badge etc would go down nice, but if they preform to their best, then thats good enough for me. Roll on September.
Ok this is just a quick though off the top of my head...but I am envisioning something like this...to quote John Lennon "You may say Im a dreamer..."
I should have known better / Drill Two people in a room Being sucked in again Reuters Field Day Three girl rhumba Ex Lion Tamer Lowdown One of us Circumspect Germ Ship Agfers of kodack Mekon headman Mercy In the art of stopping Spent Strange Brazil The Othe Window (PEEL VERSION!!) Outdoor Miner Question of degree Map Ref HeartBeat
Encore 1 Finest Drops German Shepherds Kidney Bingos (aka kidney bongos :) Boiling Boy
Encore 2 99.9 I am the fly 23 years too late 12XU The 15th
I posted in the Live thread that I'm ambivalent about what Wire plays in Atlanta because I'm just happy to see them for a second time regardless of what's on the setlist.
stephenhope: Mercy was easily one of the highlights of the show I saw at the Roxy in Boston in 2000. Not sure if that could be called "recently", but there you have it.
I hope they'll come to Poland. Not many good bands visit our country and when they do, they play on festivals which are expensive and 9 of 10 bands are total crap. Setlist? I don't have any special requests, maybe "In the Art of Stopping" and "Map ref."
The Fall Tour? Well if Mark E Smith can keep the amp-fiddling down to a minimum and maybe drop in a version of Pay Yr Rates i'll be happy.
Seriously though folks I hate to lower anyones expectations (nor do I object to the Fantasy setlists) but I think the reality will pretty much be 6 or 7 from Object, 2-3 from Send, from the 80s: Advantage in Height, Boiling Boy, and some tracks from Pink Flag to finish. While you might not get yr fave oldies most of you will get to see an iconic band in an intimate setting , and if they're on form they will play with no shortage of gusto and blast your head clean off. If your lucky they'll hang around after the show and you can debate the setlist with 'em too.
You also need to bear in mind that Wire is not a conventional rock band with "chops". They can't just delve into their back catalogue at will and play requests on the spur of the moment, like some American bar band. Long-forgotten songs have to be reconstructed. Remember that most of the 154 songs were gone from the set months before 154 came out, and very few have returned to the set since then. A lot of the Manscape stuff was never played live at all.
Add to that the logistical difficulties of rehearsing a band whose members are in London, Lincolnshire and Sweden and there are certain limits...
Nevertheless they do tend to spring nice surprises from time to time - like The 15th this year, or Go Ahead at the Garage in 2000....
Always thought a trick was missed not reworking Torch It from Manscape in a Send style. Probably wouldn't work so well now.
If I can just ignore Garage and go back to Marks comment, The reports on Idealcopy from the Offset Festival suggest that the set for next week will be along the lines of the shows earlier in this year although having heard the BBC6 session perhaps He Knows will get an airing?
I think Mark nails very well the various pressures, constraints and influences that determine the set. This was alluded to in the Radio 2 interview. More than at any time in their career Wire do seem aware of the audience expectations but it is good that they are going out with a strong new LP to play and it certainly won't be a nostalgia show. Had Wire always played 'the hits' during their career they may well be a much bigger, richer band like New Order. But then again they might have ended up like the Stiff Little Fingers.
If I have any wishlist for this tour its that they sprinkle the old songs throughout the set rather than save most for the encore and maybe throw in The Drill!.
Will be enjoying next week in Manchester & Leeds with friends who aren't familiar with the band so will be interesting to see what they think too.