Real name: Bruce Gilbert, Colin Newman, Graham Lewis, Robert Gotobed

Effective period / Period of releases: 1977 - 2022

Members: Bruce Gilbert, Colin Newman, Graham Lewis, Margaret Fiedler, Robert Grey, Matthew Simms, George Gill

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 associated with the punk rock scene, appearing on Various - The Roxy London WC2 (Jan - Apr 77) —a key early document of the scene—and were later central to the development of post-punk.

Inspired by the burgeoning UK punk scene, Wire are 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 "Wire - Pink Flag," to a more complex, structured sound involving increased use of guitar effects and synthesizers on both 1978's "Wire - Chairs Missing," and 1979's "Wire - 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.