Colin Newman has been firing on all cylinders lately, with new and archival works still arriving consistently from his solo projects, his experimental collaborative outfit Immersion with his partner Malka Spiegel, and, of course, with the iconic post-punk band Wire which he co-founded 50 years ago now. When we last caught up with him in 2021, he was promoting a selection of the latter band’s overlooked work from the early 2000s, which had been repurposed for a Record Store Day release. RSD is once again the occasion for which we’re honoring Wire today, this time with the first-ever vinyl release of the band’s 2007 EP Read & Burn 03—an extended version that includes three bonus tracks in addition to the original release’s four.
The EP is best remembered for its sprawling opening track “23 Years Too Late,” a 10-minute recording that managed to bridge the gap between the band’s two fairly distinct eras: both the rawness of their late-’70s art-punk run and the more electro-industrial sounds they explored in the aughts. “Although its length is unusual for the band, there are plenty of other Wire pieces that are also long,” Newman explains. “It’s more that the combination of its genesis, its subject matter, and the fact that it has a special place in the affection of both band and core fans—and by ‘core fans’ I mean people who know all the catalogue, not just a couple of selective releases—that makes it unique.”
Ahead of next month’s RSD festivities, Wire are sharing a new edit of “23 Years Late” (titled the “24 Years Later” edit, as the track was originally conceived in 2002; it isn’t like 28 Years Later, where they couldn’t wait until 2030) which they’ve paired with footage of the band performing in the early 2000s, created by videographer Malcolm Boyle. “It showcases material from the upcoming documentary People in a Film,” divulges Boyle, the co-creator of the doc that’s been in development at least as far back as 2019. “I personally think these particular clips give a strong sense of the unique character and absurd humor of the band.”
Check out the footage and edit of the track below, and learn more about the RSD edition of Read & Burn 03 here.
